Sorry. my reply is long. wc
Wabberjocky wrote:
Should he be kept out of the Hall of Fame? Many baseball pundits think so because they say there's nothing about him that says "greatness" except for "counting stats": i.e., what pennant races has he led, what dramatic game-changing hits has he had, when did he ever lead the league in anything ....
By this measure he isn't quite as good as Hank Aaron. [And I admire Aaron.]
Quote:
The "there are worse players in the Hall of Fame" is an argument that will be disallowed here. It is well-established that the HOF is a historically corrupt instution.
Yes, it's corrupt. But even if it weren't, what entitles a player to membership? What is greatness?
There are no standards. It used to be that if an everyday player hit 500 home runs and got 3,000 hits, he was a lock. For a pitcher, 300 wins. Obviously, the unofficial standards are much lower than that, or not applicable.
Should players with good but not great power be penalized, as if an astronomical on-base percentage, base-stealing and doubles-power couldn't compensate for a lower home run total? What about the greatest of fielders who were good hitters? What about relief pitchers? Players whose careers were cut short by injury or war?
With little besides the distance between bases unchanging, how do you discuss the Hall of Fame without comparing players?
Reggie Jackson was a great player. Hit lots of home runs, drove in runs, hit in the clutch (though not everyone here believes such a phenomenon exists), played for winners. And, he was a supreme hot dog.
Palmeiro lacks Jackson's raw power. He hasn't played for teams like the Yankees or the A's when they were strong. He's exciting only if you marvel at the smoothness of his swing.
What he does is show up, seldom miss a game, never complain, give himself up to drive in runs, strike out a lot less than Reggie, play a good first base. Lots of years of hitting around .300, with 30-40+ homers and tons of RBIs. Like Aaron.
Palmeiro isn't "the straw that stirs the drink." His idea of a good quote is to say that his father had guts he lacks; he bases this on sacrifices his father made to get his family to America for his family's sake.
Palmeiro isn't a celebrity. He endorses Viagra, a sure sign of humility. He's a valuable team player with a long, distinguished career.
Steroids, eras of live balls and dead balls, tinkering with the mound, artificial turf, the DH rule, shrinking stadiums, shifting strike zones, media hype--comparing players is fun, but to think it can be done with certainty is a delusion.
Does Palmeiro belong in the Hall? I don't know and I don't care. Might as well get excited about the Academy Awards or Time magazine's Man of the Year Award. Some people care more about the game as each is played.