Harold Baines HOFer

[lostfan]

I'm not upset about this but if Baines is a HOF then Konerko should be in because of his 439 HRs.

[greg775]

The guy almost got 3000 hits? The controversy is annoying. He's a credit to the game of baseball but more than that deserves it. Congrats Mr. Baines. We love you in Soxdom.

[Lip Man 1]

Harold's Best White Sox Moments:

April 17, 1980 - Future Sox star Harold Baines collected his first major league hit. It came off Yankee pitcher Mike Griffin in New York. Baines would have an outstanding career with 2,866 hits. His number #3 was first retired by the team in 1989 when he was traded to Texas. 

May 9, 1984 - Harold Baines ended the longest game, inning-wise, in American League history when he blasted a home run in the 25th inning to give the Sox a 7-6 win over Milwaukee. The 8:06 length of the game set a Major League record. Tom Seaver got the win in relief in the marathon contest which started on May 8 and was suspended, then came back and won the regularly scheduled game later that same evening when the Sox won 5-4. For the night Seaver threw a little over nine innings allowing only four hits.

May 26, 1996 - For the first time in franchise history the Sox hit four home runs in an inning. It happened in a 12-1 rout over the Brewers at Comiskey Park. In the eighth inning Frank Thomas, Harold Baines, Robin Ventura and Chad Kreuter all found the seats.

July 7, 1982 - It was the coming out party for Sox outfielder Harold Baines. In a game in Chicago against the Tigers, Baines blasted three home runs in the Sox 7-0 win. One of his blasts was a grand slam. He’d drive in six of the Sox seven runs. 

Later that week at Toronto in a 16-7 win, he’d hammer two more home runs including a second grand slam and knock in five more RBI’s. No wonder he was named A.L. Player of the Week!

September 17, 1983 - Before a packed house at Comiskey Park, Harold Baines hit a sacrifice fly driving in Julio Cruz with the run that won the American League West title for the Sox as they edged Seattle 4-3. The Sox went to the playoffs for the first time in 24 years, drew a then record, season attendance of over two million fans and had the best record in baseball at 99-63. They’d win the division by a record 20 games over second place Kansas City. 

September 17, 1984 - Harold Baines became the only player in franchise history to have more than one game with three home runs. Baines had his first three homer game in July 1982. On this day at Minnesota, he’d club three more in the 7-3 win. He’d drive in four RBI’s.

[fathom]

I always remember Baines hitting a walkoff against Wetteland. That was around the time Hawk would say “give ‘me a thrill Harold”

[Thad Bosley]

Baines was a mere 134 hits short of 3,000 career hits and 16 home runs short of 400 career homers from being in an entirely different conversation as it relates to the HOF. 

Had he made those two milestones, he would have joined a very exclusive club of only eight players in the history of the game with BOTH 3,000 hits AND 400 homeruns.  Your typical 3,000 hit-getter isn’t much of a power hitter, and your typical 400/500 home run hitter isn’t the kind of contact hitter the 3,000 hit guys are.  Baines was a nice blend of both contact and power, which for me made him such a great player to watch over the years.  

But he just came up short on both milestones, and thus his election is being called into question by many.  I get that criticism, but at the same time, I’m happy HB is heading to Cooperstown!

Edited December 11, 2018 by Fan O'Faust

[Wanne]

i'm on a board where this guy is merely using Baines fWAR as an argument why he's not deserving (of course that's the only way he can relate to players). I get where people are simply enamored with the sabermetrics and all...but geez.

[bschmaranz]

Tony Larussa tearing apart Chris Russo on his show right now.

[bubba phillips]

I've been a White Sox fan for more than 50 years and I loved Harold Baines.  But there is no way he is a Hall of Famer.

It's easy to get emotional when a player is from your team, but in this case I  have to defer to the impartial national media, who almost unanimously agree that Harold doesn't belong.  He never got more than 6% of the vote when he was eligible, for goodness sake.

 

 

[Jake]

I think it's good to have an alternate way to get into the HoF other than the baseball writers' voting. I wouldn't have put Harold in. I also recognize that Harold played in an era in which players were generally evaluated in different ways than they are now: Batting average and RBIs were king. I suspect part of the reason there are some people so ardently in his corner is they feel that if Harold played in a different era, he had the bat talent to change his game in a way to suit the new incentive structure.

[ptatc]

On 12/10/2018 at 9:22 PM, Lip Man 1 said:

Harold's Best White Sox Moments:

April 17, 1980 - Future Sox star Harold Baines collected his first major league hit. It came off Yankee pitcher Mike Griffin in New York. Baines would have an outstanding career with 2,866 hits. His number #3 was first retired by the team in 1989 when he was traded to Texas. 

May 9, 1984 - Harold Baines ended the longest game, inning-wise, in American League history when he blasted a home run in the 25th inning to give the Sox a 7-6 win over Milwaukee. The 8:06 length of the game set a Major League record. Tom Seaver got the win in relief in the marathon contest which started on May 8 and was suspended, then came back and won the regularly scheduled game later that same evening when the Sox won 5-4. For the night Seaver threw a little over nine innings allowing only four hits.

May 26, 1996 - For the first time in franchise history the Sox hit four home runs in an inning. It happened in a 12-1 rout over the Brewers at Comiskey Park. In the eighth inning Frank Thomas, Harold Baines, Robin Ventura and Chad Kreuter all found the seats.

