RIP Tony Gwynn

[Simple Simon]

I played baseball for 14yrs and was scouted by florida state and AZ... neither offered scholarships.

binderdundat.

[Mr Anabolic]

Nice post Falcon!

No shit - I still have that exact Topps baseball card in my collection somewhere in the basement, I think. Along with my treasured Mark McGwire rookie card. All told, worth about 10 cents. I'll be rich someday.

I have all the rookie cards from the 80's and 90's.  I was rich, then the bottom fell out -lol

Bubbles and the manias of crowds are very interesting... I've studied many of them all throughout history.  The tulip bulb mania of 1637 is one everyone should familiarize themselves with. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_mania

Right now the bubble is housing (2nd one within 10 years, which is rare) and the stock market.

People need to realize... something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay you for it.

[Grape Ape]

You don't play baseball, so it's normal not to care about the Hall of Fame

But...

The HOF means a LOT to MLB players. It's one of their goals in life. They see it as a great achievement.

I am a baseball fanatic.

And even to me, the mystique of The Hall has been hampered a bit, when players like Rice, and even Puckett, got in.  It should have been for the elite, not the very, very good.

It will be even worse when the Boston media machine forces in Ortiz, and Tim Raines still isn't in.

[The Ugly]

I am a baseball fanatic.

And even to me, the mystique of The Hall has been hampered a bit, when players like Rice, and even Puckett, got in.  It should have been for the elite, not the very, very good.

It will be even worse when the Boston media machine forces in Ortiz, and Tim Raines still isn't in.

Where do you stand on Rose?

[UPINTHEMGUTS]

Charlie Hustle should be in the Hall of Fame, no question. Hope to see it in my lifetime(more like Pete's lifetime)

[Archer77]

I have a glove personally signed by Gwynn.   I met him as a kid and he signed my glove.

[Royalty]

It'd be nice to see Don Mattingly get in the HOF.

But I think that back injuries hampered him and shortened his career.

[njflex]

It'd be nice to see Don Mattingly get in the HOF.

But I think that back injuries hampered him and shortened his career.

ONLY 3 TERRIFIC YRS IN ROW AND THE REST DECENT,,I LOVED HIS PLAY BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS,,

[The Ugly]

Charlie Hustle should be in the Hall of Fame, no question. Hope to see it in my lifetime(more like Pete's lifetime)

Totally agree. He does himself no favors, though, lying about what he did, then not showing up for his appeal and such. Character-wise, I get the controversy, but they've admitted plenty of turds (Ty Cobb, for instance). There's no reason at all he shouldn't make it based on performance. Anyway, I'm sure he'll enter posthumously, which is probably what they're waiting for.

Kinda like Basile with the blue stars.

[Wayne Root]

Don Mattingly was a great player and has enormous stature and character. I wish he was better as a manager and tactician. Nope. All the great ones who try to manage suck at it.

God bless MLB for keeping out Pete Rose. Gambling destroys the integrity of the game. A person will manage a game completely differently with a wager on the game. Plus, Pete is a major-league douchebag as a human being. Justice!

[ESFitness]

Don Mattingly was a great player and has enormous stature and character. I wish he was better as a manager and tactician. Nope. All the great ones who try to manage suck at it.

God bless MLB for keeping out Pete Rose. Gambling destroys the integrity of the game. A person will manage a game completely differently with a wager on the game. Plus, Pete is a major-league douchebag as a human being. Justice!

rose just got caught.

he's not the only one who's gambled.

they'll never take away how many hits he has, much less how hard he played.

that's the first 'chink' in the HOF's legitimacy... steroid-exclusions are the second.

[The Ugly]

Don Mattingly was a great player and has enormous stature and character. I wish he was better as a manager and tactician. Nope. All the great ones who try to manage suck at it.

God bless MLB for keeping out Pete Rose. Gambling destroys the integrity of the game. A person will manage a game completely differently with a wager on the game. Plus, Pete is a major-league douchebag as a human being. Justice!

Gambling, yes, bad. Douchebag? Sure, but Cobb rushed the stands to beat the shit out of a handless fan who called him a "half-ni66er." Dude was a monster, yet he made it in.

[The Ugly]

rose just got caught.

he's not the only one who's gambled.

they'll never take away how many hits he has, much less how hard he played.

that's the first 'chink' in the HOF's legitimacy... steroid-exclusions are the second.

Of course others have probably gambled. And yes, he did get caught, so what did you/he expect? It's right up there on the top of the list of shit you just don't do. Gambled on his own team, no less. Win or lose, you have to understand how this compromises the integrity of the game. And all the fucker had to do was apologize, but he couldn't. One of the best players ever, so he deserves his spot in the Hall, but you can't really blame them for his exclusion.

As for the 90s roids era, fuck 'em. I'm glad the Hall is keeping all those fuckers out. The purist in me still considers Maris and Aaron the HR kings, as much as I liked McGwire at the time. Until they officially allow the shit for everyone, it's cheating. Fuck it, I'm old school that way.