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Path: utzoo!watmath!credmond
From: credmond@watmath.UUCP (Chris Redmond)
Newsgroups: net.sport.baseball
Subject: Re: Maris for Hall of Fame?
Message-ID: <576@watmath.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Dec-85 12:35:51 EST
Article-I.D.: watmath.576
Posted: Thu Dec 19 12:35:51 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Dec-85 03:32:50 EST
References: <6727@duke.UUCP>
Reply-To: credmond@watmath.UUCP (Chris Redmond)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 31

>All baseball fans mourn the passing of Roger Maris, holder of one of the
>best-known records in the game.  There is no question that Maris was an
>outstanding player.  My question is, does he belong in the Hall of Fame?
>
>I would remind the reader that it is standing Hall of Fame policy that
>admission should be based on lifetime achievement and not on a single
>great accomplishment, e.g., consider Don Larsen.
>

I am so glad this question was raised, because it lets me sound off on a
subject which has annoyed me for a while:  the use of career statistics
to "demonstrate" that so-and-so does, or doesn't, deserve to be elected
to the Hall of Fame.  Those who read the magazine Baseball Digest will
know that virtually every issue has a letter or two arguing the case of
some player (usually moderately obscure) on the basis of lifetime batting
average, won-lost record or stolen base achievements, as compared to those
of someone who has already made the Hall of Fame.

As we all know from reading the extensive arguments in this net, and
everywhere else, existing statistics have their limitations and blind
spots.  And as we all know from common sense (surely), greatness is more
than objective performance.  If nothing else, it includes leadership,
character and style.

While I don't want to express an opinion pro or con Roger Maris, I do
want to suggest that those who form opinions about him don't do it just on
the basis of statistics -- either the one famous statistic, or the
career full of them.  Let's consider Maris the ball player, Maris the man.

  CAR