Jim Kaat played 25 years in the Majors for six teams, including 15 for the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins. Along the way, he would collect 283 wins and 16-straight Gold Gloves. In 1962, Kaat would collect 18 wins for the Twins. It would be the first in a stretch of 15 straight seasons where the pitcher would win ten or more games.
Following his quarter-century as a player, Kaat would go on to success as a broadcaster for both the Yankees and Twins. From 1997-2005, he would win seven Emmy Awards for excellence in sports broadcasting. Currently, he is sharing the broadcast booth with Bob Costas for MLB Network.
Put all of that together…and you’re looking at the latest inductee into The Hall of Very Good.
HOVG: You’re in exclusive company…you’re one of just a handful of players in baseball history who played in four different decades and the only player to take the field during seven different presidencies. What was the biggest change you saw from your rookie year to your last as a player?
KAAT: I think speed and power. In my early years, there weren’t a lot of guys who were stealing bases. In the modern game, there’s so much interest in how hard a guy throws and how far a guy hits the ball and I’m not saying I agree with it, but there’s a lot more emphasis on power.
HOVG: Quick sidenote. November 22, 1963…where were you when you learned of the JFK assassination?
KAAT: I was riding my bicycle in St. Petersburg, Florida with my two-year-old son in the carrier. remember people coming out of their house saying the president had just been shot. So I went into my house and watched it unfold on television just like everybody else.
HOVG: Back to changes. You saw the introduction of the designated hitter in 1973. Did you welcome the change or did you enjoy hitting?
KAAT: I wasn’t in favor of the change. I knew the American League had fallen behind the National League in terms of excitement. We were considered boring and people wanted more offense. I didn’t care for it from a game standpoint, but from an actual pitching standpoint, I benefitted from it. I got to stay in the game, so my innings went way up. I’d get to stay late in the game instead of being removed for a pinch hitter. I probably gained a few more wins from it, but I still don’t care for it as part of the game. I think it’s foolish for the leagues to have separate sets of rules.
HOVG: Another monumental change happened a couple years after the DH was put into effect. Free agency. Do you have any specific memories about the beginning of free agency after the 1975 season?
KAAT: I always had constant squabbles with (former Minnesota Twins owner) Calvin Griffith and Joe Torre was having trouble in Atlanta. We were both asked by Marvin Miller if we’d consider playing without a contract. But because of what Curt Flood went through, none of us had the courage to do it. I have great admiration for what Curt did.
HOVG: Does it bother you that Marvin Miller is not in the Hall of Fame?
KAAT: Yes…a great deal. But I understand. All it takes is a few owners and (Chicago White Sox owner) Jerry Reinsdorf, who I get along with very well from my days in Chicago, has been very outspoken about it. You have a couple of those owners who just do not want Marvin in there and that kind of taints the Hall of Fame when you have politics like that going on.
HOVG: One of my co-conspirators read that you thought your career would have been viewed differently if you’d have retired after the 1975 season. Did you really ever consider retiring after that ’75 season, or was this something you brought up more in hindsight?
KAAT: That comment was made because the way the Veterans Committee chooses candidates is so flawed it’s laughable. Had I retired after 1975, I probably would be in the Hall of Fame because I’d be judged by, in my case, the Golden Era and not the Expansion Era. Had I retired, my record from 1961 to 1975 would have been at or near the top of just about every American League pitching category…wins, starts, innings, etc. I’ve had writers and friends that have been on the committee who have said, “yes…but when you name comes up, your record is diluted because you played so long.” My last eight years, I was primarily a spot starter and reliever so I didn’t accomplish as much after that. That’s why I always make the statement that had I retired after 1975, I may have gotten in the Hall of Fame.
HOVG: I think it was an injustice that you didn’t get the call in December.
KAAT: I understand why. When you look at the committee, the people to question about it would be (Hall of Fame president) Jeff Idelson and (Hall of Fame chairman) Jane Forbes Clark. The system is so flawed. They had David Glass and Dave Dombrowski and neither of them were involved in baseball during the meat of my career! How can they make an honest assessment? Whether they voted for me or not, I don’t know. I know a lot of writers who I cross paths with during my travels who say the same thing. They make suggestions as to who should be on the committee and who shouldn’t and they fall on deaf ears. You’re at the mercy of who Idelson and Clark have on the committee and if you’ve got 12 friends on there…you’ve got a chance to get in.
HOVG: Steroids have been a consistent part of the baseball conversation for the last twenty years. It seems most broadcasters try to acknowledge it without it becoming distracting from the game. Do you think that’s the right way to handle the subject while calling a game?
KAAT: I think Bob Costas and I are in agreement that Hank Aaron is still the home run leader. There is an era that should just be called the “steroid era” and if the writers even opt to let them into the Hall of Fame, that’s their choice. We all knew what was going on for those 20 years and baseball just decided to sweep it under the rug. They could have stopped it earlier with a solid testing program, but they opted not to. I consider it the “steroid era” and if they ever get into the Hall of Fame, there should be a separate wing saying this is why players accomplished the outlandish numbers that they did. Most of them would have been Hall of Famers if they didn’t do steroids.
HOVG: Who do you most enjoy watching pitch from the current game?
KAAT: I like a variety of guys. I like Dallas Keuchel because he does it with changing speeds. I like Max Scherzer because he really works at trying to get better. I guess if I were to say my favorite…it would be Madison Bumgarner. I like his whole attitude, his demeanor, his motion…I just enjoy watching him pitch.
HOVG: I read an interview from a few years ago where you said Goose Gossage, Jim Rice and Lee Smith should be in the Hall of Fame. Since that interview, two of those three have been inducted. The third is your fellow HOVG inductee Lee Smith. Why is Lee’s career seemingly being ignored?
KAAT: I think Lee is probably a lot like John Franco. There aren’t as many layers of playoffs or as much exposure on television. Compared to some of the current relievers who have gotten into the Hall of Fame, a guy like Dennis Eckersley only pitched one inning. I think Lee pitched more than that. I take a cynical view. I still respect what the Hall of Fame stands for and I am happy for the guys who get in, but I have a cynical view of the voting procedure. It’s laughable to me. There are so many guys who aren’t even qualified to vote and a lot of writers admit that. It should be pared down to maybe a hundred guys who really follow the game. I use to kid Bill Madden and ask if he voted for me. It didn’t bother me yes or no, but the reason I’d wonder is that I’d get five fewer votes this year than last year. I must’ve had a bad year. I hadn’t picked up a ball in 16 years, but the vote totals would change.
*****
The Hall of Very Good™ Class of 2015 is presented by Out of the Park Developments, the creators of the wildly popular baseball simulation game Out of the Park Baseball. Out of the Park Developments has made a generous donation to The Hall.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
