Something to Consider

   Dick Allen was a marvelous baseball player. He was one of the best hitters of the 1960's and 1970's, a great power hitter, and the best bet to win a Triple Crown for many years. However, he always had problems with management, contract disputes, and often showed up late to spring training. 

    Bob Johnson was another great player, a big time RBI man and consistently excellent for the entirety of his 13 year career. He had a reputation as a nice, quiet man, and was never paid more than $15,000 in any one season (a modest salary even considering that his career spanned the Great Depression and World War II). 

    Now, how much should these things matter when it comes to the Hall of Fame? After all, Major League Baseball is a job, and your most valuable employees are those who don't cause problems within your business and don't ask for too much. If an owner saves a lot of money on a star like Johnson, then he has a lot more power to build up a dynasty (unfortunately in his case Johnson played a lot of his career under Connie Mack and his notorious fire sales). It's definitely something to consider.