By Jack Healey
Marvin Miller and Ted Simmons are going into the Baseball Hall of Fame by virtue of the votes by the modern era committee. I agree that they both deserve to get in, but I expected a few more to get in. I could see the arguments both pro and con for all the candidates.
Let me say again that Marvin Miller probably should’ve gone in a log time ago because giving the players free agency among other things certainly revolutionized the game, but I don’t think necessarily all that was good for the game.
Let me clarify that I believe players should choose where they want to work just like everybody else and they should be able to get the best deal just like everybody else, but was it good for the game?
I don’t think so and not good for the fans either if they were a fan of a small market team. You are a fan of a team and you have a favorite player on that team, but your team can’t compete with the big market teams like the Yankees or Red Sox. How is that good for that fan or that team?
Even fans of big market teams have to worry about losing good and popular players like Mookie Betts for example. If there was no free agency Sox fans wouldn’t have to worry about whether Mookie stays or leaves. That’s my point. I will say more teams realize the system now as even small market teams are participating in free agency even though it might not be that prime free agent. Remember in the beginning of free agency it was the Yankees who were getting all the top players. As I said Marvin Miller was great for the players and he revolutionized the game so he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, but is the game better off? I really don’t think so.
Dwight Evans got the 3rd most votes and was four votes shy of getting in. Dave Parker was five votes shy. Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy got three or fewer votes. I know the voting is subjective, but was Dwight Evans better than Parker, Mattingly or Murphy? I really don’t think so.
The Patriots lost again, their 2nd straight loss to fall to a dismal 10-3. It’s on to Cincinnati!