Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 4 - Cap Anson

    Cap Anson is in the Hall of Fame on account of his immense playing and managing skills, but he did much more to hurt baseball than to help it. He was widely known as a racist, refusing to play against black players, even in exhibition matches. This helped to start segregation in baseball. This was a serious issue and the worst fault in baseball history. Even though Cap Anson would have been worthy of the Hall as a player, he did too much to ruin America's National Pastime. 

    As a player, there is no doubt that Anson played like a Hall of Famer. He had a career batting average of .334, won eight RBI titles, and had over 3,000 career hits, a total which is pretty much universally accepted to merit a player automatic election. Pete Rose, with 4,256 lifetime hits (821 more than Anson), is not in the Hall of Fame on account of some illegal betting that he did. Rose bet on ballgames during his time managing the Reds, but he only bet on his own team. This is indeed enough to exclude him from the Hall of Fame, but it doesn't hold a candle compared with what Anson did. The fact that Anson is in the Hall of Fame and that Rose is not is absolutely ludicrous. 

My opinion: Cap Anson was a disgrace to baseball, and definitely not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 3 - Charlie Comiskey

    Charlie Comiskey was inducted to the Hall of Fame as the owner of the Chicago White Sox. I don't know if owners deserve to be in the Hall of Fame at all, but Comiskey certainly shouldn't be. Firstly, he was hated by pretty much everybody. To this day he has a reputation as a miser, a penny-pincher, a cheapskate (notice how these are all synonyms), and someone who didn't care at all for his players. It is said that he charged his players to launder their uniforms. When the players wouldn't stand for this, he refused to charge them. Instead, he took it out of their World Series money. When World War I started, attendance was way down, so he gave most of his players salary cuts, as salary was the most obvious expense. 

    Comiskey's Hall of Fame plaque reads, 

"Started 50 years of baseball as St. Louis Browns first-baseman in 1882 and was first man at this position to play away from the bag for batters. As Browns' manager - captain - player won 4 straight American Association pennants starting in 1885. World Champions first 2 years. Owner and president Chicago White Sox 1900 to 1931." 

First of all, he was not a good player. From 1882 through 1894, he slashed .264/.293/.337. Secondly, Joe Start (who I published on this blog a little while ago) was the first to play off first base for hitters, not Comiskey. Thirdly, who cares if someone owns a ball club for 30+ years? He didn't treat his players well, and though he did a good job at getting the right players, anyone with enough money can do that. 

My opinion: Charlie Comiskey is not a Hall of Famer. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 2 - Candy Cummings

    Candy Cummings is only in the Hall of Fame for inventing the curveball. However, whether he did or not is a subject of great disagreement among historians, and in one book, I read that he admitted that he was not the first to make a pitch break. Some sources say that he wasn't even the first to throw a breaking pitch in an MLB game, instead crediting Bobby Mathews with the distinction. I don't think that Cummings should have been elected unless there was suitable proof that he invented the curveball, and there simply is none. 

    As a pitcher, Cummings was very good, but lasted just six years in the Majors, and was through after his age 28 season, when he had a 4.34 ERA in 155 2/3 innings. He certainly was not good enough to be elected as a player. 

    Cummings's plaque reads, "Pitched first curve ball in baseball history. Invented curve as amateur ace of Brooklyn Stars in 1867. Ended long career as Hartford pitcher in National League's first year 1876." 

    There are a number of things wrong with this. First of all, nobody really knows if Cummings really had anything to do with the first curveball. Secondly, Cummings did not have a long career. Finally, the plaque writer made a simple mistake in saying that Cummings finished his career in 1876. He had that 4.34 ERA season in 1877. 

 

My opinion: Candy Cummings should not have been elected because there is no proof that he invented the curveball. 

R.I.P. Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians have announced a name change for 2022. They will be called the Cleveland Guardians. In my opinion, this stinks. Guardians? What will they be guarding? The team's honor? I think not. The Indians have been so named since 1915, and are one of the most historically significant teams in the American League. Name change or no name change, they will still have the longest active World Series drought. 

World Championships 1920, 1948 

Rest in peace, Indians. 

Lucky Hall Of Famer Number 1 - Morgan Bulkeley

What did Morgan Bulkeley do for baseball? His Hall of Fame Plaque says, 

"First president of the National League and a leader in its organization in 1876 which laid the foundation of the National Game for prosperity." 

