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Hall pass? Fisk, Perez lead Hall of Fame hopefuls
Posted: Tuesday January 11, 2000 08:54 AM
COOPERSTOWN, New York (Ticker) -- Ten months remain until we decide who will be our next President. Before then, there is another election that will generate its share of passionate debate. The Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its Class of 2000 on Tuesday afternoon and this year's ballot does not include any clear-cut favorite. A year ago, the question was not who would be elected, but who might be excluded. Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount were elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America in their first year of eligibility, leaving the rest to contend for who will be part of the first class of the 21st century. One strong possibility among the 30 candidates is Carlton Fisk, baseball's all-time leader in games caught. The former member of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox failed in his first try last year, finishing fourth with 330 votes, 43 shy of induction. Six Hall of Famers have played for both the Red Sox and White Sox -- Luis Aparicio, Harry Hooper, George Kell, Red Ruffing, Tom Seaver and Al Simmons. Fisk belted 375 homers and added one of the most famous in baseball history to win Game Six of the 1975 World Series for Boston over the Cincinnati Reds.
In this relatively weak year, strong sentiment may be growing for Tony Perez, the first baseman for the powerhouse Reds the night Fisk hit his epic homer a quarter century ago. Perez was fifth in the voting last year with 302 votes and is eligible for the ninth time. In a 23-year career, he batted .279 with 379 homers while driving in 1,652 runs, the most RBI of any eligible player not in the Hall of Fame. To be elected, candidates must be named on 75 percent of the ballots returned by eligible members of the BBWAA. The 2000 ballot includes 14 first-year candidates, including Jack Morris, the winningest pitcher of the 1980s. Morris pitched most of his career with the Detroit Tigers and had 162 wins in the 1980s, 22 more than any other hurler. A three-time 20-game winner, Morris pitched a 10-inning shutout for the Minnesota Twins against the Atlanta Braves in Game Seven of the 1991 World Series. The first-timers were selected by the BBWAA's screening committee and are appearing on the ballot after a five-year waiting period since retiring as players following the 1994 season. Other first-timers include relievers Jeff Reardon and Rich Gossage, who rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in career saves. Reardon has 367, 57 more than Gossage. However, no reliever has been honored with a first-year election and Hoyt Wilhelm and Rollie Fingers are the only relievers enshrined. Bruce Sutter, who has 300 career saves, is on the ballot for a seventh time and had just 121 votes last year. The remaining first-timers are Hubie Brooks, Bill Gullickson, Dave Henderson, Charlie Hough, Kent Hrbek, Bruce Hurst, Steve Sax, Lonnie Smith, Rick Sutcliffe, Bob Welch and Willie Wilson. Gary Carter, the NL counterpart to Fisk for most of his career, is back on the ballot along with Bert Blyleven, Bob Boone, Dave Concepcion, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Keith Hernandez, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Jim Rice and Luis Tiant. Murphy, who won back-to-back NL MVP awards with Atlanta in 1982 and 1983 and hit 398 homers, had just 96 votes last year in his first year of eligibility. Last year, Ryan, Brett and Yount became the first trio of first-year candidates to be elected since the five-member inaugural class of 1936, which featured Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. Induction ceremonies are scheduled for July 23. Additional enshrinees can be named by the Veterans Committee, which meets February 29 in Tampa, Florida. Eligible players in 2001 will include Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly and Kirby Puckett.
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