It's What They Don't Say that Counts

 From some of the criticism I’ve read, you’d think that a Nazi had been elected to the Hall of Fame instead of ex-White Sox Harold Baines.  Why the outrage?

Part of the answer I think is Baines never played for New York or Boston, and the writers who cover those teams have come to think of themselves as keepers of the Cooperstown gate.  I suspect these writers by and large also hate Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf for his hardline stance in the 1994 strike and his efforts to flatten player salaries over much of his tenure on the South Side; sportswriters like to root for the little guy, even when they’re millionaires.  Well, a stopped clock is right twice a day, and so is Reinsdorf in championing Baines for induction.

I read an online article by some guy who went after Baines with JAWS, a variation on WAR.  Give me a break.  Instead of making up measurements, look at the cold, hard stats before you.  The following HOFers have fewer career RBIs than Harold Baines: Chipper Jones; George Brett; Mike Schmidt; Andre Dawson; Rogers Hornsby; Harmon Killebrew; Al Kaline; Willie McCovey; Willie Stargell; Billy Williams; Eddie Mathews; Ron Santo; Eddie Mathews; and Jim Rice.  While we're at it, let’s not forget Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.

Mr. Jaws argued that letting in Baines means opening up the Hall to the likes of Mickey Rivers and Chris Hoiles.  I say keeping Baines out means we need to reevaluate the careers of those players mentioned above.  If they belong, so does Harold Baines.  They do, and so does he.