BBWAA Madness: Arizona Writer Doesn’t Give Hall of Fame Vote to Rickey Henderson
Baseball, Media Gossip/Musings January 7th. 2009, 10:00am
That’s not even the worst part. The writer, Corky Simpson, of the Green Valley News in Arizona, voted for the following players:
* Bert Blyleven
* Andre Dawson
* Tommy John
* Don Mattingly
* Tim Raines
* Jim Rice
* Alan Trammell
* Matt Williams
No Rickey Henderson. Perhaps the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball – snubbed. Was Simpson not aware of Henderson’s impressive records? So what if he’s an egocentric douche. Is this a high school popularity contest or the Hall of Fame?
We’re among the foremost Don Mattingly apologists on the planet … and we’d never begin to make an argument for Mattingly getting into the HOF over Rickey Henderson. Matt Williams? Why, because his ex-wife was ridiculously hot (and topless! NSFW) in Blame it on Rio? It should be noted that Simpson has been a sportswriter in Arizona for a long, long, time. Bert Blyleven? Guy didn’t even win 300 games or a Cy Young. When you think about dominating pitchers in the 80s, you don’t think of Bert Blyleven.
We could go on and on … if anyone wonders why baseball writers are often mocked, this is it.
Corky Simpson: The writer who didn’t vote for Rickey Henderson (Home Run Derby)
74 Responses to “BBWAA Madness: Arizona Writer Doesn’t Give Hall of Fame Vote to Rickey Henderson”
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January 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Bert is happy that at least someone voted for him.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:04 am
/there, that’s better
January 7th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Uh oh TBL, you’re about to get mocked.
Agree with the rest.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Some of these fuckwads think no player deserves to be a unanimous pick, so they want to be the guy that keeps that from happening.
But when this guy is retired, does he want to look back and say, “I was the guy that didn’t vote in Rickey, Ripken, Gwynn, et. al. I was that asshole.”
It’s a disgrace.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:07 am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bert_Blyleven
happy, by all means, let the mocking begin. some things i dont feel like arguing. others, sure, i do. i’ll wait for a compelling one on blyleven OVER rickey henderson.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
Love this quote from Bill James on Ricky’s Wikipedia page”
January 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
The mocking won’t be about Blyleven over Rickey Henderson. The mocking will be about your reasoning for no Blyleven (the 300 games and no Cy Young part).
January 7th, 2009 at 10:10 am
His name is Corky. Do the math.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:11 am
He works at Burger King making flame-broiled Whoppers and he wears paper hats.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I’m speechless. OK, first, leaving Rickey off is reason enough to have your voting privilege revoked. To paraphrase Bill James, if you split Rickey Henderson in half and made him two players, you’d have two Hall of Famers. The guy was THAT GOOD. Reading Corky’s column raises another question, though: he votes for Matt Williams (a questionable decision at best, but … whatever) and doesn’t vote for Mark McGwire. Why? Because “there is doubt whether McGwire’s career was chemically enhanced.” The only problem is, Matt Williams ADMITTED to using steroids and HGH in 2007. When it was discovered, Williams said he used it to recover from an ankle injury. Riiiiiight. I guess that makes it all OK.
Corky Simpson … moron.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Why, because his ex-wife was ridiculously hot (and topless! NSFW) in
And bottomless!
January 7th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Ricky’s Wiki page is a treasure trove of quotes:
January 7th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Rock Raines>Tim Raines
baseball card’d
January 7th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Love them silver dollars
January 7th, 2009 at 10:15 am
This reminds me of something Bill James once said. I hope I’m remembering the quote right:
January 7th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Didn’t Rickey also do something like frame his first signing bonus check without ever cashing it?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:18 am
perhaps he only votes for players who are pretty good and dont talk in the 3rd person?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:19 am
In what world is Tim Raines better than Rickey Henderson?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Hey Nick, if you split Ricky in two, do you think both would get into the HOF?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I just glanced at the comments. Are people accusing Rickey of being 2 people and they should both get in the HOF?
/sarcasm is thick today…
January 7th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Rickey thinks Rickey is two Rickeys.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Corky-perfect name for that asshole.
Matt Williams!?!?!
January 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
I don’t think I have the energy to tell you how wrong you are about Blyleven, TBL.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Rickey agrees with this guy’s vote because according to Rickey, Rickey is still playing baseball and isn’t eligible for the HoF yet.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Wait, wait, wait…there were two Rickey Hendersons?!?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:30 am
fetch, are you still hungover from your 21st?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Two Rickey’s, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, two Rickey’s
January 7th, 2009 at 10:30 am
In what world is Tim Raines better than Rickey Henderson?
Prison world
/Oz’d & Longest Yard’d
January 7th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Ha I wish Stigs. I had to wake up at 7:30 this morning to take my brother to school.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Kevin Duckworth died.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:33 am
A Rock in the hand is worth two Rickey’s in the bush.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:33 am
fetch, are you still hungover from your 21st?
I think am too, but it was like 25 years ago and I don’t remember
/sigh
January 7th, 2009 at 10:34 am
If Kevin Duckworth were cut in two, he’d suck twice.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:34 am
it’s a high school popularity contest…why else would kirby puckett, paul molitor and catfish hunter be in there?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:35 am
bob costas voted for belichek for coach of the year. which is worse?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:35 am
who is bert blyleven?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:36 am
I had to wake up at 7:30 this morning to take my brother to school.
