Mark McGwire and the 2007 HOF

[Attezz]

But if McGwire makes it, why not Pete Rose?

Are you sure you're a sportswriter?

[Bonny]

Lou Whitaker is black?

[JoeDirt]

The guy just had a gambling problem, is all.

USOW (Understatement of the Week)

[Dryden]

It doesn't matter about the gambling problem one way or the other.  Rose agreed to a deal to put him on baseball's ineligible list - McGwire didn't.  Simple as that.

[Gerlost]

A poll in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch only had 62% of readers voting McGwire into the HOF.  For what it's worth.

[ultimate7]

However it should be noted Mike Schmidt voted against him 4200 times

[BDawk]

Let's not talk about the past...

[capt_taco]

The guy just had a gambling problem, is all.

USOW (Understatement of the Week)

Yeah, I know. But the anti-betting rules (and the lifetime ban) were meant for the guys who would take bribes, throw games, etc., like in the Black Sox scandal. The real cheaters, manipulators, and so on. Rose seems more like a pathetic problem gambler, closer to a crackhead or an alcoholic than someone who would actually try to ruin the game. He was stupid, yes, and it's his own stupid fault he's in this mess, and he handled it like a total jerk. But I feel more sorry for him for being that way than angry at him for what he did.

And a bigger deal to me is that the whole gambling scandal happened well after he was done playing. It separates the scandal from the things he accomplished on the field, though maybe it shouldn't. I don't know; I still think it just looks retarded not to have the all-time hits leader in the Hall, as if that's somehow going to make everyone forget he got thousands of hits. Ban him from managing or being involved in the game, and I understand that. I just think keeping him out of the Hall is more mean-spirited than anything, and MLB looks really unnecessarily stubborn.

Note: This doesn't apply to the stuff in this particular post, but be aware that a significant portion of the time I post on here, it's after I just returned from getting hammered at the bars. And when I drink, I don't fuck around.

[Mr. Blubbo]

Why is this in the RBI forum.  This shold be in the anything goes forum so I can respond to it.

Anyways.

First.  Ripken will get a higher percentage of the vote than Gwynn.
Second.  McGwire does not get in on the first ballot.  I wouldn't be surprised if he had to wait 3-5 years.

Ripken and Gwynn are the only HOF inductees next year.

[ultimate7]

Hey, who let Vit read the RBI forum, this is supposed to be the forum where we can make fun of him.

[RedBarron]

capt taco, Rose's deal was that sometimes he'd bet on the Reds.  Sometimes he wouldn't.

When he didn't bet on the Reds, the bookies basically considered that a day that pete thought that the reds would lose. 

Rose fucked himself when he bet on his team.  The clubhouse rule states that if you bet on baseball, you are suspended for a year.  If you bet on games you have a hand in, you are suspended for life.

[broiler]

pete rose was inducted into the wrestling hall of fame.  personally, i think that is cooler than the baseball hall of fame. 

[ultimate7]

pete rose was inducted into the hair style hall of fame.  personally, i think that is cooler than the baseball hall of fame. 

[Caveman]

Looking at his lifetime stats, the numbers are far form unanimous hall of fame credentials. He only really had two hall of fame type seasons in 98 and 99, in large part to him playing 147 games both seasons (a career high). He doesn't have high hit or RBI totals; he was a pour fielder, who only appeared in 100 games 7 of his 16 big league seasons. The only thing that would put McGwire in the Hall are his outstanding power numbers; numbers that are not nearly as credible as they were a few years ago.

[Attezz]

He also only averaged 161 R+RBI a season, and it's not as if he didn't play on quality offensive teams either.

[Bonny]

He also has some wicked acne scars.

[Mike D.]

Didn't McGwire win 2 Gold Gloves?

[RedBarron]

the resident sabr stat dudes will tell you he won those GG with his bat. . . . . and I'd have to agree.


The man was / is so bulked up he can't even touch his pecker.  Fielding grounders were brutal for the guy.

[JoeDirt]

He (McGwire) only really had two hall of fame type seasons in 98 and 99, in large part to him playing 147 games both seasons (a career high).

How can you possibly say this:

YR       G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG 
'87  151  557   97  161  28  4  49  118   1  1  71 131  .289  .370  .618
'92  139  467   87  125  22  0  42  104   0  1  90 105  .268  .385  .585
'96  130  423  104 132  21  0  52  113   0  0 116 112  .312  .467  .730
'97  156  540   86  148  27  0  58  123   3  0 101 159  .274  .393  .646
'98  155  509  130  152  21  0  70  147   1  0 162 155  .299  .470  .752
'99  153  521  118  145  21  1  65  147   0  0 133 141  .278  .424  .697
'00    89  236   60    72   8    0  32  73    1  0 76  78  .305  .483  .746

EDIT: 'cause I suck at lining stats up and don't recall how BDawk/Nightwulf said to do it.

[Gantry]

JoeD - In the future, changing the font to something monospaced like courier will do the trick.  I think there's an icon for it on the main reply, but I'm using Quick Reply and am too lazy to check.  Hope that helps!