Santo: More Important Than BCS

Sure wish that would have happened earlier.

Santo is an interesting person. Back when I lived in Chicago, Santo was still doing TV. He left after he lost his other leg to diabetes. On the air, after he had been refused by the HOF he said that if he didn't get in, he threatened to go home and just roll into his pool. And he was serious.

Glad to see he made it. Does anyone remember when he caught his toupee on fire in the booth while televising a game?

And thus concludes one of the most tragic episodes in the history of the writers' and veterans' committees. Seriously, is Santo more qualified now that he is gone than he was when he was alive? Did his stats improve over the last year? The man deserved to enjoy this moment. It is a shame that the various selection committees contrived to prevent him from doing so.

quote:

Originally posted by Holden Caulfield:
Seriously, is Santo more qualified now that he is gone than he was when he was alive? Did his stats improve over the last year?

So how about every year? If you don't get voted in your first year on the ballot, how can you possibly become more or less qualified as time goes on?

I agree completely, although I think you have to make some allowances for stupidity, bias, petty grievances, etc. In other words, maybe put a guy through each phase twice and if he doesn't make it, that's it. It would also help if some factors that seem to be relevant were declared irrelevant. For example, what difference should it have made that he played for a team that never won? It's a team sport and no one player can make that difference. And why does it matter that three guys from that team already made it? I've read things like "that team doesn't deserve that much recognition." Since when does the HoF recognize teams versus individual accomplishment? I could go on...