Rice Belongs

    I usually don't get into back and forth arguments about the Hall of Fame because it's a war of attrition. How many times do I have to hear talk radio imbeciles go on and on about whether a player was a "stat compiler" or a "dominant player"? Not everyone can be a superstar; some make do with their individual talents and are able to pitch well enough to win a substantial number of games; or hit well enough over a long period of time to be enshrined.

    The debate over pitchers such as Tommy John and Bert Blyleven is legitimate. I don't think that there is any question of Goose Gossage's qualifications for the Hall of Fame. Ron Santo has been mentioned as being a qualified candidate; but if they put Santo in, then they have to put in Graig Nettles, because Nettles was a better player and a proven post-season performer. These arguments could go on for days and I could be swayed on Santo and Nettles one way or the other; but one player for whom there should be no argument or debate is former Red Sox star Jim Rice.
    If ever there was a player who was being punished by the writers for his open dislike of them, it's Rice. If the voters who consistently run Rice down for specious reasons are doing so because of their own form of revenge against a player who they disliked for disliking them, for such a transgression, they should have their voting rights rescinded. (I know there's no way to prove their true motivation for voting or not voting for him; but the argument that his stats don't measure up doesn't work.)
    Jim Rice was a dominant player on a level with Hall of Famer Dave Winfield for twelve straight seasons. He finished in the top five of the MVP voting six times and won the award once; he also won the Rookie of the Year award. Rice was an underrated outfielder who learned to handle the Green Monster in Fenway as well as anyone has ever played it. He was also playing in a very difficult town (especially for black players in the 70s and 80s) to play.
    Naysayers claim that when his career ended, his numbers fell off the map and that is why they choose not to vote for him. If his career had ended due to injury, would that change their minds? Rice was a better player than Kirby Puckett; and for a few seasons he was nearly as dominating at the plate as Sandy Koufax was on the mound. The arguments against Rice's enshrinement are flimsy and only serve to enhance his negative opinion about members of the media who refuse to vote for him based not on statistics and performance, but on some attempt to extract a post-career pound of flesh over a personal vendetta. Those that are perpetrating this crime should be ashamed.