Hall of Very Good

Bert Blyleven wasn't a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. The former starting pitcher retired in 1992 after 22 seasons and was first eligible for enshrinement in Cooperstown in 1998. Needing 75 percent of the votes, he received just 17. The next year, he had just 14 percent. After 14 years on the ballot, Blyleven was finally elected last winter and will be enshrined this summer. I'm not sure what he did between 1998 and last December, but it sure did work.

He had 287 wins in 1998, and he still had 287 last winter.
He didn't strike anyone else out.
Maybe his era went down? No, it's still 3.31.

 Now, I understand the significance of being a 'first ballot hall of famer.' It means you're the best of the best. Or maybe the best of the best of the best. There's hall of famers, and there's first ballot hall of famers. Nolan Ryan and Lou Brock are first ballot guys. Robert Doerr and George Davis are not.

So I understand not wanting to put certain guys in on their first chance. It's a way of recognizing the elite for being just that.

But if a guy doesn't warrant enough votes after four, five, and even 10 plus years, does he really deserve a plaque?


This reminds me of a recent column from Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski, who talked about the problems with the All-Star game voting and how he doesn't even know who to blame anymore.


I feel the same way with the Hall of Fame. It's not Burt Blyleven's fault. He's just been waiting. Hoping that someday the writers would think his stats were good enough. Because they certainly weren't in 1999. Much like voting a guy in on his first chance sends a message, waiting 14 years does the same thing. Every year, the HOF voters told Blyleven, "Hey, you were good, but not that good. Maybe next year."

The current rule states that as long as a player receives 5 percent of the vote every year, he can stay on the ballot for up to 15 years. As long as the rule is in place, the writers will continue to show us how smart they are.

Again, If a guy wasn't good enough after 5 years on the ballot, he probably isn't a hall of famer. And Blyleven probably has a hall of fame resume. But with the safety net of knowing they had some 15 years to put him in, writers sent the message every winter. If players only had 5 chances to gather enough votes, I'm pretty confident Blyleven would have made it a decade ago.

It's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Very Good. If guys like Blyleven were good enough players, put them in within 5 years. If they weren't, keep them out so Cooperstown isn't watered down in 2 decades.