The Hall of Fame - Goose is In, but Others Are Cooked

Another year gone by and another Hall of Fame vote has been cast.

After nine previous attempts, Goose Gossage finally got elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, garnering 85.8% of the vote needed. Given Goose's career stats of 310 Saves, 1502 Strikeouts, and 3.01 career ERA, it's about time that the BBWAA saw fit to open the doors to Cooperstown for Gossage. Given his
accomplishments in an era where closers threw more than just the ninth inning, he stands out amongst the great bullpen pitchers in baseball history and now he rightfully will stand as a plaque in the game's most hallowed halls. Congratulations Goose, it is an honor most deserved!

However, as is always the case, the election of just one player means that numerous other worthy candidates get snubbed. I find it hard to believe that the voters cannot find more common ground in terms of voting which candidates are most deserving. These folks have been covering baseball for the better at least ten years and should have a fairly decent idea of what a Hall of Fame player is or isn't. In my opinion, here is my list of the biggest snubs on the ballot this year:

1.) Tim Raines - 2605 Hits, 1571 Runs, 980 RBI, 808 SB, .294 BA, .385 OBP - [b]24.3%[/b] of the vote.
2.) Jim Rice - 2452 Hits, 382 HR, 1451 RBI, .298 BA, .502 SLG - 72.2% of the vote.
3.) Andre Dawson - 2774 Hits, 438 HR, 1591 RBI, .279 BA, .482 SLG, 8 Gold Gloves - 65.9% of the vote.
4.) Burt Blyleven - 287 wins, 3701 Strikeouts, 3.31 Career ERA, 245.1 Avg IP - 61.9% of the vote.
5.) Lee Smith - 478 Saves (2nd all-time), 1251 Strikeouts, 3.03 Career ERA - 43.3% of the vote.
6.) Mark McGwire - 1626 Hits, 583 HR, 1414 RBI, 1167 Runs, .263 BA, .588 Slg% - 23.6% of the vote.

- Raines was one of the best lead-off hitters in the history of the game. His vote total shows just how much his time in Montreal and the presence of Rickey Henderson truly overshadowed his skills.

- Rice was the most feared hitter in the league during the late 70's early 80's. Is not the Hall a measure of how a player competed against their peers? Its hard to believe that 14 voters truly couldn't see that.