Projo Sports Blog

By Rick Hummel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

If you're stumping for now dead-armed Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling as a Hall of Famer, you're overlooking a potload of more deserving candidates. Schilling gets plenty of publicity, none of which he tries to douse, for his "Bloody Sock" game in the 2004 American League Championship Series, for his sparkling postseason record of 10-2 (he was on three World Series champions) and for his 3,000-plus strikeouts.

But, in the ultimate sport of regular-season numbers, is Schilling's victory total of 216 more deserving than, say, the 254 of Jack Morris? Morris, if you watched Game 7 of the 1991 World Series when he pitched a 10-inning shutout for Minnesota, was a pretty good postseason pitcher, too, playing for two World Series champions. And how about Tommy John (288 wins), Bert Blyleven (287), Jim Kaat (283)? Or Orel Hershiser, a decade or so ahead of Schilling, who won 204 games and lost 149, which compares favorably to Schilling's 216-146 mark?

What all the aforementioned have in common is that none of them is in the Hall of Fame; only Blyleven, after many elections, came reasonably close at 61.9 percent of the vote (75 percent is needed for election) last winter. Morris garnered only 42.9 percent of the vote, and John was even lower at 29.1. Kaat's 15-year eligibility with the writers elapsed without him even getting a sniff.

And if Schilling's career is indeed over after he spends this entire season on the disabled list, there is no way he'll be a first-ballot choice. In 2014, you possibly could have John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and even Greg Maddux eligible for election if they all retire after this season. Schilling is not in that class, no matter what he or anybody says.

The year before that, when Schilling theoretically would be eligible because he didn't play this year, he wouldn't have any chance either. The year 2013 could feature these four names on the ballot: Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza.

Click here to read more of Hummel's baseball observations.

Your Turn: Does Schilling belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

1 Comments

Mike said:

Testing

Link | June 30, 2008 11:19 AM
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