Welcome to the Hall, gentlemen.

January 23, 2019

https://i1.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51rvUNumw4L._SY346_.jpg?resize=200%2C301&ssl=1Four new inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame come next summer. Some have already been the subject of books, including The Closer, by Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey, published when the Yankees superstar — and the only man to be unanimously voted in by the BBWAA — retired in 2013.

https://i1.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41HhmJgthhL._SX332_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg?resize=200%2C299&ssl=1Edgar Martinez — designated hitter par excellence for the Seattle Mariners — might have had an inkling. His memoir — Edgar: An Autobiography, written with Larry Stone, is due out in June.

Interestingly, in an age where players go from team to team, both Rivera (19 years) and Martinez (18) spent their entire careers with one club.

Mike Mussina, who split his 18-year career between the Baltimore Orioles and the Yankees, was part of a dual profile by John Feinstein back in 2008 when he shared the spotlight with Tom Glavine, then with the NY Mets, in Living on the Black: Two Pitchers, Two Teams, One Season to Remember.

Image result for living on the black, feinstein

The only one missing (remember, we don’t delve into books for younger readers here) is the late Roy Halladay, who won 203 games for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies from 1998-2013. The two-time Cy Young winner will undoubtedly get “the treatment” soon.

When I heard that Rivera received 100 percent of the vote, I had mixed feelings. As a boomer and somewhat student of the history of the game, I find it hard to “equate” more recent players to the greats like Ruth, Mays, Gehrig, Clemente, etc. Maybe it’s simply because I never saw that group play, that I had to rely on books hailing their prowess, that the modern players — the ones I have seen — don’t quite measure up. I posted that Rivera’s accomplishments were indeed spectacular, but is it fair to compare him to pitchers of old, he of the one-inning save? And I’m only talking about his unanimous approval; of course he deserves the honor.

Same for Halladay. I look at his record and wonder whether he’s Hall-worthy? Perhaps inflation (or is it deflation?) has made 200 wins the new 300 wins when it comes to the magic number for consideration. The game has changed and our expectations have changed with it. You can debate the merits of a lot of guys who have plaques in Cooperstown, in fact, that’s always been part of the enjoyment about the game.

Also submitted for your amusement, education, or what-have-you, here’s a piece I posted a few years back regarding the haves and have-nots. That is members of the Hall of Fame who had books written about them or had written their own, as well as those who did not. Can’t swear it’s up-to-date, but enjoy anyway.

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