Part of the Hall's re-constituted Veterans Committee will vote on the current Managers & Umpires ballot on December 2 at the Winter Meetings, with results announced on December 3. I'm hoping that total votes will be released, but it may be a simple in/out list, which is so much less interesting.
The ten candidates on this imminent M&U ballot. Candidates who were on the previous VC ballot (February 2007) will have very brief comments, unless I see a need to substantially reconsider my opinion from then to now. In the ever-popular alphabetic order, managers first:
1. (Manager #1) Whitey Herzog
Reviewed in February.
2003 VC ballot: 31.6%
2007 VC ballot: 35.8%
Good career. Not a great one. Whitey was good, but only delivered half, maybe 60% of a Hall-class career, and I don't know why he never got back into a dugout.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
2. (Manager #2) Davey Johnson
Claims to fame: manager of the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers, a total of 14 seasons. A short career but a brilliant one -- other than an inherited Reds team, Johnson's teams finished in first five times, second seven times, and third once. Career 1148 wins and a .564 winning percentage, and the monster 1986 Mets championship, a team he helped build. Won the 1997 American League Manager Of The Year Award despite being fired by the Orioles at the end of the season.
Baseball bonus points: was a player for 13 seasons, with the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Chicago Cubs, plus almost two complete seasons with the Tokyo Giants (click to see his stats in Japan -- scroll down about 4/5 of the page). A four-time All-Star, three Gold Gloves at second base, and a member of the 1970 World Series champion Orioles. Probably best remembered, as a player, for hitting 43 homers in 1973, becoming (with Evans (41) and Aaron (40)) the first 40+ HR trio of teammates. (Was on the Hall's player ballot once, got 3 votes, below 1%, and was relegated.)
Johnson was always a proven winner, one players spoke highly of, and yet -- and yet. Why couldn't this man keep a managerial job? He was a smart manager, maybe too smart, as he got fired four times in an 11-year period despite winning results on the field. And that he never got picked up after his last ouster in 2000 says something, but exactly what and about whom (either Johnson or how various owners and GMs viewed him) is uncertain. He knew what he was doing in the dugout and got results, and it's hard to evaluate him on anything other than that. Damn good manager; I'm going to give him the nod.
Chipmaker's vote: Yes.
3. (Manager #3) Billy Martin
Reviewed in February.
2003 VC ballot: 27.8%
2007 VC ballot: 14.8%
Fiery, sure. Whipped teams into shape for a short haul, burned them out for anything longer. If he hadn't managed the Yankees to one championship (and then got fired during a successful defense thereof) and mixed it up with Reggie now and then, he wouldn't be half so remembered as he is. Doesn't have the historical weight to merit the Hall.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
4. (Manager #4) Gene Mauch
Claims to fame: 26 seasons as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Montréal Expos (from the start of the franchise), Minnesota Twins, and California Angels. Notorious for never managing in the World Series, and best-remembered (unfortunately) for the 1964 Phillies, a team that collapsed in the final two weeks. Two AL West titles with the Angels, both times being stopped in the ALCS. Career 1902 wins, .483 winning percentage.
Baseball bonus points: was a player for nine seasons (1944, '47-52, '56-57) with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Boston Red Sox, but was never more than a spare part. Typically played second base.
Mauch stuck around a long time and made a lot of friends. He does own a lot of responsibility for the 1964 crash, as he overworked the pitchers, but he wasn't one of the guys on the field and it was bad enough for the blame to be spread around widely. A good manager but not a great one; the great ones can whip a team into shape even if it takes a few seasons. Hey, no one can hammer the manager of a first-year expansion team, it's a job and someone has to do it -- but in seven years with the Expos, they never finished above fourth (of six), and there wasn't any particularly powerful contender during that span -- Pittsburgh was the most dominant but could be beaten, and the 1973 NL East was simply begging some team to win it. And it was much the same in Minnesota, and most of his time in Philadelphia -- lots of second-division (bottom half) finishes. I cannot see anything in Mauch's managerial career that stands up and proclaims Hall-worthiness. There doesn't have to be championships or even division titles, but there has to be some winning.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
5. (Manager #5) Danny Murtaugh
Claims to fame: longtime manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates (15 seasons in four tenures from 1957-76). Skipper of the 1960 and 1971 World Series champion teams. Three other NL East titles. Career of 1115 wins and a .540 winning percentage. Continued to work for the Pirates in other roles during the gaps in his managerial career. Won The Sporting News' Manager Of The Year Award in 1960 and 1970.
Baseball bonus points: was a player for nine seasons (1941-43, '46-51) with the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Braves, and the Pirates. Four seasons as a regular, mostly played second base. Useful but mainly a spare part. Led the NL with 18 stolen bases in his rookie season, which says a little bit about Murtaugh and a lot more about the National League in 1941.
A Pirates lifer, basically, and while he didn't always run a winner he was good at getting value out of his team; never had a complete disaster team. Even his bad finishes, ranking-wise, weren't teams with especially bad records -- under .500, two times barely (75-79, 80-82) and only one other, strongly losing season, finishing at .457. And of course, two trophies are a sweet and rare accomplishment, though when your squad has guys like Clemente, Stargell, and Mazeroski playing it makes it that much easier. Knew what he was doing, and twice got the big prize (the 1960 title by the skin of the teeth, but a win is a win; Murtaugh did get the team into position for Maz to end it in dramatic fashion). I might change my mind tomorrow or next week, but right now I like Murtaugh's record.
