FAME and the HALL OF FAME

[Appling]

About the Hall of Fame, I was wondering:
* Is it the player's fame that is his primary ticket to Cooperstown? Or....
* Did the player BECOME FAMOUS because he has a plaque there?
* Is it both? (Most first-ballot HOFers were famous before their election, but some chosen by the VC might be unknown had they not been voted into the HOF)

[leecemark]

--The top tier Hall of Famers don't really add much to their legend by being inducted into the Hall. The bottom tier guys would likely be completely forgotten if they weren't Hall of Famers. Although, if your "fame" consists mostly of being mentioned in "worst player in Cooperstown" or "Hall of Fame mistakes" consersations, that isn't much of an honor:blush: .

[Fuzzy Bear]

Prior fame has something to do with it. If a guy is somewhat obscure at the time he makes it to the ballot, there is a legitimate question as to why we are honoring this guy. In this media age, however, any player who had played 10 years in the major leagues is well known to not just the electors, but most fans as well.

There are a lot of guys who are famous who won't go in the HOF and shouldn't. Ron Swoboda. Don Larsen. Don Newcombe. Tommie Agee. Johnny Vander Meer. Joe Pepitone. Mark Fidrych. Bobby Thomson. Lots of guys have lasting fame for a moment in time. This does not a HOFer make. There are also guys (19th century, some pre-Ruth 20th century) that were great that did NOT play under media glare, and there are a few unrecognized stars of more recent years. The HOF PRESERVES fame far more than it HONORS fame.