The Veterans Committee Nominees

The Hall of Fame has announced the candidates for the Veterans Committee’s “Pre-1943 election.” Here is part of the press release.

The Hall of Doubt?

Jackie Robinson’s Hall of Fame Credentials

The 25 Center Fielders With the Best Careers

Here are the 25 center fielders who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

The 25 Left Fielders With the Best Careers

Here are the 25 left fielders who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

The 25 Right Fielders With the Best Careers

Here are the 25 right fielders who had the best careers during the 20th century (as measured by the NEWS HOF Gauge).

The Best 25 Careers at Each Position

This is the first installment of a new series on this blog regarding which major league players had the best careers at each position as determined by the NEWS HOF Gauge.

Revamped Veterans Committee

There is now a special segment of the Veterans Committee that will examine the most deserving of those players who played prior to 1943 but are not in the Hall of Fame. A good question is – how many such players have HOF numbers and have been ignored in the past? According to the NEWS […]

More Strange HOF Voting

Maury Wills came onto the BBWAA ballot in 1978. In that first year, he got 115 votes (30%). Luis Aparicio, another shortstop, joined him on the ballot in 1979. Wills got 38% of the vote in 1979 compared to 28% for Aparicio. In 1980, Wills got more votes than Aparicio again – 38% to 32%. […]

Strange HOF Voting

At times, the manner in which some writers who are members of the BBWAA vote in the Hall of Fame elections seemingly defies rational explanation. Writers receive a ballot containing a list of candidates for the Hall. They are asked to vote for ten players at most. I would assume that if someone is voting […]

2008 BBWAA Results – Some Thoughts

Congratulations to Goose Gossage on his election to the Hall of Fame. He got 86% of the vote and was the only candidate elected. As we have said here before, Gossage has HOF numbers and should have been elected long ago. Three other players scored better than 60% of the vote and will probably be […]

Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan is a Hall of Fame pitcher – there is no question about that. But exactly how good was he and how does he compare to the other HOF pitchers? People are usually surprised when I explain that Nolan Ryan’s career more closely resembles that of Don Sutton than those of truly outstanding pitchers […]

A Short Career – The Pitchers

The NEWS HOF Gauge recognizes two small groups of pitchers as having HOF numbers even though they did not reach the NEWS criterion of 235 for a starting pitcher. 1. The 180/2400 Standard – Starters and starter/reliever There are only five pitchers in the 20th century who have attained a NEWS score of 180 while […]

A Short Career and the HOF

According to the NEWS HOF Gauge, only eighty-four (84) position players in the 20th century have attained HOF numbers with a NEWS score of 280. That is a very select club. But there were nine other position players who also achieved HOF numbers even though they had relatively short careers. There have only been eleven […]

HOF Election “Rigged?”

Marvin Miller was not elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans’ Committee on Dec. 3, 2007 and he was upset. This is some of what he said (as reported by the Associated Press). “I think it was rigged, but not to keep me out. It was rigged to bring some of these (people) […]

2008 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot

The NEWS HOF Gauge (based on Win Shares) has set performance standards for players and pitchers in order to determine whether they have the numbers to be considered serious candidates for the Hall of Fame. These are tough standards as is evidenced by the fact that only 93 position players and 49 pitchers (who played […]

The Best Players NOT in the Hall of Fame

According to the NEWS HOF Gauge (based on win shares), at the end of the 2006 season, only 82 position players had established a NEWS score of 280 (clear HOF numbers). In the 2007 season, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome joined this elite group. Jones is now the #79 best position player of the 20th […]

WIN SHARES and the HALL OF FAME

In 2002, Bill James published his book called WIN SHARES in which he introduced a new system that was the product of more than twenty-five years of research. And it is this system that I am convinced is far better than any other that has been developed for comparing players. The method is so revolutionary […]

Numbers and the Hall of Fame

This is the first in a series of short articles and/or comments that I will be writing regarding baseball’s Hall of Fame. Who belongs in the Hall of Fame? According to the guidelines set forth for the BBWAA election process, “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions […]

The Top 40 Pitchers of the 20th Century

Bill James’ WIN SHARES system is the ultimate baseball statistic currently available to judge exactly how good a season a player had. That is the view of Dr. Michael Hoban -retired mathematics professor and serious baseball analyst. And that is why the professor has used WIN SHARES in his new book to create a new […]

The Top 100 Position Players of the 20th Century

Bill James’ WIN SHARES system is the ultimate baseball statistic currently available to judge exactly how good a season a player had. That is the view of Dr. Michael Hoban -retired mathematics professor and serious baseball analyst. And that is why the professor has used WIN SHARES in his new book to create a new […]

Sorry Joe, This Time You Got It Wrong

I have always liked Joe Torre – admiring his class and his style. And, like most followers of the game, I have never liked George Steinbrenner. But, at his press conference on Oct. 18, Joe got it all wrong. St. Joe did not come across as a martyr to me. He came across as a […]

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