Chipmaker's vote: Yes.
6. (Manager #6) Billy Southworth
Claims to fame: 13 seasons as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves. Player-manager in 1929, a breed extinct today. Won four National League pennants (1942-44 with the Cardinals, 1948 with the Braves) and two World Series championships (1942, 1944). Never finished below fourth place, and his only two losing seasons were partial ones, in his first and last managing seasons. Career 1044 wins and a sterling .597 winning percentage.
Baseball bonus points: was a player for 13 seasons (1913, '15, '18-27, '29) with the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. Good but not great hitter. Mainly played right field. Member of the 1924 NL champion Giants, when he did very little in the World Series, and the 1926 World Series champion Cardinals, where he was the starting RF for all seven games as the Cards knocked off the Yankees, batting .345 with a double, triple, and home run. Led the NL in triples in 1919. Good player, but clearly this part of his career wasn't going to get him into the Hall -- he was on the writers ballot seven times between 1945 and 1958, and peaked at 6.8% (under today's rules he'd have been relegated after his first ballot).
The wartime years might have been a bit thinner for baseball, but Southworth made the most of them, bringing home three pennants and two trophies. And that winning percentage, .597, is fifth-best among long-time managers, behind HOFers McCarthy, Comiskey, and Selee, and Mutrie (and the next seven behind Southworth are HOFers as well, so ten of the top twelve). Not a long career but, like Johnson, a brilliant one, both in wins and hardware. I don't know why the Hall hasn't welcomed this man already.
Chipmaker's vote: Yes.
7. (Manager #7) Dick Williams
Reviewed in February.
2003 VC ballot: 41.8%
2007 VC ballot: 37.0%
Wore out his welcomes, though not as quickly as Martin did. Popular when winning but never got a break when losing; didn't build up the goodwill needed to get a chance to pull out of a dive. Short-term managers have their purposes, but adorning a Hall plaque isn't one of them.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
8. (Umpire #1) Doug Harvey
Reviewed in February.
2003 VC ballot: 60.8% (highest return on ballot)
2007 VC ballot: 64.2% (highest return on ballot)
I don't see much need for the Hall to honor umpires, as to me they are not participants in the game, but part of the framework. So I don't really care if an umpire gets elected or not. The previous VC, which was player-heavy, obviously liked Harvey but not enough. The new electorate has eight former players, two former managers, three executives, and three writers. If these players like Harvey, he'll probably get in. If they don't, he won't. So far they've liked him, but he needs 12 of 16. I think he'll get it, but no tears if he doesn't.
Chipmaker's vote: Yes, as before, but again I'm just riding the player pool opinion.
9. (Umpire #2) Hank O'Day
Claims to fame: National League umpire for 29 years (1895, 1897-1911, 1913, 1915-27). Officiated in ten World Series, including being the only NL ump in the three of the first four (1903, '05, '07). Developed a stand-offish persona for professional reasons, as one- or two-man crews were the norm of the time, and he wanted to avoid even potential improprieties; this became the bedrock of his reputation for excellence. One of the umpires in the 1908 "Merkle's Boner" game that ended in a tie, forcing a replay game a few weeks later to decide the NL title.
Baseball bonus points: started out as a player, lasting seven years mainly as a pitcher, with the Toledo Blue Stockings (American Association), Pittsburgh Alleghenys (AA), Washington Nationals (National League), New York Giants (NL), and New York Giants (Players League), from 1884-90. His 329 IP workload in his final season left his arm too sore to continue. Adequate but nothing great, and no hitter whatsoever. O'Day was also a manager for two seasons, in 1912 for the Cincinnati Reds and 1914 for the Chicago Cubs. Both teams finished in fourth place; O'Day finished with 153 wins and a .498 winning percentage.
It's nearly impossible to assess an umpire objectively even in modern times, and O'Day's career was a century ago. Legends tend only to grow over time. I think O'Day is a good candidate and might be a good HOFer some day, but my general view of umpires still applies, and I've already cast a fainthearted vote for Harvey. So, not this time. Impressively varied career though.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
10. (Umpire #3) Cy Rigler
Claims to fame: longtime National League umpire (1906-35, 30 years). Credited for creating umpire hand-signaling for balls and strikes, a technique he pioneered while still working in the minors. An expert in groundskeeping and field layout. Worked in ten World Series. Noted for having a thick skin and great patience during on-field arguments, and had a dominating physical presence.
Another impressive career, but like O'Day another (very) olde-tymer. If Rigler is a sufficiently critical part of baseball history (and just for the hand signals alone, he deserves a lot of credit), he should have been in the Hall before now. So, another good candidate, but not this year.
Chipmaker's vote: No.
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Summary of Chipmaker's Yes votes: Johnson, Murtaugh, Southworth, Harvey.
If I could vote for only one: Southworth.
Coming soon: the Executives ballot.
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