With the baseball Hall of Fame voting (or lack there of) over and all the hand ringing regarding the fact that none of the nominees received enough votes for entrance continuing, the passing of Stan Musial should serve as a reminder of what a true Hall of Famer is.
I read what Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian said about the PED boys Bonds, McGuire and Clemens and that's a debate for another time. It's the writers that vote for and try to justify entrance for player like Craig Biggio, Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell that need to be reminded about Musial and his greatness.
Stan Musial was selected to the All Star team 24 times (a record). Stan Musial compiled 3,630 hits (4th all time, most with career on one team), he hit 475 home runs and was named MVP three times and won three world series championships. At the time of his retirement, he held or shared 17 major league records, and 9 All-Star Game records.
Three thousand hits, nearly five hundred home runs, three MVP's and three world championships. Now we are expected to welcome those listed above into the same club. Additionally, some writers voted Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker and Fred McGriff as Hall worthy.
Stan Musial/Craig Biggio....really? Stan Musial/Edgar Martinez...come on. Stan Musial/Fred McGriff...even their nicknames are no contest (the Man vs. Crime Dog).
For me Hall of Fame induction should be based on a couple factors:
1. Were you the best at your position in the league and era you played (i.e. all star, gold glove)?
2. Did you accumulate awards (i.e. MVP/Cy Young, batting title, etc.)?
3. Did you lead your team to the world series and/or have a noteworthy accomplishment (i.e. triple crown, no hitter, etc.)?
There were guys on this years ballot I liked a lot. They don't come better than Dale Murphy or Don Mattingly. Good players and good guys. They probably meet most of my induction criteria, but when compared to Stan Musial, sorry.
The notion that it was a bad thing no players were admitted this year needs to be dismissed. It a good thing that no one qualified, because outside of the PED guys, no one was qualified. Don't induct someone because they are the best of the rest, they must be the best of the best.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon commented " Stan Musial was a great American hero who-with the utmost humility-inspired us all to aim high and dream big. The world is emptier today without him, but far better to have known him. The legacy of 'baseball's perfect warrior' will endure and inspire generations to come."
Who on this years list of candidates could inspire words like that ?
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