A quick plug for my other blog The Baseball Zealot. Over the winter, we’re busy profiling the twenty-some Hall of Fame candidates up for selection plus giving our opinion whether they deserve the nod. We’re about halfway done now.
Here is the entry point for the HOF ’09 series.
For the old time leaguers out there, which of the HOF candidates did you have on your team(s)?
For my part:
- Baines: like the White Sox, we traded him away then got him back like three times.
- Dawson: only for one year but he hit 31 homeruns for me.
- Mark McGwire: had him his whole career… he broke the league single season record for homers in the last at-bat of the season in 1999.
- Dan Plesac: like Baines, never seemed to retire.
- Matt Williams: did his best to protect McGwire.
The only ones I’ve ever had are Baines and Gant – and each of those for only one year each (I was one of the guys that traded Baines to you).
ILLOWA League: Harold Baines (i originally drafted him), Jay Bell (his last season), Bert Blyleven (my ace the first 5 years), Gentleman Dan Plesac and Tim Raines (I drafted him, too).
Midwest League: Dale Murphy, Alan Trammell (I drafted these guys in the same draft. Modesty requires me to disclose that I also drafted Roger Erickson and Gary Serum that year) and Greg Vaughn.
Champions Roll Call: Jay Bell (4 years, 32 HRs one year), Andre Dawson (PHer last 2 years of his career), Ron Gant (drafted him, had him 1st 8 years, got him back twice more, 281 Champ HRs), Dave Parker (2 years, 31 HRs & 101 RBI season), Jim Rice (14 seasons, 402 HRs & 1,187 RBIs career), Matt Williams (8 years, 62 HRs & 168 RBIs one year), Tommy John (one year, 17-11, 4.07 ERA), Jesse Orosco (drafted him, 6 years with a 12 year absense between two three year stints, 30 saves & 12 wins one year), and Dan Plesac (drafted him, 2 years, 25 saves as a sophomore). Remarkably David Cone, Mark Grace, Rickey Henderson, Don Mattingly, Alan Trammell, Greg Vaughn, & Mo Vaughn weren’t “good” enough to be drafted into our 8/10 team Illowa APBA League.
Had all of them at one time or another except for Dawson. McGwire we got for a pennant run at the end of his career. Baines was a DH for a couple of my teams in the 90s, and we had the best years of Matt Williams’ career, as well as some of Rckey’s best. As a Sox fan, I avoided having Jesse Orosco – too panful …