The National Baseball Hall of Fame was founded to reserve the memories of the game and it’s players; it keeps legends alive. Every year former greats are inducted as new members, either based on their performance, effect on the game, or both, or even more than that. Some potential inductees have yet to get in, those who made, or were a crucial part of the history of baseball. Mike Piazza is arguably the greatest hitting catchers of all-time, and Griffey Jr was the modern Willie Mays on the field. The impact that these two new Hall of Famers have on baseball is unforgettable, and will be, or should be, thought of every time the history of America’s game is discussed.
Despite the supposed evidence (back acne, slight weight gain, aggression), there were never any reports that declares that Piazza used PED’s for a fact. Also, he may not had been the best of teammates, or mentors for the fans, but he sure contributed enough on the field (career WAR of 3.7, over 5 six times). If a team had 9 clones of Piazza in the lineup, the squad would win 107 games in a year (second highest among Hall of Fame catchers, only to Mickey Cochrane). As he averaged 28 homers/season, he ended up with the most ever by a catcher with 427 (38 more than Johnny Bench). But, he wasn’t just a power guy, as Piazza is the only Hall of Fame catcher with a 200 hit season, on his was to a career average of .307. His great bat also served as a pinnacle point in the Met’s franchise, as he was one of the first players to embrace going to play for the other NY franchise, becoming the Mets’ Jeter. Piazza may not have had the skills with the glove like Griffey did, but his collection of 10 silver slugger awards is Hall worthy, and absolutely memorable.
http://youtu.be/GSTqBybsgCU
“It doesn’t matter how much money you make; it’s where you feel happy.” (Quoted by Griffey). Jr, or “The Kid”, as they called him, had god like talent, but all he cared about was playing the game and helping his team win. Sure he knew he was good, but Griffey Jr was just one of those players which everything came naturally, and he just went out there to enjoy the great game of baseball. “Why should I stretch? Does a cheetah stretch before it chases its prey?” Other than Willie Mays, there has yet to been any player with better range in center than “The Kid”, as he sure did run like a Cheetah. Aside from winning 10 gold glove awards in a row, he collected 7 silver sluggers. No Jr wasn’t a .300 hitter, but he did have great plate discipline averaging to see 3.79 pitches/at-bat (league average was 3.62), while he collected 170+ hits/season 7 times. For a skinny athletic looking kid, slugging over .550, while collecting 630 homers and 500+ doubles, surely is eye-opening. A shy kid living in the shadows of his father’s greatness (Sr was a vital part of the Big Red Machine), and Willie Mays comparisons, “The Kid” just went out to play America’s game because he loved it and wanted to inspire kids around the country. His career was summed up in 2011 when he was awarded the Commissioner’s Historical Achievement for having a big impact on the game.
Either impacting the history of baseball with a powerful swing or love for the game, Griffey and Piazza are key pieces that have finally been added to the Hall. As should the whole country, both of these stars should be remembered as heroes. Sure they did not fight in war, thus contribute to America on a governmental level, but happiness is everything, and entertainment is one of the keys to it, as baseball is America’s past time.
