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Hall of Fame Class 18 – Voters Send Three to the Hall Old Timer Richie Ashburn Joins Manny Ramirez and
Billy Wagner |
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Richie Ashburn collected 2601 hits
Billy Wagner
Billy Wagner – Happy to Join the TCBA Hall of Fame
Manny Ramirez Reacting to his Hall of Fame Induction |
Voting for the TCBA Players’ Hall of Fame Class
18 concluded this week with voters selecting three players. In a continuation
of a theme from Class 17, voters seemed willing to recognize the
contributions of Retro league players. This time it was Richie Ashburn, who
joined contemporary players Manny Ramirez and Billy Wagner to the hallowed
halls. Richie Ashburn entered the league
in 1949 wearing a Long Islander uniform. His .356 batting average in 82 games
helped the Islanders snag a spot in the playoffs. His .167 average in the
post season may have led to his trade to Siouxland during the off-season.
Whatever the cause, Ashburn blossomed in Siouxland, leading the Explorers to
the playoffs four times, including two World Series. Although never earning a
championship, Ashburn played like a champion. He led the league in hits and
runs twice. In his 15 TCBA seasons, Richie Ashburn played all 154 games seven
times! A
graduate of Virginia’s tiny Ferrum College, Billy Wagner began his career on
the fringes of the TCBA world, performing before tiny crowds in London and
Lake Gardener. However, Wagner soon found himself the
property of Larry Smith’s Mimosa Mirthmakers. From that time until his career
ended in Newark, Wagner worked his magic before sell-out crowds 689 times,
racking up 237 of his 269 career saves. Frustrated with a lack of playoff
opportunities in Mimosa, Wagner was moved to Bradenton in 2005, and then
Farmington in 2006. It was in Farmington that Wagner got his first taste of
the playoffs. And what a taste it was! After tossing four nearly-perfect
innings and earning a save in the 1st and 2nd rounds,
Wagner found himself in the World Series for the first time. Although he did
lose one of the four games he pitched, Billy Wagner delivered three scoreless
saves to bring a TCBA championship to Farmington. Wagner’s reputation as a big game pitcher
and league Saves leader attracted the attention of Long Island’s Jim
McEneaney, who acquired Billy from Mimosa and headed straight towards the
playoffs for three consecutive seasons. In 2007, as the Long Island closer,
Billy added a second World Series ring to his collection, contributing a pair
of saves in the final series. Two years later Wagner was back in the World
Series with the Islanders, this time as a set-up man, but his team came up
short in a loss to Silver Spring. Billy
Wagner took a season off in 2010, and then completed his career with 25 saves
for the Newark Eagles. Overcoming
voter protests related to PED use, Manny
Ramirez accumulated enough support to earn entry into the TCBA Players’ Hall of Fame.
There is no denying his offensive contributions, tainted or not. Like Wagner,
it took Ramirez a few seasons to find a home in TCBA, toiling for four
franchises in his first five TCBA seasons before joining Bill Kirwin’s
Kennett Komets. It was there that Ramirez solidified his reputation as a bona
fide TCBA slugger, slamming 109 home runs in three seasons. Horseshoe Bay
owner Scott Brown liked what he saw, acquiring Manny in time for Polos’ 2002
playoff run. During his tenure in Horseshoe Bay, Ramirez would participate in
five post-seasons, including the Polos’ 2003 World Series championship. Ramirez
returned to the playoffs in 2010 with Bradenton, and then closed out his
career with the Buckeyes in 2011. Although he did belt a career total of
twelve playoff homers, Manny Ramirez never hit a World Series home run. Of
course, there were several disappointed players who failed to reach the
required vote totals. None of them, though, were more disappointed than Billy
Pierce and his family. Closely watching the voter submissions, it appeared to
the Pierce clan that Billy would finally get the call. The family prepared to
celebrate as the final ballot was opened, only to discover that there were
just no votes for Billy Pierce included. He had missed induction by 80 votes.
Pierce will get one final shot at induction when his name appears for the
final time in December of 2018. Ten
other players received votes in this recent election. Among the leading
candidates to appear in a future election are Duke Snider, Babe Herman, and
Pie Traynor, and pitchers Billy Pierce and Bob Lemon. Gil Hodges, who led
Hyde Park to three consecutive league crowns in the mid-1950’s, and reliever
Trevor Hoffman, were two of the biggest names to be removed from future Hall
of Fame consideration. Voting
for Class 19 will be held in January 2018. The vote totals for Class 18 are
listed below: Class 18 Voting Totals:
·
Appeared on the list for the final time. Source: TCBA Encyclopedia |
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