The Conservative Cave
The Bar => Sports => Topic started by: BlueStateSaint on January 12, 2009, 02:54:02 PM
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Two, this year. Both deserving.
Henderson, Rice earn Hall passes
01/12/09 2:00 PM EST
By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com
Rickey Henderson, widely considered the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Monday on his first ballot with 94.8 percent of the votes cast by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Henderson, the all-time steals leader, will be joined in Cooperstown by Jim Rice, who was in his final year of eligibility. Rice (76.4 percent), who fell 16 votes short in 2008, cleared the 75 percent threshold required for election to the HOF by earning 412 votes, seven over the 405 (of 539) needed.
The two are the first left fielders elected to the Hall of Fame in 20 years. Right-fielder Andre Dawson and pitcher Burt Blyleven, both outside shots for election, fell short again.
Henderson's name appeared on 511 of the 539 ballots cast, falling a little short of the percentages for the last two first-ballot electees -- Tony Gwynn (97.6 percent) and Cal Ripken (98.5 percent), who holds the record for the highest percentage for a position player. Both were elected in 2007. Right-hander Tom Seaver received the highest-ever percentage (98.8 percent) when elected in 1992.
Yeah, it took Rice all his allotted time to make it . . . but he made it.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090112&content_id=3740171&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Congrats to both. :cheersmate:
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(http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/BDD_JR_hof_1.12.09_bgjd.jpg)