The Diamond Fan

The news today is that Joe Gordon was selected by the Veteran’s Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I suspect this will be a controversial choice in some circles.  Many people have been lobbying for Ron Santo, who was passed over once again, and Gordon is not necessarily a by-the-numbers Hall of Famer.  His “black ink” score (based on leading the league in various categories) is onely two (average Hall of Famer is 27) and his other metrics (HoF Standards and HoF Monitor scores) likewise don’t measure up.

But to me, this is a good choice.  Gordon was only in the majors for 11 seasons (missing two years for military service during World War II).  He was an All Star for nine of them, missing only in his first and last years active.  he was a key player on five World championship teams, four with the Yankees and one with the Indians.  He was a fine fielder at a key defensive position, as well as a strong offensive prescence.  By all accounts he was a good guy to have in the clubhouse as well.

In this season that will see the return of varisty baseball to the University of Oregon, it’s great to see a UO alum make it to the Hall.  Joe is not around to enjoy the honor, but to his many fans it is cause for celebration.

Now that Mike Mussina has announced his retirement, it is not too early to start considering his chances for the Hall of Fame.  Mussina is an interesting case, as his career accomplishments and statistics put him squarely in the middle of the average range for a Hall of Famer, but he lacks the standard marquee accomplishments (championships, 300 wins, Cy Young awards) that make for greater certainty in getting enshrined.

His problem is illustrated by the difference in his “black ink” (leading the league in certain categories) and “gray ink” (being on the leader board in said categories).  According to baseballreference.com, his black ink score is only 15; the average HOFer is 40. His gray ink score is 244; average HoFer is 185.

He pitched for two AL Champions (2001 & 2003 Yankees); neither team won the World Series.  He finished in the top six in Cy Young voting six times, but never won the award.  His only time leading the league in one of the glamor pitching categories was in 1995 when he led the AL in wins with 19.  By all accounts Mussina is a good teammate and a good guy to have in the clubhouse.  He has been a model of consistency, never failing to make at least 25 starts in any full season during his 18 year career, and finishing in the top ten in ERA 11 times.

It will be interesting to see what the voters do with all of this.  My guess is that he will eventually get in, but not in the first year or two he is on the ballot.

Tony Gwynn has long been one of my favorite players. By the time he came up to the big leagues in the early 80s I was a committed Dodgers fan, but I still loved to see him hit; just an amazing hitter, who on his better days seemed almost impossible to get out. And while his hitting rightly garners most of the attention, he was a fine all around ballplayer as well: good speed on the bases and solid defensively.

One of the most memorable games I’ve ever attended was a game between the Padres and the Dodgers in Dodger Stadium in which Tony figured prominently.  I don’t remember the exact year, but Orel Hershiser was in his prime and pitched for the Dodgers that night. He was on his game and almost unhittable. In fact, he faced the minimum 27 batters that night. The only Padre to reach base was Tony Gwynn, who did it twice: once with a base hit and once with a walk. Tony was erased on a double play and caught stealing, and the Dodgers won on Hershiser’s great performance (I think the score was 2-0). A most memorable game, as I said, featuring terrific performances by two truly great players.

I got to see Tony play a number of other times, too, and always loved watching him hit. When I started collecting baseball cards with my then very young sons in the mid-90s, the player I chose to collect was Tony Gwynn. I have a pretty nice little collection of Tony Gwynn cards (about 300 or so)  featuring a complete run of his Topps base cards and several autographs and game-used memorabilia cards.

I was delighted to see that mlb.com has produced a nice video tribute to Mr. Gwynn, Tony Gwynn: The Making of a Hall of Famer, and naturally I shelled out the $4 to download the video to watch on my computer. It is a good retrospective that covers his life and career; nicely done and it really shows the human side of a great player and very likable man. I’m really glad that he has taken his well-deserved place in the Hall of Fame, and glad that I had a chance to watch him play.

Thanks, Tony! You are one of the guys who make baseball the special game that it is.