Jim Rice Falls Short of Hall of Fame Again

This time around had to be particularly difficult for Jim Rice to swallow. The Hall of Fame inductees were announced just a short while ago and for the 14th year in a row Jim Rice is on the outside looking in. Rice recieved 72.2% of the vote falling just 2.8% short from baseball immortality. And if I'm not mistaken, this is the highest amount of votes a player has ever received without actually getting inducted. I tip my cap to Goose Gossage on his induction, however I can't help but feel for Rice right now.

I'm going to make a promise to myself to put a full-court press on for Jim Rice to make the Hall next year.  My voice is small, but I'd do anything to help Rice get that final 2.8% on his final year of eligibility. It'd be like a walk-off HR in the bottom of the 9th.

With all the allegations coming out about the rampant use of steroids a player like Jim Rice should be held in that much higher of esteem. This is a guy who was no doubt clean, and heck, probably would have benefited a massive amount if he took steroids in the twilight of his career. This is a guy who'd break bats with check swings, and he basically fell off the face of the earth towards the end of his career. If he took steroids in his later years (COUGH COUGH, ROGER CLEMENS, COUGH COUGH!!!) homeboy would already have his very own plaque in Upstate New York.

Again, congrats to Gossage, but boo to those who left Rice off of their ballot, you got it wrong.......again.

Comments

[Jay]

Alas, Jim Rice was bypassed again…here’s one last effort to help the minority that is his detractors see the light.

A very rarely used manner of comparing worthiness of Hall of Fame candidates is by utilizing past MVP voting. The MVP award can be viewed as an annual, mini-HOF. It's takes most of the same factors into consideration. The “MVP Quotient” is very simple. It is determined as follows: 1 point for a 20th place finish, 2 points for a 19th place finish, and so on up to 19 points for second place. A win nets 21 points, (one bonus point for the win). That score stands alone as an amassed number to address longevity, or it’s averaged by seasons played to establish levels of dominance.

Admittedly you need to keep out Ruth, Cobb and some others who played before the MVP was ever awarded, but here are the players with a higher MVP quotient than Jim Rice, there are only 16. Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Hank Greenberg, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Lou Boudreau, Frank Robinson, Kirby Puckett, Mickey Cochrane, Roy Campanella & Jimmy Foxx. Not just all Hall of Famers, but essentially, a who's who (save for Puckett). Sixty-two (62!!) Hall of Famers rank below Rice, and they include names like Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Ernie Banks, Willie Stargell, Reggie Jackson, Carl Yastrzemski, George Brett, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield & Tony Gwynn. Some hall of famers are even DOUBLED by Rice in this category, such as Willie McCovey, Tony Perez, Billy Williams, Cal Ripken & Robin Yount.

The oft mentioned point of longevity is understood, and agreed upon as to its relevance. However, it didn't seem to stop (or even slow) the induction of Puckett, Ralph Kiner, Hack Wilson, Ryne Sandberg and so many others. And taking longevity into account is addressed simply by looking at the total MVP points amassed in a player's career. In doing so, the number of players above Rice rises from 16 to 24. And, you guessed it, they're all Hall of Famers. This could be seen as a possibly anomaly if the names ranked in order didn't look like such a widely accepted ranking of the all time greats. The only anomaly is the ignorance (not meant in an ugly way) of Rice's spot among them.

As much respect as Andre Dawson garners, 62 players rank above him by this quotient, nine of which are non Hall of Famers. This quotient is not arguing that Rice be considered the greatest ever, but an institution that welcomes Tony Perez and Robin Yount to the bottom of an otherwise nice pile, is completely remiss in not welcoming Jim Rice to his rightful spot...the middle of an awesome pack.

A sizeable majority of fans and writers already see it this way, but enough of them don’t. A common thread among those who oppose Rice’s enshrinement is a love for deep digging, difficult to digest stats and formulas with factors for everything but the obvious. These stats can be shaped and presented to surprise even the most knowledgeable fan. Rice is often the poster boy for the lovers of these mile-long equations to show that they know more than that silly little group known as the majority. Perhaps the facts yielded by this simple formula will shed a little light where the minority seems to need it. And perhaps they’ll realize that the majority, as it pertains to Rice, are correct. It’s unfortunate that there’s only one year left for the minority to wake up.

Congratulations to Goose Gossage! Great joy is likely being felt by him, by his family, and by the eight teams who decided he wasn’t quite special enough to keep for the following season!

[Troy]

The baseball hall of fame has become the laughing stock of all hall of fames. Seriously, they could only manage to vote one guy in? That's insane. Rice deserved to go into the Hall.

Major League Baseball is really starting to piss me off. Not baseball itself, but the people who run it.

[Derek Hixon]

Jay, if I'd have to say that in the early year that is 2008 this is hands down the best comment I've received, and honestly the best in awhile.

The “MVP Quotient” theory is, at it's worst really fun to look at, and it's best useful tool to help see the relative dominance a player had when playing the game.

It's pretty much common fact that David Ortiz isn't going to make the HOF, however his “MVP Quotient” must be fairly impressive after his past 5 season.

I'd love to see the grunt work you put together for this, and would definitely make a post on this (or maybe you could if you'd like a guest spot?) because I think it's that fun, simple, and interesting. Again cheers on this, good stuff.

[DAD]

After seeing this man play and how he gave all he could in a ten year span it is hard to understand this vote. Maybe the ones not voting for Jim never saw what he did on the field. But true Sox fans know him and what he ment to his team,but most of all Jim Rice knows and that is what counts.