HOF: Herzog, Harvey headed to Cooperstown
The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee just held a press conference to announce that long-time manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey will be part of the baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2010.
Herzog led the Kansas City Royals to three division titles in the 1970s and won three National League pennants and a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980s. He also had brief tenures managing the Texas Rangers and California Angels. Harvey umpired for 31 years and was named to six All-Star Game crews.
Candidates needed 12 of the 16 votes from the selection committee for managers and umpires. Harvey was named on 15 of the 16 ballots. Herzog was named on 14 of the 16 ballots.
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Comments
Orioles could conceivably sign two out of the three, heretofore, injury prone free agents in Bedard/Sheets/Haren for $ 12 million. If even one of them pans out then it could pay handsome dividends plus O's won't have to trade any one from their farm system for Millwood.
Posted by: Sudhir | December 7, 2009 12:41 PM
Pete - Left comment on your Saturday "miscellaneous" column about your favoring Blyleven. Just don't see this at all and wondering how you justify.
My definition for members - anyone who faced O's at clutch moment/game and my thought was "Uh oh, we're screwed". Bertie just doesn't make it. A pretty good pitcher (just over .500) who piled up a lot of wins through longevity. As someone else mentioned about him - "you don't get into HOF by being a B student for a long time". And I'm sick of his whining on the subject, too.
Posted by: Bob W. | December 7, 2009 12:43 PM
Woohoo, another former Oriole going to the Hall of Fame.
In roughly 200 games, he had 600 AB's with 12 HR's as an OF/1B. Those are the kind of stats that could fill out a roster on the economO's roster now.
Actually, it is good managers are getting consideration.
I'm tired of hearing everyone from Dave Johnson, one-time Oriole pitcher, to people who take Dave Johnson, one-time Oriole pitcher, seriously making the insipid remark managers need players as if that's all there is to it.
Well, duh.
Everyone knows the 1986 Orioles collapsed under Earl Weaver. Weaver, however, had the flawed Oriole team to within 2½ games of division-winning Boston on August 5, that year. THAT was the testimony of Weaver's ability. The fact the team was loaded with inability and that trumped the manager's influence and talent does not negate what a good manager can do.
Weaver always -- including 1985-86 -- got more than just the sum of the parts he was given. Always. (Anyone want to remember 1987 or 1988?)
Herzog was the same way. Good for him.
Let's just hope Gene Mauch doesn't get in. He did okay with the Phillies and the Expos don't count as they were an expansion team (although Buck Showalter is the litmus test for expansion teams).
His two stints with California were absurd. The 1982 team was bursting with talent. Getting a mere 93 wins from that group is embarrassing enough. Bunting his way to defeat in the playoffs was flat-out inexcusable. Then back for a second term of underachieving, he "led" the Angels to a beg time choke against the masters of 20th Century choking, the Red Sox, in 1986.
Mauch overused Donnie Moore to the tune of nearly 1-2/3 innings per relief appearance during the season; then burned him to a crisp with three appearances (6 IP) against Boston. Poor Moore never got over it. California finished 7th the following year.
If Mauch gets in, I will never get over it. Mauch could have managed the '27 Yankees to 90 wins and a 4-2 World Series defeat.
As for umpires, I hope it was merit-based and not just time served for Doug Harvey.
Posted by: waspman | December 7, 2009 1:12 PM