Wow. Dawson gets elected, but Blyleven and Roberto Alomer just miss. I’m very disappointed. Alomar will get in, that’s a huge vote on the first ballot. I just don’t understand the Dawson vote. The guy was an out machine.
Edgar Martinez received 36% of the votes. That’s not bad for a designated hitter. He’s almost halfway there. Mark McGwire’s support rose to 23.7%. Barry Larkin pulled in 51%, which isn’t bad. Tim Raines, 30%. I’d take Raines over Dawson any day.
Update: My congratulations to Andre Dawson. I was remiss in not putting that in the original post. I liked the Hawk as a player, and have nothing against him personally. I think the writers are wrong, but it’s still a great honor for Dawson and he should be commended on the election. I apologize.
Was this vote anything but a backlash against the “stat” people? Or is it simply because voters prefer the good old days when no one talked about steroids even though players (probably including Dawson) used them?
Wow. I’d like to hear one of these schmos defend a ballot that had Dawson as a hall of famer and not Rock Raines.
This vote seems a bit surreal. The best second baseman of his generation didn’t make it, a pitcher who’s fifth on the all time strikeouts list didn’t make it, the best NL shortstop of his time not named Ozzie Smith didn’t make it, the best leadoff hitter of his time not named Rickey Henderson didn’t make it. Yet Dawson does..?
It seems like Dawson got elected for having one spectacular season in 1987, hitting 48 homers. Not only didn’t Dawson come close to that total at any other time in his career, but he only topped 30 homers twice at other times (31 and 32, so it wasn’t much). Take his MVP season and what does his candidacy look like?
Perhaps Dawson deserves this honor, but given the other names on the ballot, this was a bad vote.
Well at least we know that Mariotti is one of the five idiots who didn’t vote for Bert. I wonder who the other four are.
Harold Baines gets less support than (alleged cheater) Mark McGwire, Fred McGriff and Don Mattingly? Sheesh.
Many people predicted this last year: after they selected Rice, writers said “Hey, this guy was better than Rice” and had to select Dawson.
Robbie Alomar didn’t make it on first try. So what. Joe DiMaggio didn’t make it on first try.
Who deserved first try election more, Joe D or Alomar?