I can’t remember the last time that 7:30 was early.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Spence, don’t forget Cal Ripken, Jr.
/buttons pushed’d
January 7th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Who is Bob Costas?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Or Jackie Robinson.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Yeah I know. I’ve had to wake my ass up at 6 am every day this week. I’m doing the drywall over there at the new Mac Donalds.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Who is KC Resident?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:38 am
this man
January 7th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Who am I?! What am I doing here?!
January 7th, 2009 at 10:39 am
St. Bear…thanks for reminding me…no way in hell cal ripken deserves to be in there either. OOO LOOK AT HIS RECORD!! fuck that. he sucked.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:43 am
You could make the case that he should win it every year.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Spencer – the Indians wished they could have been so lucky as to have the IRON MAN on their shitty ass squad. Always hatin’ on Cal. Damn.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Hey Happy man, check out channel 9. Check out this chick.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Rickey doesn’t have no bush… Are you calling Rickey a pussy? Rickey will beat your ass if you think Rickey has a bush…
/Rickey quoting Rickey talking to Rickey about Rickey
January 7th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I think Cal deserves the HOF because he was an innovator. He wasn’t a great player, so having the foresight to pick a record that didn’t require him to be was genius. Early in his career, he debated between going after the consecutive games record or most hit by pitches. He figured he’d have more control over the consecutive games.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Whenever I go into Camden yards, my buddy and I always start a fake conversation about how much we hate Cal Ripken.
Good times.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:47 am
3000 hits, 400 hrs, 2 MVPs, a couple Gold Gloves and a world series. Was Cal the best SS ever? No, but he was one of the best no question.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Wow, it looks like Ann.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I’m sorry… Did someone say Cal sucked? (Spence….) He was a great 80’s hitter (read, pre-steroid). He opened the floodgates for bigger, better hitters to play shortstop.
Cal sucked? Please. Even Rickey knows that ain’t the truth…
January 7th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Gold medalist at the Special Olympics?
January 7th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Bill did a better coaching job this year than he did last year. And he won last year. Keep drinking the haterade.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:00 am
sucked? no.
HoF worthy? no.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:00 am
He was a great 80’s hitter (read, pre-steroid)
Do you really believe no one took steroids in 80’s?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Bud Selig says that steroids were invented in a garage in Oakland in December of 1993. Who are we to argue with Bud Selig?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:13 am
From a shortstop perspective, Cal is definitely HOF worthy. Numbers, production, Series wins, MVP’s. Any way you slice it, he is a HOF player.
Not buying any other conversation about it.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I swear Ripken slept with Spencers mom or some shit… He HATES him some Cal.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I won’t argue that he deserves it over Ricky, but Blyleven is a HOFamer as far as I’m concerned. But I don’t have a vote and it’s probably best that I don’t cause I’m one of those folks that thinks PBR tastes like shit.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Corkey’s probably thinking Rickey will get in…but guys like Alan Trammell need more help.
Trammell’s not in, but Mr. Backflip is…travesty.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:22 am
I’ll learn how to link soon too…
January 7th, 2009 at 11:25 am
Just as bad as when Dante Bichette got three votes.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:29 am
if you lick the spoon of mediocrity once, you’ll taste it forver.
January 7th, 2009 at 11:45 am
First, Rickey thinks Rickey is being called a pussy, now Cal licks mediocre poon. What has this site come to?
January 7th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.
January 7th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
In Spence’s world, there are four Hall of Famers: Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Ted Williams and Willie Mays … and Mays barely squeaked in.
January 7th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
I love seeing anybody that votes for Trammell. Perhaps my favorite Tiger ever and very deserving of a HOF spot.
Not going to critize this guy after he votes for Tram.
January 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
you forgot rick vaughan, pedro ceranno and albert belle.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Of course Rickey Henderson belongs in the HOF, but you show your lack of baseball IQ when you say “Bert Blyleven? Guy didn’t even win 300 games or a Cy Young. When you think about dominating pitchers in the 80s, you don’t think of Bert Blyleven.” Of the guys this doosh gave his votes to, Blyleven and Raines (and possibly Tommy John – although I’d also vote for Trammell for personal reasons) are the only ones he got right.
And as for this: “i’ll wait for a compelling one on blyleven OVER rickey henderson.”, Blyeleven DOES deserve to be in the HOF before Rickey Henderson, because Blyleven should have been voted in before this year and Rickey wasn’t eligible until now. lol
January 7th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
“lack of baseball IQ” love it. so please tell me why Bert belongs. just one reason.
January 7th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
from the boys over at FireJoeMorgan…
I just can’t bring myself to do this again. Look at Blyleven’s best ERA+ and WHIP seasons, his Ks, his shutout totals, his 15 seasons of 200+ Ks (Morris had 3), his postseason record, whatever you want. Then consider that if the teams he played for, or their bullpens, were just very slightly better, like 1% better, he would have won 300 games instead of 287 and no one would ever for one second consider not voting for him. Do you realize that? If he had won 300 games, he would have been a first-ballot guy. People would have said, “300 wins, 5th all-time in Ks, 13th in innings, awesome postseason pitcher — he’s a lock!” Instead, he has 287 wins and people fall all over themselves telling you why he is not in any way a HOFer. It’s insane.