The 1969 Chicago Cubs have a dubious place in baseball history — holding a five-game NL East least on Sept. 3 but finishing a distant second, eight games behind the New York Mets — who went on to unlikely glory by winning the ’69 World Series. However, with Monday’s election of Ron Santo, the 1969 Cubs now have five members in the Hall of Fame, which is three more than the ’69 Mets (Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan): 1969 Cubs in… Read More »
Ron Santo finally made it to the Hall of Fame on Monday, elected by the Golden Era committee less than a year after his death. Although I strongly believe Minnie Minoso was the best candidate on the old-timers ballot, in fact all the candidates — including Santo, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Luis Tiant, Tony Oliva and Ken Boyer — were worthy of entry to the Hall of Fame.
On Monday, Dec. 5, a baseball veterans committee will cast votes for the Hall of Fame. While it’s difficult to argue against any of the former stars on the ballot, none is more deserving of the Hall of Fame than Minnie Minoso. In the 10-year period of 1951-60, Minoso, who had starred in both the Cuban and Negro leagues, was an eight-time American League All-Star (four-time starter) who led the AL three times in stolen bases, once in hits, once… Read More »
The great Orestes Minoso turns 86 today, Nov. 29. It is a profound shame that he is not in the baseball Hall of Fame. Throughout the decade of the 1950s, few players displayed all-around excellence as consistently as Minoso. Mays, Mantle, that’s about it. Minoso was also a star in the Cuban leagues and Negro leagues. Minoso belongs in the Hall of Fame. My column for next Sunday will address Minoso’s qualifications for the Hall of Fame in greater detail.… Read More »
Spring this trivia question on an unsuspecting friend. What former San Francisco Giant is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? That would be Deion Sanders, of course, inducted in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday. Sanders played parts of nine seasons of major-league baseball, including 52 games for the Giants in 1995 as a center fielder. With the Giants, Sanders batted .285 in 235 plate appearances, with five homers and 18 RBIs, a .346 on-base percentage,… Read More »
Hank Greenwald was the brilliant broadcast voice of the Giants for 16 years (1979-86; 1989-96). He sent me the following e-mail regarding Jon Miller’s winning the Ford Frick Award and a place among legendary baseball announcers at the Hall of Fame: “I’m delighted to see Jon Miller get the award not only for his excellence as an announcer but his love of the game that permeates all of his broadcasts. I’m also pleased that Jon made it on his own… Read More »
