?
The Hall of Fame vote is supposed to be all about the past, but it?s
perfect for right now. It?s another thing to fill the 24/7 news cycle.
All the crossfire arguments are there for Twitter and talk radio. You
have to have a ?take.?
Barry Larkin will share the stage with Ron Santo?s family. Each player
was identified by, and loyal to, one team. They?ll have a place in
Cooperstown, N.Y., forever. Consider that non-controversy the calm
before the storm.
Monday?s election results showed overwhelming support for Larkin, who
received 86.4 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers? Association
of America. The longtime Cincinnati Reds shortstop will be inducted on
July 22, the same day the Cubs will be celebrating Santo?s life.
The volume will be turned up for the class of 2013, which includes Barry
Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Curt Schilling and Craig
Biggio. By 2014, Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will be
eligible for the first time.
This will be an endless debate, and it will be interesting to see what
information comes out between now and then. Look for more voting
explanations based on rumors and innuendo, plus more people begging for
clarification on the character clause.
Bonds has a legal team appealing his obstruction of justice conviction.
Voters won?t forget how Clemens starred in the Mitchell Report, or
Sosa?s performance in front of Congress. Schilling and Thomas were two
of the most outspoken critics from the steroid era.
Everyone on the ballot is under suspicion on some level because of the
period in which they played. This round was another clear rejection of
Mark McGwire (19.5 percent) and Rafael Palmeiro (12.6 percent).
Combined those two players linked to performance-enhancing drugs have
been on the ballot eight times and have never received more than 24
percent of the vote, nowhere near the 75 percent needed for induction.
Momentum seems to be building for big-game pitcher Jack Morris, who got
66.7 percent of the 573 votes cast (nine were left blank) and still has
his 14th and 15th chances left to get into the Hall. The same goes for
Jeff Bagwell, who rose from 41.7 percent to 56 percent during his second
year on the ballot.
If you have an opinion, it?s so much easier now to find a platform and
shout it out. The explosion of information on the Internet ? and the
growing awareness and understanding of sabermetrics ? has shifted the
way people look at the game.
Perceptions changed about Larkin. In his third year of eligibility, he
finished with a vote total that represented a 24.3-percent gain from the
2011 ballot, the largest jump in one year to gain election in more than
60 years.
Larkin, 47, grew up in Cincinnati and was drafted twice by the Reds. In
between he played at the University of Michigan ? where legendary coach
Bo Schembechler wanted him on the football team ? and in the 1984
Olympics.
Larkin lasted 19 seasons with the Reds, helping Lou Piniella and ?The
Nasty Boys? win a World Series title in 1990. His resume includes 12
All-Star selections, nine Silver Sluggers, three Gold Gloves and the
1995 National League MVP award.
This summer?s Hall of Fame ceremony will also honor two media award
winners ? television analyst Tim McCarver and Toronto Sun writer Bob
Elliott ? along with Santo.
Santo was voted in by a veterans committee last month and his legacy
will be front and center at this weekend?s Cubs Convention. WGN Radio?s
Pat Hughes will host a panel expected to include Santo?s widow Vicki,
son Ron Jr. and former teammates Glenn Beckert, Randy Hundley and Billy
Williams.
The family didn?t want to use the word ?bittersweet,? even though
Santo?s Hall of Fame call came one year after his death. That?s because
future generations will be able to go and see the plaque and remember
the man.
Larkin was asked the other day what it would mean, but couldn?t quite answer the question. They?re about to find out.
?Baseball immortality,? Larkin said on the MLB Network. ?To be
recognized as one of the best of all-time (made me think about my) young
kids. They?re out there doing their thing. But 20, 30, 40, 100 years
from now, when they?re old and gone, their grandkids (and kids will)
always be able to say, ?Yeah, that guy right there (was) one of the best
in the game.?? ? ??
Source: http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/news/Larkin-Santo-and-the-calm-before-the-Coo?blockID=627964&feedID=619&awid=7350120300544958341-914
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