Gordon elected to Hall of Fame
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- December
- 8
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This press release from the Hall of Fame:
Nine-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion Joe Gordon was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Veterans Committee.
Gordon, who played second base for the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians from 1938-43 and 1946-50, received 10 of a possible 12 votes from the Veterans Committee members who voted on the pre-1943 ballot. That ballot featured players who began their big league careers before 1943. Gordon received votes on 83.3 percent of ballots cast, with at least 75 percent necessary for election. He will be enshrined July 26 at the Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown with any players elected in the Baseball Writers? Association of America vote, which will be announced Jan. 12.
?We are thrilled and proud to welcome Joe Gordon to the Hall of Fame family,? said Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark. ?The Veterans Committee for this ballot had the challenge of considering players who retired long ago, but the Hall of Famers and historians on the Committee did their homework with diligence and effort, and we thank them.?
The Veterans Committee for the pre-1943 ballot consisted of Hall of Famers Bobby Doerr, Ralph Kiner, Phil Niekro, Robin Roberts, Duke Snider, Don Sutton and Dick Williams and historians Furman Bisher, Roland Hemond, Steve Hirdt, Bill Madden and Claire Smith.
Results of the 2008 Pre-1943 Players Ballot (9 needed for election): Gordon (10 votes, 83.3%), Allie Reynolds (8, 66.7%), Wes Ferrell (6, 50.0%), Mickey Vernon (5, 41.7%), Deacon White (5, 41.7%), Bucky Walters (4, 33.3%), Sherry Magee (3, 25.0%), Bill Dahlen, Carl Mays and Vern Stephens: Each less than 3 votes.
Gordon combined power and fielding ability like few second basemen before or since. He hit 20-or-more homers seven times, drove in 100-plus runs four times and averaged 89 RBIs and 83 runs scored per season. With the leather, Gordon posted a .970 fielding percentage, leading the American League in assists four times and double plays three times.
In 1942, Gordon won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, edging out Triple Crown winner Ted Williams of the Red Sox. He was part of World Series-winning teams in New York in 1938, ?39, ?41 and ?43 and helped the Indians win their last Fall Classic in 1948. Gordon died April 14, 1978.
The Hall of Fame also announced balloting results for its election of players on the post-1942 ballot ? for players whose big league careers ran between 1943 and 1987. A final ballot of 10 players was considered by the post-1942 Veterans Committee, which is comprised of the 64 living Hall of Famers.
No player reached the 75 percent threshold necessary for election to the Hall of Fame in the post-1942 balloting. With 100 percent of all 64 living Hall of Famers returning their ballot, 48 votes were necessary to meet the 75% standard for election. Voters could choose up to four candidates, and an average of 3.33 votes per ballot were cast.
Among the Hall of Fame candidates on the post-1942 ballot, former Cubs and White Sox third baseman Ron Santo led all candidates with 39 votes, totaling 60.9 percent of all ballots cast.
Results of the 2008 Post-1942 Players Ballot (48 needed for election): Santo (39 votes, 60.9%), Jim Kaat (38, 59.4%), Tony Oliva (33, 51.6%), Gil Hodges (28, 43.8%), Joe Torre (19, 29.7%), Maury Wills (15, 23.4%), Luis Tiant (13, 20.3%), Vada Pinson (12, 18.8%), Al Oliver (9, 14.1%), Dick Allen (7, 10.9).
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This is bad news for those who believe Gil Hodges should be in. Finishing behind Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva means he’s likely never making it. As for Joe Torre, he did not have a Hall of Fame career as a player. But once he is done managing, he’ll get in swiftly.
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on Monday, December 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Well said, Pete…not good news for Gil at all.
It doesn’t look good for Kitty, either.
Will Joe go in as a Yankee after he is done in LA?
Gordon will be enshrined with a Yankee hat.
Another great addition to Yankee HOFers.
Does any one know if Kitty got more votes (%) than last year?
Too bad for Gil. Never saw him play so it’s hard to judge. But Torre as a player and Kaat IMO don’t belong. Kaat maybe as a broadcaster. Torre obviously as a manager.
Well, that was close. Alie Reynolds, who was traded to Cleveland for Joe Gordon, missed election by one vote.
Regarding Hodges. He was premier on a premier team and then came back to manage the Mets to the World Series. I don’t get it
BBFan, Kaat got less votes this year.
Carl ? Mays ? didn’t ? make ? it ? in ? again. ?
The guy had a lifetime .262 ERA and a WHIP of 1.21 only 207 wins though in an era of a lot of wins. His career was also tainted by killing Ray Chapman with a pitch.
“Al,
That void could be filled by Hudson, but read my above thread…Kemp/Kershaw would have to be the deal and it won’t happen.”
Hudson is 31 and I really don’t think this team needs to get any older.
