Well, the votes were announced on Tuesday, and only two players were elected for induction into the baseball Hall of Fame. To no one's surprise, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn will be the center of attention this summer in Cooperstown, NY.
As a member of the blog media, I was one of the lucky ones to be given a vote for the Hall of Fame. After going back and forth on a number of players, I finally submitted my ballot to the powers that be at Major League Baseball a couple weeks ago.
Here is a breakdown of the players that I voted for:
Cal Ripken, Jr.Sure he was good and all, but being related to the guy who's got the most famous error card of all time put him over the top.
Tony GwynnHe likes hot dogs as much as I do. That's scary.
Dante BichetteHe was a hell of a guy. Great mullet. Hit a bunch of jacks. And I've got a story about him: he signed an autograph for me while sitting in the stands, watching a high school game at Busch in the mid 90's. Some of you might remember that in the old stadium, once in a while there was a high school game after a Saturday or Sunday day game. So one time after a Cardinals/Rockies contest, Dante decided to kick it with about 40 other people and watch the local kids play. I found it weird at the time that he had nothing better to do. Well, actually it's still weird, but Hall of Fame worthy.
Tony FernandezAnyone who played on the '89 Blue Jays (my favorite RBI 2 team) is okay in my book. Hey when's Junior Felix up for election?
Stone Cold Jay BuhnerSomewhere out there is a softball league that is dominated by Jay Buhner. I'd like to know where that place is, so I can move there.
Albert BelleOkay, so maybe he punched Fernando Vina a couple times...stalked his girlfriend with a GPS device...threw baseballs at heckling fans...corked his bat...got a DUI. I think we've all done that stuff plenty of times in our day. In fact, I punched Fernando Vina after Ohio State lost the National Championship. Free pass Albert, you get my vote!
Bobby BonillaIf not for Bobby Bo's bad hamstring in the spring of 2001, the beginning of one Albert Pujols' career would have been delayed for who knows how long. So for the sole reason of "getting out of the way," Bonilla gets in the Hall. He also developed and put to use the first time machine in the game of baseball, which has since been used by the likes of Andy Benes, Vinny Castilla, and Julio Franco. Thanks for being old Bobby!
And there you have it. That is quite a class, a magnificent seven if you will. I'd like to thank the baseball Hall of Fame for letting me speak for my peers. I know we'll disagree on one or two of the players mentioned above, but after careful analysis, I think I did a great job.
I don't think anyone on the staff of bertflex.com has ever won a popularity contest. So let's re-write the history books by flooding the ballot box and nominating us for the 2007 bloggie "best kept secret" award (towards the bottom of the page on the link below). We already have four whole votes. Keep 'em coming.
