Squawker Lisa and reader Jonmouk71, card games or no, Rickey Henderson is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And it’s not his fault that Met fans’ most recent memories of him are him somehow being hired as a coach in 2007.
And as for Gil Hodges vs. Allie Reynolds for the Veterans ballot, obviously I’m going with Gil, though I concede that his overall managing record wouldn’t do it on its own, so it has to be more for his playing days and overall body of work.
As for Reynolds, I don’t think two no-hitters in one year is a qualifying stat, though maybe I’m just bitter because the Mets have no no-hitters in 47 years. (Yes, reader Uncle Mike, it does matter to me! And thanks for not piling on when you mentioned Seaver, Gooden and Cone pitching no-hitters after leaving the Mets and left out Nolan Ryan.)
And Reynolds has six rings? So does Willie Randolph!
The guy I most think has been unjustly left out of the Hall is Jack Morris, who won 254 games and had dominant performances in two World Series – 1984, when he won two complete games with an ERA of 2, and 1991, when he won two games in three starts with an ERA of 1.17, including the classic Game 7, when he pitched a complete game, 10-inning shutout on three days rest, beating Atlanta and outdueling John Smoltz, 1-0. Morris was named World Series MVP. Complete games were more common then, but his achievements are still really impressive.
But as for the Veterans’ ballot, it includes another former Mets manager who will need to rely more on other credentials to make the Hall. Lisa and Jonmouk71 and all you other Yankee fans out there – surely you haven’t forgotten about Joe Torre!
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