Posthumous congratulations to Joe Gordon and his family.
Peter, any word on the reported (by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports) trade talks between the Yankees and Dodgers regarding a Cano for Matt Kemp swap?
Its nice seeing another Yankee in the HoF
Breaking news on the Kemp – Cano trade:
It is not happening!
Good that Gordon finally got in.
The second base voting for the HOF is some of the strangest at any position.
Who they’ve included and left out has been strange. Gordon was at the top of that list.
I’m suprised Allie Reynolds got that close. He was a good pitcher but he just wasn’t a hall of famer.
Hodges is fading from living memory. And with that so are his chances of induction… I’d guess every voter now will feel that if the guys who saw him play a lot didn’t vote him in why should we now?
Nice to see that his Sox contemporary Bobby Doerr was on the committee that rectified the error.
hodges was a victim of a late start. he had only 12 HR’s and 77 rbi by age 25. he then ran off 8 seasons of 100+ rbi but never did it again after he had 98 rbi at age 33. mantle and cepeda never drove in 100 after the yr they turned 34, either but they both had 100+ HR’s and 300+ rbi by age 25.
Pete,
Is Marvin Miller still on the Veterans Committee ballot or are executives voted in at a different time?
“As for Joe Torre, he did not have a Hall of Fame career as a player.”
Compare Torre’s lifetime stats to Jim Rice’s lifetime stats. Then consider that Torre was a catcher for a majority of his career and Rice was a left fielder. I’m NOT saying Torre belongs in the HOF as a player, but the odds are very good that Jim Rice will get in this year, so why not Joe?
It’s the same argument that Pee Wee Reese doesn’t belong in the HOF, but if he’s in, why not Scooter?
This is an outstanding development, as Tex wants to be a Yankee. Get something done here, Cash!
Really? Why would anyone write that?
“The way it was put to me, it’s not that he’d hate playing in New York or couldn’t handle it — it’s that he knows the Yankees’ offer isn’t going to vanish, and he wants to make sure he knows what all of his options are before deciding where to sign.”
Torre should be in right now
“Hudson is 31 and I really don’t think this team needs to get any older.”
i understand the sentiment, but its not like you’re signing someone whos nearing 40 years old.
31 is not old.
yes, 31 is older than 26. but in terms of prime athletic ability, 31 is also not 35, 36, 37, or 38.
Gerald Laird to the Tigers for Carlos Melo and Guillermo(someone).Just heard on XM 175 listening at the office the trade has been confirmed.
“it’s not that he’d hate to be playing in NY”
sure carries a lot of different meanings than
“would love to get the chance to play in NY”.
Again, he’s just waiting for something in the Yankee neighborhood so he doesn’t have to come to NY.
“Again, he’s just waiting for something in the Yankee neighborhood so he doesn’t have to come to NY.”
and you know this how?
I don’t.
But do you know any differently?
It’s my opinion, like about 90% of the stuff written on this website. Actually, make that 99%.
If the Yankees trade Cano for Kemp and sign Hudson in addition to beefing up the rotation, it’s a great off season for the Yankees (starting pitching TBD).
Put your love (or lack of love) for Cano aside.
We’d be improving the team defense up the middle with Hudson and Kemp in a big way.
We’d also get stronger offensively having 2 good good offensive players at 2b and CF vs. 1 (Cano) at 2b.
From all indications Kemp is a franchise type player who has more tools than Cano, is cheaper than Cano and younger than Cano.
Knowing the fact that with Jeter and Arod this team is in a win now mode, Hudson at 2b fits perfectly.
I don’t know if Cashman is working towards this and I don’t know if all the pro-Cano press of late was Cash’s stealth methods of raising Cano’s value to land a fish like Kemp, but if it happens and he follows it up with Hudson it’s a good thing and the team is stronger offensively, defensively and speed wise.
“It’s my opinion, like about 90% of the stuff written on this website. Actually, make that 99%.”
Lace and Stiletto need a bigger percentage.
Tiant should have made it just based on the hot dog commercials.
Maybe there is a sausage Hall of Fame somewhere?
I’m a couple of threads late, but I wanted to comment on the Kennedy stuff.
He was NOT comparing himself to Maddux. The very next line of the article quoted made that clear.
He also talked about his bad interview last year. He said he was upset, but by the time the game was over and he talked to the press he had already turned the page, because he tries to stay positive. Obviously that did not work so well given the circumstances, but I hope people give the kid a break.
“Then consider that Torre was a catcher for a majority of his career”
Not a consideration one can make, especially since it isn’t true. Torre was a catcher roughly 40% of his career. The other 60%, he was a corner infielder.
“It’s my opinion, like about 90% of the stuff written on this website. Actually, make that 99%.”
No, make that 99.98%.
