Belated But Deserving

Sunday's nicest news from baseball was the announcement that Jack Morris and Alan Trammell had been elected to the Hall of Fame by the Modern Era Committee. Two of the mainstays from Detroit's 1984 World Champions -- eight years after being drafted in same year, 1976 -- had received sizable support during their years on the ballot, but never reached the required 75%.
I was always puzzled that both guys weren't voted in years ago. During their careers, they were among the best in their business.
Along with being the ace on winning teams in Detroit, and later Minnesota and Toronto, Morris was a workhorse -- the dependable ace on good hitting teams. If the most important stat in baseball remains the victory, then Morris racked up the right numbers. 254 career victories, plus clutch performances in the post-season, such as the 10-inning shutout in final game of the 1991 World Series. Big performance on the biggest stage. That adds to his resume.
A lifelong Tiger, Trammell played all 20 of his seasons in Detroit and later managed the club. A strong hitting shortstop in a time when most at his position were offensively challenged, the native Californian hit .300 or better seven times and reached double-digits in home runs on eight occasions. In an era when strikeout totals climbed steadily, Trammell walked (850) nearly as many times as he whiffed (874). He also came through on the big stage -- he hit .450 en route to being named the MVP of the 1984 World Series.
Among the names on the committee's list who fell shy: Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dale Murphy and Marvin Miller -- whose exclusion bordered on shocking. He was up for consideration from a panel largely consisting of players who benefited from his leadership of their union. High salaries, great benefits -- such as the best pension plan on earth -- and improved working conditions came with Miller running the Players Association. Frankly, next to Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, who else changed baseball more than Marvin Miller?
We'll learn who else will join Trammell and Morris when the "traditional" Hall of Fame vote results are announced on January 24th.
I met Jack Morris at the 2013 BAT Dinner in New York, and saw Trammell coaching at a Grapefruit League for the Tigers in 2015.

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