Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were welcomed into the Hall of Fame today. Henderson was a sure fit for the hall, receiving 94.8% of the votes - his first time on the ballot. On the other hand, Rice squeaked in with 76.4% - his last time on the ballot.
I understand Rice's case for the hall, but only if they include Andre Dawson too. Dawson hit 56 more homers and had 140 more runs batted in than Rice. You might say that Dawson also played five more years than Rice, but in my opinion, that is another positive for Dawson! Longevity was one of Rice's weaknesses, and led to his retirement. Dawson also had speed and defense elements in his game (318 stolen bases and 8 Gold Gloves) - elements that Rice lacked. The bright side is that Dawson was next on the list of top vote-getters securing 67%, and still potentially has nine more years on the ballot.
Unfortunately for our remaining Yankees on the ballot, Tommy John (31.7%) and Don Mattingly (11.9%) failed to earn the HoF status from the voters yet again.
