BHOF

Yesterday it was announced that two retired baseball players had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Jim Rice, a lifetime Red Sox player, 0.296 career batting average and 1978 American League Most Valuable Player. I'll never forget the SI Cover where he posed with Dave Parker, Rice was a big muscular man, dwarfed by the Pirates right fielder. Never a great fielder, Rice's strength was at the plate as a trustworthy RBI man. The Red Sox offense led the American League for much of the seventies and the eighties, but never won a World Series during the quiet left fielder's tenure. I took 15 years for Rice to be elected in the the Hall, probably because of no Word Series wins and career batting average under 0.300. Considering his election, you should soon elect Dale Murphy, twice the National League Most Valuable Player, perennially a leader in RBI's, home runs and assists. Murphy was every bit as good as Jim Rice at the plate and a far superior outfielder. When you get down to it, I don't think the either should be in the Hall, but if Rice is good enough Murphy is too. Rice's election was the result of a Northeast coast baseball writers over-focus on the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox.

Ricky Henderson, the all-time stolen base record holder and arguably best lead-off hitter of all time. The outfielder came into the majors as a protege of Billy Martin in the late 1970's. With the Bronx Bombers Henderson was a reliable lead off man with decent outfield skills and decent power numbers. Ricky Henderson had a unique low crouch batting style and early in his career it was fun to watch his demonically aggressive, yet successful, play. Later as stardom took hold, Henderson became a selfish mercenary prick. The man deserves to be in the Hall of Fame because he was better than Lou Brock and Maury Wills. Just do not like the man.