HOFers

Clare called twice yesterday, both times with Hall of Fame news. “Do you care who got voted in?” she asked on the first call. At the time, No, other than for the “juicers” being kept out, which they were. But on second thought… I’m OK with Adrian Beltre, though his .960 career fielding average is eleven points less than Brooks Robinson’s. Todd Helton and Joe Maurer, though, not so much. How Helton generated a 61.8 WAR is beyond me, unless playing seventeen years at Coors Field had something to do with it. As it is, Paul Konerko has 1412 RBIs to Helton’s 1406. What kind of stats do you think Paulie would’ve put up if he’d spent his entire career in the rarified air of Denver? And Mauer, he of the 923 RBIs and 55.2 WAR? If that qualifies for Cooperstown, what about A.J. Pierzynski, at 909 RBIs? Mauer has 40 postseason at-bats vs. 106 for A.J., by the way. It’s a good thing, at least for Helton and Mauer, that I don’t get to vote. Clare’s second call makes me wish I could vote for a different Hall of Fame. My daughter interrupted a spaghetti dinner to tell me she just got off the phone with Coach P, who’s nominating her for the Elmhurst College (though now we say University) HOF. Fingers crossed she gets in. Nobody at Elmhurst has ever hit more home runs or racked up more total bases. She’d be first in RBIs, too, if it weren’t for all those damned rainouts junior and senior year. Oh, well. With any luck at all, by this time next year I can say my kid got into the Hall of Fame.