Bulkeley's career lasted from 1874 through 1876. In 1874, he founded the Hartford Dark Blues, who finished seventh out of eight in the NA (National Association) that season. In 1875, they finished third, but were 18 1/2 games out. In 1876, he was selected as the NL president, a post that he would hold for the grand total of one year, until he left baseball. In 1876, his team finished in third place again. For further information, a good site that I found is 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Morgan_Bulkeley

My opinion: Morgan Bulkeley is not a Hall of Famer. 

NOTICE X

    Once again, I am going on a road trip, this time until July 23. I will visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame during that time. I won't publish during that time, but you can read the archives. Just because I will be gone, though, doesn't mean that I won't see new comments when I get back. Hint hint. 

WHY I THINK JACK CLEMENTS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK JACK CLEMENTS SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN 

By- Damien 

Jack Clements was the greatest left-handed catcher in the history of baseball. Take it from me, a former catcher of a few seasons - catching is a wearisome and mentally challenging job for a righthander. But for a lefty, having to learn all of the difficult changes in basic mechanics? Get out of town! Jack Clements could not only throw and field exceptionally well for any catcher, but he could also hit with the best of them. For example, despite playing in an era when many catchers hit below the .200 mark, he had a career batting average of .287. Jack Clements started his career with the Philadelphia Keystones for 41 games in 1884, and finished the season with nine games for the Philadelphia Quakers, batting a combined .275 at the age of 19. He stayed with Philadelphia for the next thirteen seasons, batting over .300 five times. He hit 17 home runs in one season and 13 in another, drove in 74 or more runs five times in a six year period, and hit a combined .374 from 1894 through 1896. After the 1897 season, Clements was traded away to the St. Louis Browns and batted .257. He played four games with the Cleveland Spiders in 1899 and 16 with the Boston Beaneaters in 1900, batting .310 in his last MLB stint. Jack Clements was one of the greatest catchers of the 19th century, but he made history as the only lefthanded catcher to have much of a career. That is definitely important to history, and considering how much he hit, it’s safe to say that Jack Clements should be in Cooperstown. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS 

Games career: 1,160 season high: 109 in 1892 

At Bats career: 4,295 season high: 423 in 1891 

Hits career: 1,231 season high: 131 in 1891 

Doubles career: 226 season high: 29 in 1891 

Triples career: 60 season high: 8 in 1890 

Home Runs career: 77 season high: 17 in 1889 

Runs career: 619 season high: 64 in 1890, 1893 and 1895 

Runs Batted In  career: 687 season high: 80 in 1893 

Stolen Bases career: 55 season high: 10 in 1890 (stolen bases weren’t counted in 1884 or 1885) 

Walks career: 341 season high: 45 in 1890 

Strikeouts career: 348 season high: 40 in 1892 (strikeouts weren’t counted in the Union Association in 1884) 

Batting Average career: .287 season high: .394 in 1895 

On Base Percentage career: .348 season high: .459 in 1894 

Slugging Percentage career: .421 season high: .612 in 1895 

Total Bases career: 1,808 season high: 197 in 1895 

Sacrifice Hits career: 24 season high: 8 in 1894 and 1895 (sacrifice hits weren’t counted until 1893) 

Fielding Percentage career: .936 season high: .979 in 1890 led NL C: .971 in 1898 (the league fielding percentage was .924) 

Double Plays career: 102 season high: 14 in 1890 led NL C: 10 in 1891 

Putouts career: 4,905 season high: 557 in 1892 led NL C: 494 in 1888, 503 in 1890, 557 in 1892 

Assists career: 1,116 season high: 108 in 1891 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-went 13-6 as a manager in 1890 

-threw out 611 would-be base stealers (the 44th most of all time) and had a .333 career caught stealing percentage 

-led the NL in home run percentage in 1893 and 1895 

-hit two home runs each off of Hall of Famers Kid Nichols, Cy Young, John Clarkson, Amos Rusie, and Pud Galvin and one each off of Hank O’Day, Hoss Radbourn, Matt Kilroy, Clark Griffith, Bob Caruthers, Silver King, Dave Foutz, and Tony Mullane 

-led the NL in games caught in 1888 (85) 

-retired as the all time leader in home runs by a catcher both in a season and in a career 

-was the first catcher ever to wear a chest protector 

-was the first player ever to catch 1,000 MLB games 

-had a career fielding percentage a dozen points above the league average 

-ranks 34th in career assists by a catcher 

-also played eight games at first base, four at third base, four at shortstop, eight in leftfield, seven in centerfield, and 26 in rightfield