The 2012 Sully Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

I don't have a Hall of Fame vote. That is a tragedy. Someday that will be changed. But for now all I can do is type from my blog and say who I WOULD vote for if I had a ballot.

Not one of the 13 new names on the ballot should be back on next year. No offense to Tim Salmon, Javy Lopez, Bernie Williams, Terry Mulholland, Ruben Sierra et al. They had wonderful careers but none of them came close to a Hall of Fame career.

(Bernie Williams for a stretch was an elite player, as was Sierra. But they didn't have the resume.)

There are some names on the ballot who were great for a stretch but not enough for the Hall (Sorry Dale Murphy and Don Mattingly.)

Some who were really good but not quite immortal level (Sorry Fred McGriff and Larry Walker.)

And there are the specialists who just missed my ballot but I will listen to the arguments pros and cons (Sorry Edgar Martinez and Lee Smith.)

And yeah, I went there before and I'll go there again... Jeff Bagwell smells fishy to me. His transformation just sounds too familiar to me. Blame McGwire if you don't like it.

So who WOULD I have on the ballot?

BARRY LARKIN
He could do it all and did it with class and dignity. An MVP, a great hitter and terrific defender, he was the National League's best shortstop for a decade.

JACK MORRIS
I know he isn't getting in, yet I still turn on the light for his eligibility. I understand the stats against him and yet I'd still want him starting a big game over several other Hall of Famers. I am sure my support for him means a lot to Morris.

TIM RAINES
An elite player for a Hell of a lot longer than most of you remember. He deserves to get in.

ALAN TRAMMELL
As I said earlier, his resume is virtually identical to Larkin's.


I think only Larkin will get the call tomorrow.
The other three deserve that call.
I have no control on the matter... yet.

Sully Baseball endorses Alan Trammell for the Hall of Fame

Barry Larkin is almost certain to be elected to the Hall of Fame in about a week. He was the best National League shortstop for a decade. He was a Cincinnati native who spent his whole career with the Reds (not really a Hall of Fame factor but makes for an uncluttered plaque.)

A former MVP, winner of 9 Silver Sluggers, 3 Gold Gloves, he had a lifetime .815 OPS with power, speed and help lead the Reds to the 1990 World Series title.

And yet Alan Trammell has virtually the same resume and is considered a long shot at best.

Each played roughly the same amount of games.

Larkin - 2,180

Trammell - 2,293

Each hit close to the same amount of homers (with Larkin playing in a more home run friendly stretch.)

Larkin - 198

Trammell - 185

Their OPS+ were right around the same level

Larkin - 116

Trammell - 110

Both won multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers.

Trammell would have matched Larkin's MVP if the voters went with him instead of George Bell like many thought they should have in 1987.

Both had a solid 6 or 7 year peak in the center of their career.

And Trammell, along with Cal Ripken, transformed the shortstop position from an All Field No Hit position to a power one, paving the way for Barry Larkin and the great shortstops of the 1990s and 2000s.

I still don't understand WAR, but only 68 non pitchers have a higher WAR all time than Trammell. Right behind him are Hall of Famers Eddie Murray and Pee Wee Reese.

If I ever get around to figuring out WAR, that will impress the Hell out of me.

But his World Series MVP in 1984 and his cameo on Magnum P.I. impressed me enough to give him a second, third and fourth look.

Larkin deserves a spot in the Hall. As does Tim Raines. I've always been a big fan of Trammell's Tiger teammate Jack Morris but I am resigned to the fact that he won't get in.

But I hope Trammell gets some votes and some momentum. The next bunch of years will be some of the least fun ballots in Hall of Fame history.

Bonds and Clemens will be on soon and mixing it up with Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire et al to make for some awful "Should steroid users be in the Hall?" debates.

Maybe someone like Trammell can benefit from that. A guy to vote for while that ugliness is going on.

And if so, take a look at his career.

It is no charity case.

It's a compelling one.

Why I don't believe this Magnum PI clip

Look, I loved Magnum PI like everyone else did. And I LOVE 1980s baseball... so you would think this clip of Magnum at a bar with Tigers greats Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker would be goosebump worthy for me.

But there's something about it that doesn't ring true for me. Watch the clip and we'll discuss it.






Magnum is such a huge Tigers fan and yet he doesn't recognize the greatest double play combo in the team's history?

It's not like it was Barbaro Garbey, Marty Castillo or Rusty Kuntz in the bar with him.

So yeah, he would have recognized them, even in street clothes.
A Tigers fan in the 1980s would have recognized them if they were in full clown make up.

And why the hell were Trammell and Whitaker in such a lousy bar?

It made Magnum look like an uncool doofus. Sorry, that's impossible.

While the clip is well intentioned, THIS fan isn't buying it.