I must ask

[AlecBoy006]

What is keeping the Goose out of the hall? The only thing I can think of is he played for SO MANY teams, that they dunno what hat to give him, and that he played for so long.

[Wee Willie]

I know this is off-topic, but AlecBoy, if you would, please go over to the AL draft and give the year you wish to use for Johnny Bench in the simulation. Instructions for picking the year are on the first post of the thread.

[brett]

What is keeping the Goose out of the hall? The only thing I can think of is he played for SO MANY teams, that they dunno what hat to give him, and that he played for so long.


First off, he will go.
He may have lasted too long as a valuable reliever in a non-closing role. From '89-'93 he racked up 89 relief appearances but only 8 saves. During that time, the "short save" become en-vogue with Eckersley and others including Thigpen pushing the single season record from 46-57. Unfortunately because he hung around, his saves were de-valued by the time he was eligible.

He had an 11 year stretch of 18 or more saves but with excellent ERA's and WHIP totals. Those seasons all could have been in the 30-40 range in a later period and he would have had 400+.

[Fuzzy Bear]

What is keeping the Goose out of the hall? The only thing I can think of is he played for SO MANY teams, that they dunno what hat to give him, and that he played for so long.

Both while active, and in retirement, Gossage has run his mouth on occasions in ways that alienate the people who are doing the selecting. He has complained about not being selected in the media. Bad move. The writers don't like a player to advance his candidacy as if it were an entitlement.

Like Leo Durocher, though not to the same extent, Goose has alienated people and made unnecessary enemies. Doing so cost Durocher the ability to enjoy his HOF induction in his lifetime. Goose is gaining support, but he's managed to extend his wait by his poor self-promotion.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Gossage's numbers have been crushed in recent years. That hurt Wilhelm on the ballot, and it hurt Sutter as well. As I've said before, the only reason Sutter got in first is due to his tenure on the ballot. It won't take Gossage as long as it did Sutter.