Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?

[Wahls]

It is a baseball book written by Bill James, and it is fantastic. I'm only about 100 pages in, but already a few of my favorite quotes include a guy that was making a case for a Mazeroski to be in the HOF:

"There are two reasons - each of them sufficient - why Bill Mazeroski should be in the Hall of Fame. One reason is that as he was leaving the church on his wedding day, with his bride on his arm, he put a plug of tobacco in his cheek. The other sufficient reason is his defensive play." - George Will

And the other one is straight from James:

"...and for 50 years those efforts have always backfired, ultimately bringing into the Hall of Fame a class of very marginal candidates. This should not surprise us, for this is what normally happens when we attempt to apply an unreasonable or unpopular standard. What happened in Prohibition? What happens to you when you put on a few pounds, and decide to get rid of them with a crash diet? What happened to the, ah, romantic content of movies after public criticism forced adoption of a rating code? What happens to a daughter whose father forbids her to date? Unwanted efforts to apply a strict standard will almost always backfire, and bring about the very result which they seek to prevent."

Must read for any baseball fan.

[Ty]

I read a post on Baseball by the Box Score discussing the book. Would like to read it, but I'm too lazy to order it from B&N since they do not have it in stock.

I totally agree with the concept that the HOF is way too inclusive.

[Wahls]

Amazon dude. Amazon.