Halls of Fame are often distinguished more by who they keep out than by who they induct.
When getting long in the tooth, Carnesville native Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler, named the most valuable player in the American League in 1943, was deeply saddened by the fact he had not been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Chandler had very good credentials, including pitching in six World Series teams for the New York Yankees and being selected for the American League All-Star team four times. He was as good a fielding pitcher as there was in the Big Leagues and even hit a grand slam home run. In his final years, Spud lived out his life in Clearwater, Fla., as a Major League scout.
After spending an afternoon with Ted Willaims, I called Spud to tell him about our conversation. Ted was very clear with his viewpoint that Spud “belonged in the Hall of Fame.” When I told Spud that, based on my conversation with Ted, I held the view that the Veterans Committee might bring about his selection.
“Well, they better hurry,” Spud said. Then he broke down crying. Spud’s name is still missing from the membership rolls in Cooperstown.
Ted Williams also thought that Shoeless Joe Jackson belonged in the Hall. With Shoeless Joe’s remarkable hitting ability, some say he was the most natural hitter ever to play the game.
If you google his name and read his accounting of the so-called “Black Sox” scandal, Jackson tells an interesting story of his innocence, but all efforts to clear his name have ended up in futility.
Many more Spud Chandler/Shoeless Joe omissions exist, alongside others who cut with suspect resumes, such as those who got in with steroid taint.
Most experts seem to think that accomplished players such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and others can only hope the veteran’s committee will make their day at some point in the future.
Then there is Pete Rose, who was guilty of betting on his team. I have known writers who have a vote say Rose will never get elected.
But with all the proliferation of latent gambling in society, you would think that someday Pete’s great career as a hitter would trump his bad habits and bring about election into the Hall.
In the days of the old Fulton County Stadium, the forerunner of Turner Field, I used to go over to the Reds’ locker room and engage Pete in conversation. He loved being at the ballpark and would get there early. He was very approachable.
After a few visits with him and he learned of my affiliation with the University of Georgia, he said one day: “What kind of guy is Vince Dooley?”
My response was essentially the longtime Bulldog coach thought that the surest and safest way to win was to run the football, play defense, and underscore the kicking game.
Pete’s response to that was, “He sure beats the spread a lot.”
He didn’t care about Vince’s predilection for the running game, keeping it close, and winning games in the fourth quarter. What he was most interested in was obvious.
This summer when the new class of inductees gathers in Cooperstown, more than likely there will be considerable attention paid to the Pete Rose situation. Some would support his reinstatement, but all commissioners to date have refused.
Pete violated MLB Rule 21 which was put in following the scandal of 1919 which says: “Any player, umpire, or club or league official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor must perform shall be permanently ineligible.”
Every time I go into a Big League locker room, I see MLB Rule 21 posted “loud and clear” somewhere prominently. So, Pete knew about Rule 21, but he arrogantly ignored it and now wants baseball to say, “All is forgiven.”
I thought about all this driving home from Macon last weekend following the induction ceremony at the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, where Georgia’s Claude Felton was inducted as a contributor.
People across the state are being promoted for induction and Felton had refused to be inducted for at least a half-dozen years.
Then I thought about all halls of fame – modesty is not a condition for election. If that were the case, Claude could have been a charter member.