There appears to be no end to the mail for the newest member of baseball’s Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, which is authorized annually to canonize one old-timer for the Cooperstown shrine.
Here’s a sampling of the letters received since Oct. 1:
“It is my pleasure to take this opportunity to recommend Roger Maris. His one-season record of 61 home runs has stood for 36 seasons. He played in seven World Series and was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1960 and 1961.
“I have taken time to read three books and numerous articles about him. I also hear his name every year when Mark McGwire and Ken Griffey Jr. near 50 home runs. It would be no problem for me to mention other achievements of Maris and the fine role model he was, but you probably are more knowledgeable than I am concerning his talents and accomplishments.”
Chris Hall, Daly City, Calif.
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“I am writing about a truly great but almost forgotten 19th Century player by the name of Ross Barnes. I honestly feel he has earned his place in Cooperstown. I don’t want to see a great player’s accomplishments become nothing more than shadows on the grass because of the passage of time.
“Ross Barnes had a 16-year playing career and three times batted better than .400. He led the National League in batting in 1876, the first year of the league’s existence, with a .429 average. In that same season, when he was with the Chicago White Stockings, he hit the first home run in National League history and led the league with a .910 fielding percentage–in the days when the players caught the ball barehanded.
“Here are some quotes about him from contemporary players who have since been inducted into the Hall of Fame:
“A.G. Spaulding: `One of the greatest second basemen of his time and in my opinion one of the best all-around players the game has produced.’
“Cap Anson: `Ross Barnes was one of the best ballplayers that ever wore a shoe, and I would like to have nine men like him right now under my management. He was an all-around man, and I do not know of a single man on the diamond at the present time that I regard his superior.’ “
Karl Jacobsen, Sun Prairie, Wis.
“Marty Marion, the Cardinals’ incomparable Mr. Shortstop, has been left out of the Hall of Fame for over 40 years, and I find this hard to understand. He will be 80 this December, and I can think of nothing more appropriate to mark that occasion than for him to be recognized for the great player he was.
“He was named to seven consecutive All-Star teams and played on four pennant winners and three world champions. He was the best shortstop of his time, maybe of all time. I am not claiming he was a good hitter. His .263 lifetime batting average should not stand in the way. It is better than Durocher (.243) or Aparicio (.262) and only slightly lower than Reese or Rizzuto, all (shortstops) in the Hall of Fame.
“In addition, he was a leading mover and shaker in the establishment of the Players Pension Plan, so much so that Harry Walker says the ballplayers used to call it `The Marty Marion Plan.’ “
Tom Hoey, Bradenton Beach, Fla.
“I would like to submit the name of my grandfather, Elon Chester Hogsett. He was a relief pitcher with the Detroit pennant-winning teams of 1934 and 1935 and had a 1.08 earned-run average in four World Series appearances.
“My grandfather is still living in Hays, Kansas, and is approaching his 94th birthday. He still has the spirit of a true winner and wears his World Series ring proudly, even though it has become very worn over the years and is now much too large for his hand.”
Jennifer Kline, Danville, Ill.
“Among non-pitchers, Orlando Cepeda clearly is the most deserving candidate not in the Hall of Fame. He apparently has been penalized by the voters for a number of factors, including his drug possession rap of some years back, long since paid for, as well as playing on Giants teams on which he was overshadowed by Willie Mays and Willie McCovey.
“But he subsequently proved his ability to carry a team after he was traded to the Cardinals. Clearly his numbers (.297 average, 379 home runs and 1,365 runs batted in) are of Hall-of-Fame quality. The delay must not continue. Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Jack Whitfield, San Francisco
“Please vote for Roger Maris. Thank you and best wishes.”
Edward Bayer, New Orleans
All the worthy candidates are to be discussed at the March meeting of the committee.