# SDMB Baseball Hall of Fame Round #7: Center Fielders **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [August 16, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240 "2008-08-16T18:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/61 "2008-08-23T23:51:51Z")
šŸ˜ƒ Sorry. Iā€™ll add it up tonite, and put together the Left Fielderā€™s Ballot. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/62 "2008-08-24T16:43:59Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] šŸ˜ƒ Sorry. Iā€™ll add it up tonite, and put together the Left Fielderā€™s Ballot. [/QUOTE] I suspect that thereā€™s a particular left-fielder who will make for a lot of interesting debate. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/63 "2008-08-24T17:21:08Z")
Stan Musial? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/64 "2008-08-24T18:39:55Z")
Shoeless Joe Jackson? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/65 "2008-08-24T20:04:36Z")
Ty Cobb Willie Davis Joe DiMaggio Curt Flood Ken Griffey, Jr. Mickey Mantle Willie Mays Willie McGee Duke Snider Tris Speaker ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/66 "2008-08-24T20:28:13Z")
I swear Iā€™ll add it up tonight! Iā€™m guessing the left fielder of denate will be Shoeless Joe. This not being the thread, I may as well say he wonā€™t make my ballot. Even if he wasnā€™t a dirtbag who tried to throw the World Series, heā€™d still be near the bottom of the ballot; he just doesnā€™t have the resume of the big candidates. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/67 "2008-08-24T21:02:24Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Iā€™m guessing the left fielder of debate will be Shoeless Joe. [/QUOTE] You might be right, although my first thought was Barry Bonds. On performance, itā€™s a complete no-brainer, but there are plenty of people who still think he shouldnā€™t make it to Cooperstown. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/68 "2008-08-24T21:29:49Z")
Yeah, I assumed that **threeorange** meant Barry Bonds too. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/69 "2008-08-26T04:46:13Z")
ā€¦Who is someone Iā€™ll certainly vote for when the Left Fielders ballot comes up. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/70 "2008-08-26T18:57:42Z")
Nobody could skip Shoeless Joe. He had a lifetime batting ave of 356. OBP -423 SLG-517 He was in the top 3 of averages for 10 years. Top 4 OBP. Top 3 SLG % Top 4 OPS. All that and he did not throw the series. But apparently knew about it. ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/71 "2008-08-26T23:09:23Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] Nobody could skip Shoeless Joe. He had a lifetime batting ave of 356. OBP -423 SLG-517 He was in the top 3 of averages for 10 years. Top 4 OBP. Top 3 SLG % Top 4 OPS. All that and he did not throw the series. But apparently knew about it. [/QUOTE] I think youā€™re confusing Joe with the actually innocent Buck Weaver. Joe admitted to throwing the series under oath. Then again, Iā€™m with you. I think Rose and Jackson are all good enough players to be let into the hall based on the merits of their play. And thatā€™s what the Hall is about, right, good players? I mean, Ty Cobbā€™s total bastardism didnā€™t keep him out, did it? Bondsā€™ play was enhanced by steroidsā€¦ but his play before the steroids era (back when his hat size was still in single digits) should get him a spot in the Hall anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/72 "2008-08-26T23:42:22Z")
[QUOTE=Boozahol Squid, P.I.] Joe admitted to throwing the series under oath. [/QUOTE] .375 with 5 runs and 6 rbi in 8 1919 World Series games. What would he have done if he had been trying? I want to vote for him. The only thing holding me back is the length of his career. ALL of his most similar by age over at baseball-reference are in. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/73 "2008-08-27T01:18:02Z")
He had 10 solid years and got booted when he was at his best. As for Bonds. He had the numbers to go in before he discovered chemical help. Personally I think it was more Human Growth Than steroids. It was undetectable and still may be. Balco was thorough like the East German swim teams of the past. If McGwire said he took them and it was not against the rules ,I would have no problem with him. But he made a fool of himself in front of the congressional committee. That sticks . Rose and McGwire did not show Bonds anything. he does not get it. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/74 "2008-08-27T02:51:43Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] .375 with 5 runs and 6 rbi in 8 1919 World Series games. What would he have done if he had been trying? [/QUOTE] What was his performance like in the games he took money to throw? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/75 "2008-08-27T03:09:28Z")
[QUOTE=Yookeroo] What was his performance like in the games he took money to throw? [/QUOTE] .250, as I recall correctly. IMHO, it doesnā€™t matter what he did on the field. He took money and agreed to lose on purpose. Thatā€™s what matters. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/76 "2008-08-27T03:38:34Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] .250, as I recall correctly. [/QUOTE] It was .286 in the games the Sox lost, not sure if those were the games they had agreed to throw. He was a crook. From the Wikipedia article on the ā€œBlack Sox scandalā€: > [@](#): > > The extent of Jacksonā€™s participation in the conspiracy remains controversial. Jackson maintained that he was innocent. He had a Series-leading .375 batting average, claimed to have thrown out five baserunners, and handled thirty chances in the outfield with no errors during that series. However, he batted far worse in the five games that the White Sox lost, with a batting average of .286 in those games. Three of his six RBIs came in the losses, all from a home run and a double in game 8, when the Reds had a large lead and the series was all but over. Still, in that game a long foul ball was caught at the fence with runners on second and third, depriving Jackson of a chance to drive in the runners. The stats also show that in the other games the White Sox lost, only five of Jacksonā€™s at bats came with a man in scoring position, and he advanced the runners twice. > > Jackson, generally considered a strong defensive player, was unable to prevent a critical two-run triple to left during the series. (In fact, during the series three triples were hit to left where Jackson was playing, despite the fact that most triples get hit to right or right-center.) Jackson told sportswriter Westbrook Pegler that he had ā€œonly poked at the ballā€ during many World Series at-bats. Most damningly, Jackson admitted under oath to accepting $5,000 from the gamblers.[3] One play in particular has been subjected to much scrutiny. In the fifth inning of game 4, with a Cincinnati player on second, Jackson fielded a single hit to left field and threw home. The run scored and the White Sox lost the game 2-0. He committed errors, IOW, that were not scored as errors, and performed well at bat when his at-bats could hardly change the turnout of the game. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/77 "2008-08-27T22:34:18Z")
[QUOTE=threeorange] I suspect that thereā€™s a particular left-fielder who will make for a lot of interesting debate. [/QUOTE] Wow, I didnā€™t mean to get the debate started so early. [QUOTE=astorian] Shoeless Joe Jackson? [/QUOTE] Actually I wasnā€™t thinking of Jackson, but heā€™s the one who seems to be inspiring the debate. [QUOTE=mhendo] You might be right, although my first thought was Barry Bonds. [/QUOTE] Thatā€™s who I meant. His uberslugger contemporaries (McGwire, Sosa) had been largely shunned in the previous polls, and I assumed that the steroid allegations had played a part in that. I was curious as to how a more substantial all-around player would fare in this environment. [QUOTE=Gadarene] Stan Musial? [/QUOTE] I think the only debate in regard to Musial would be whether other hitters should worship him as a deity or not. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/78 "2008-08-28T00:44:55Z")
So, speaking of the left fieldersā€¦ šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/79 "2008-08-28T15:25:42Z")
Had serious comp troubles [video card blew] for a week or so, I finally come back, still no LF thread? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240/80 "2008-08-28T22:20:43Z")
Maybe the leftfielder thread wonā€™t be posted until after the SDMB upgrades are completed next week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-baseball-hall-of-fame-round-7-center-fielders/460240.md?page=5)