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Class 11 Hall of Fame Inductees – Babe Ruth Is Unanimous Choice; Clemente, Marichal
and Vance Also Selected Grimes
Denied by Single Vote |
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Babe Ruth
Roberto Clemente
Juan Marichal
Dazzy Vance
For Burleigh Grimes the wait continues |
Voting for the TCBA
Players’ Hall of Fame concluded last week with four new names
being added to the TCBA shrine. For those who don’t subscribe to the idea
that every vote counts, this election stands in testimony of support for that
old the old maxim. For the first time since
the establishment of the TCBA Hall of Fame, a unanimous voice was heard with
the election of Babe Ruth. His
credentials are impeccable, ranking in the top tier of almost every offensive
category: Runs-#4, Hits-#22, Triples-#30, Home Runs-#5,
AB/HR-#2, RBI-#6, Batting Average-#4,
On BaseP-#1, Slugging-#1, Walks-#3. Ruth played for 16 TCBA seasons, all with Larry
Smith’s Mimosa Mirthmakers. The Babe led the team
to five post-season appearances, including two league championships, in 1925
and 1935. Joining Ruth in the hallowed hall will be Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal and Dazzy Vance. Clemente’s career accomplishments are
notable, especially considering that his 18-season career was cut short by
his untimely death. He helped lead Jeff Sajdak’s Siouxland team to three playoff appearances, including an
unsuccessful trip to the World Series in 1961. With 2932 career hits,
Clemente attracted over 90% of the Hall of Fame vote. Juan
Marichal (75.9%) had a 15-season TCBA career
during which he won 181 games and finished with a 2.96 ERA, good for 14th
on the All-Time TCBA list. Ten of his seasons were spent with Ken Sajdak’s Waukesha team, including 1966 when he was 24-8,
and 1967, when he compiled a 21-7 record.
The Dominican Dandy threw an amazing 168 complete games, including 38
shutouts. Sadly, Juan never had the chance to appear in a TCBA post-season
series. Dazzy Vance, on the other hand, who played for 14
seasons with Jim McEneaney’s Long Islanders, had
seven playoff appearances. In the 1929 series, Vance tossed a complete game
shutout to lead the Islanders to a TCBA World Series crown. In 1931, Dazzy made three post-season starts, winning two to once
again lead the Islanders to a championship. He also appeared in the 1935 in a
relief role. Vance received 70.7% of the vote in
recognition of his 205 career wins, 186 complete games and 2428 strike outs. Aside from the selection of the four
players mentioned, one of the more significant results of the Class 11
balloting involved several who did not get in, most notably Burleigh Grimes. Every
vote counts, especially for Grimes, who missed being honored by a single
vote. With two league members not voting, Grimes found himself outside the
Hall with 713 votes (69.9%), just one shy of the required 714. For Burleigh
this marked the second time he had been denied entry. The winner of 216
career TCBA games will get another shot in November with Class 12. Another player who came close was Pete Rose
with 67.5% of the vote. Somewhat controversial, even in TCBA, the league’s
all-time hit leader (4024) will also be reconsidered with the Class 12
balloting in November. Among those who were unsuccessful in their
last chance at Hall entry were: Kevin Appier, Larry
Bowa, Cesar Cedeno, Rollie Fingers, Andres Galarraga,
Chick Hafey, Tom Henke, Don Mattingly, Al Oliver,
Jesse Orosco, Kirby Puckett, Brooks Robinson, Ed
Roush and Maury Wills. The next class of Hall of
Fame candidates will be Class 12, currently scheduled to be announced on November
1, 2014. The vote totals for Class 11 are listed below: CLASS 11 Voting Totals:
Source:
TCBA Encyclopedia |
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