July 7, 1982 - It was the coming out party for Sox outfielder Harold Baines. In a game in Chicago against the Tigers, Baines blasted three home runs in the Sox 7-0 win. One of his blasts was a grand slam. He’d drive in six of the Sox seven runs. 

Later that week at Toronto in a 16-7 win, he’d hammer two more home runs including a second grand slam and knock in five more RBI’s. No wonder he was named A.L. Player of the Week!

September 17, 1983 - Before a packed house at Comiskey Park, Harold Baines hit a sacrifice fly driving in Julio Cruz with the run that won the American League West title for the Sox as they edged Seattle 4-3. The Sox went to the playoffs for the first time in 24 years, drew a then record, season attendance of over two million fans and had the best record in baseball at 99-63. They’d win the division by a record 20 games over second place Kansas City. 

September 17, 1984 - Harold Baines became the only player in franchise history to have more than one game with three home runs. Baines had his first three homer game in July 1982. On this day at Minnesota, he’d club three more in the 7-3 win. He’d drive in four RBI’s.

I was at that game that was suspended in 1984. Skipped school the second day to watch it finish.

[salty99]

awesome banner...too bad he doesn't sign like that anymore

[Soxfest]

My favorite Sox player ever so happy for him.

[RickinIndiana]

I feel sorry for him.  I can't remember another HOF selection that raised this much stink. 

[bmags]

17 minutes ago, RickinIndiana said:

I feel sorry for him.  I can't remember another HOF selection that raised this much stink. 

This

https://hmmdaily.com/2018/12/10/harold-baines-deserved-better-than-to-be-elected-to-the-hall-of-fame/

[RickinIndiana]

10 minutes ago, bmags said:

This

https://hmmdaily.com/2018/12/10/harold-baines-deserved-better-than-to-be-elected-to-the-hall-of-fame/

Thanks for posting that.  It sums my feelings up nicely.

[greg775]

9 hours ago, RickinIndiana said:

Thanks for posting that.  It sums my feelings up nicely.

Good article but Harold's a big boy. He'll be fine. I mean a lot of Hall of Fame selections get panned in the media. It's an easy story/column to diss somebody's election to the Hall. Hopefully the fans will fill the Cell for a ceremony recognizing Harold for this honor this season some game.

[LittleHurt05]

14 hours ago, RickinIndiana said:

I feel sorry for him.  I can't remember another HOF selection that raised this much stink. 

I don't know why you feel bad for him. At the end of the day, he can put his feet up and say "I'm a Hall of Famer and you're not". 

It's the HOF people that deserve contempt,  not him.

[ptatc]

2 hours ago, LittleHurt05 said:

I don't know why you feel bad for him. At the end of the day, he can put his feet up and say "I'm a Hall of Famer and you're not". 

It's the HOF people that deserve contempt,  not him.

Many people have expressed this opinion because all of his in interviews have started with "why do you think you got in when you dont deserve it."

One interview i heard he said he thinks he got in because he had friends on the committee who convinced the others.

[flavum]

So this is happening on Sunday.

WGN is airing a Harold Tribute on Saturday at 4:30 before the Sox-Rays game.

 

[greg775]

I love Harold Baines. Sox fans should celebrate all week! Good job Harold!

[pcq]

Harold's metrics have some upset but I would consider him worthy. The only way you get in is if the committee respects you.  I recall some Yanks got in because they were often in the World Series. The irony to me is that Harold hardly speaks yet others spoke up for him.  Harold and Luis should never have been traded. Meanwhile Sosa with the home runs may never get in. Enjoy your day number 3.

[kitekrazy]

On 12/13/2018 at 4:13 PM, bubba phillips said:

I've been a White Sox fan for more than 50 years and I loved Harold Baines.  But there is no way he is a Hall of Famer.

It's easy to get emotional when a player is from your team, but in this case I  have to defer to the impartial national media, who almost unanimously agree that Harold doesn't belong.  He never got more than 6% of the vote when he was eligible, for goodness sake.

 

 

Hopefully is doesn't get like the Rock HoF where just about anybody can get it in.

[caulfield12]

33 minutes ago, kitekrazy said:

Hopefully is doesn't get like the Rock HoF where just about anybody can get it in.

You can definitely make the argument that the base-stealing Raines of his Montreal days had almost the same impact on baseball as Ricky Henderson.

That’s the tough one here...career longevity vs. early peaks, guys like Alomar or Sandberg who were the very best players for 5-6 years but faded fast (another similar argument on the pitching side would be Felix Hernandez vs. CC Sabathia.)

[pcq]

1 hour ago, caulfield12 said:

You can definitely make the argument that the base-stealing Raines of his Montreal days had almost the same impact on baseball as Ricky Henderson.

That’s the tough one here...career longevity vs. early peaks, guys like Alomar or Sandberg who were the very best players for 5-6 years but faded fast (another similar argument on the pitching side would be Felix Hernandez vs. CC Sabathia.)

I think he meant rock music which rests in part on the whims of one guy with a lot of issues.

[Lip Man 1]

Rick Morrissey has a great story on Harold's speech today at the Sun-Times web site. It sounds from reading the story like it was one of the most moving speeches of the day.

Congrats to HB.