Not a consideration one can make, especially since it isn’t true. Torre was a catcher roughly 40% of his career. The other 60%, he was a corner infielder..
Nor should he ever be compared to Jim Rice.
“it’s not that he’d hate to be playing in NY”
sure carries a lot of different meanings than
“would love to get the chance to play in NY”.
It’s all about preferences. I PREFER to work in NYC, but would work in SF if the offer was right. There is no offer that could get me to work in Stillwater Oklahoma.
Unles the comparison goes something like this:
Jim Rice played baseball. Joe Torre played baseball. Ergo, Jim Rice is a lot like Joe Toree.
Edit: Torre.
Sorry. Fingers faster than proofreading skills.
If Tony Perez is in the Hall then Gil Hodges should be in the Hall.
There is no offer that could get me to work in Stillwater Oklahoma.
hahahaha..
I would love to be in Oklahoma right now, but to each his own, I guess.
“I don’t.
But do you know any differently?”
no, i dont.
just seems silly at this point to me to even speculate on CC… noone knows anything.
“just seems silly at this point to me to even speculate on CC… noone knows anything.”
CC does.
Peter King is reporting that CC has accepted an offer from Arizona for 7/125.
Totally kidding, guys.
Smile.
Its an honor that has been a long time coming for Joe Gordon. IMO, one of the most underrated Yankees of all time…
Gordon was one of the best defensive second baseman who ever lived…. he was an acrobat, and if there were a Sportscenter then, he’d have been on it nightly. Just a brilliant player. The fact that he could hit was gravy.. but he also just happened to be one of the best slugging second baseman to ever grace a ballfield.. tremendous power, he put up great numbers, even more impressive given the ballpark he called home.. Yankee Stadium, with its Yellowstone Park distances in LC and C…
Gordon’s lethal combination of a brilliant glove in the middle infield, and his tremendous offensive abilities led to several world championships, and was the main reason he outvoted the great Ted Williams for AL MVP one year. Gordon really was that valuable.
Does Peter King cover football?
Ted Williams lost MVP votes each year due to his famously terrible relationship with the press.
“Nor should he ever be compared to Jim Rice.”
Torre = 297/365/452
Rice = 298/352/502
Exactly how are they NOT comparable?
That’s exactly right, Phil -27 in ‘09.
Art Vandelay
December 8th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Pete,
Is Marvin Miller still on the Veterans Committee ballot or are executives voted in at a different time?
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No, Miller requested that his name be removed from consideration after Bowie Kuhn was selected and Miller received almost no consideration. Big surprise….the committee was made up of retired baseball execs and owners.
Exactly how are they NOT comparable?
Dude, I’m just busting on you. They’re similar in several statistical categories, but Rice was an animal. Torre was very good, but I just don’t see them as the same player.
Of course there are comparisons to be made.
Moises Alou has about the same numbers as either of the. Should he get in too?
That’s why it’s the hall of fame, and not the hall of very good. It’s the reason Mattingly isn’t in. Very, very good, but not quite on that level. Rice will get in because of the support he recieves from those who think it’s a crime he’s not in now, but reality should keep him, and Torre out of the hall.
“reality should keep him, and Torre out of the hall.”
Agreed. But that the problem when a guy like Rice gets in. Then all those fans of players who had similar stats start a campaign for them, and the HOF gets diluted.
Re: Cano talk . . .
If in fact a straight up Cano for Kemp deal became reality, Cashman should sign Hudson then go right after Zack Greinke in a deal for Kennedy and Melky.
Much more to find out before any of it can happen anyway.
Pete — I think Hodges’s batting average and the fact that he hit alot of HR’s playing in a very cosy field don’t help his cause. I do feel bad for Oliva — before his career was cut short by injury, he was a terror at the plate — hitting over .310 from 1964-71, knocking out over 30 doubles & around 20 HRs per year. I can’t think of too many players from that era that one would have traded him for even-up — obviously taking out of consideration the fact that he was injured and never the same player again after 1971.
The Veterans Committee is a joke and it will always be a joke until someone like Marvin Miller get’s into the Hall of Fame.
And really, who cares if Gil Hodges is not in the Hall of Fame? He has a bowling alley in Brooklyn named after him. That’s more than most of us.
http://gilhodgeslanes.com/
From ESPN:
“The free-agent market appears to be at a standstill. Years and dollars aren’t being exchanged because teams are afraid of overestimating the market and agents are afraid of underestimating the market. So until some of the big names sign, the market will be rather sluggish.
Maybe the signing of A.J. Burnett will loosen things up. Indications are that the free-agent right-hander is moving closer to a deal with the Braves.”
“just seems silly at this point to me to even speculate on CC… noone knows anything.”
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Ladies and Gentlemen….
We have have our 0.02% fact for this thread.