When Should the Hall Call?

My previous blog was about Jim Thome and the slugger’s pursuit of 600 career homeruns.  After posting this blog, it became clear to me that I wanted to make it known to Skip Bayless that I not only thought that it was clear that Thome had earned a spot in Cooperstown as a Hall-of-Famer, but that his approach to the game and life had earned him a spot as a baseball titan.

Mr. Bayless, a journalist who can be found each morning on ESPN’s First Take, tweeted that he does not believe Jim Thome has earned a place in Cooperstown.  He believes a man who has never finished higher than fourth in an MVP vote, and led the league in homers only once should find his face on a plaque among the all-time greats.  Mr. Bayless also said that he “despises” the use of milestones in a career as conditions for entry into the Hall-of-Fame.  Upon reading this, I realized that I have had debates about similar topics many different times.

The Hall-of-Fame, in my opinion, is a place to honor the greatest players who have simultaneously been ambassadors to the game, treating it with the dignity and respect that it deserves.  Pete Rose, an all-time great, did not treat the game with the utmost respect and does not belong in Cooperstown.  Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and many other greats tainted with steroids, have also forfeited their claim to a place in Cooperstown.  There are also a slew of players who have been wonderful ambassadors to the game, but have not been able to play at a similarly wonderful level.

Once again, in my opinion, there is no question that Jim Thome has, throughout the course of his career, been an ambassador to the game and has not tarnished his own or the game’s reputation.  He has a career .277 batting average, which is not overwhelming; but his .403 career OBP is impressive.  His 596 homers already places him at a number that only 4 other players have been able to reach without the use of steroids:  Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey Jr.  Milestones may not be as vital to enshrinement as people make them out to be, but Thome has hit the 5^th most homers, the most valuable hit in baseball, of all time.

Numbers aside, Mr. Bayless argued that Thome is not a superstar, that if you need any amount of time to think about a players name, he has not made himself a Hall-of-Famer.  I do not believe that a player must also market himself so that he is known by a wide audience to earn a place in Cooperstown.  Sure Thome doesn’t have Cameron Diaz placing popcorn into his mouth, he has never faced charges of sexual misconduct, and he doesn’t have a Twitter account where he posts witty comments.  But is this a bad thing?  Thome played in an era when so many players were in the news for all of the wrong reasons: players coming before grand juries, players being named in the Mitchell Report and Jose Canseco books, players facing criminal charges, etc.  Thome has, by his own choice, remained out of the spotlight in many respects.

Joe Posnanski once wrote an article for Sports Illustrated about one of the all-time great baseball players who is enshrined in Cooperstown—Stan Musial.  Posnanski continually points out in his article that Musial, always the quiet star, never sought the headlines, but instead spoke with his bat.  Thome has done the same.  Thome has never made $20 million in a year.  He didn’t play for the Yankees or Braves in the 90’s, so he doesn’t have any World Series rings; but he did help the 1997 Indians get to the World Series and he performed well in the Series.

In short, Jim Thome has earned a spot in the Hall-of-Fame with his play on the diamond, in my mind.  Also, in an era when some of the most memorable names in baseball are etched in darkness, the fact that Jim Thome’s name doesn’t jump out should not count against him enough to keep him out of Cooperstown.  Just as Stan Musial was outshined by some his contemporaries, Thome too, has undoubtedly been outshined by some of his peers.  His longevity, however, as a great player is Cooperstown worthy and I look forward to the speech of family man.

The Legend Grows, but Nobody Knows

Deadline deals, skids and streaks, injuries, and rehabs.  These are the storylines that continue to dominate the mid-summer baseball news.  There is another story, however, that is more remarkable, one that will live in the annals of baseball for years to come.

Jim Thome, currently the designated hitter for the Minnesota Twins, has cranked 596 career homeruns.  596!  With 4 more to go until he joins the elite 600 club, Thome has remained out of the spotlight, and there are some understandable reasons for this.  First, the Minnesota Twins, as a team, have been decimated by injuries and have under-performed their way to a 46-53 record that is good for fourth place in the AL Central.  Secondly, Thome has slugged only 7 homeruns in 130 at-bats this year while hitting a meager .215.  There are some real reasons, however, that this historic run should be getting more coverage than it has been.

Playing most of his career in the steroid era, allegations of steroid use have not come close to the career of Jim Thome.  He has remained completely clean.  If we remove those players who have used steroids to aide their careers, the list of players Thome trails in career homeruns is:  Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ken Griffey Jr.  This elite company will earn Thome a place in Cooperstown with a Cleveland Indians logo emblazoned on his hat, but it should also earn him a spot as a baseball titan.

While there are currently 596 tape-measure moon shot reasons to pay attention to this story, there are also 10 more reasons.  Thome is putting every single one of his 10 nieces and nephews, not to mention the two children of his own, through college.  While headlines of athletes blowing money at nightclubs, on wild trips, and huge speeding tickets saturate all sports, Thome has made a different decision about what is important—family.  In 2007, 464 major leaguers voted Jim Thome the second friendliest player in MLB.  He has earned the admiration of his fans, the awe of baseball historians, and the respect of his peers.

With the exception of those teams that he has faced so many times in the AL Central as a member of the Indians (Tigers, White Sox, Royals, and Twins), Thome has hit his most career homeruns against the Boston Red Sox.  As a Red Sox fan, I can only tip my hat in thanks to a man who has treated the game with dignity and silently been one of the great sluggers of all-time while being an outstanding man both on and off the field.  While much of America will not be looking for those last 4 dingers, I will be waiting with baited breath for Jim Thome to crack 600 and hopefully garner the attention that he deserves.