Anyone remember Game 5 in Philly in 93? Phenomenal. One of the best post season games you'll ever see pitched. I remember going camping that week and my step-dad getting mad because I was sitting in the rangers lodge all day watching the games. Great series.
I think he gets in, and deservedly so. Obviously I'm not a big Schilling fan, being a Yankees fan and all, but I never had the problem with him so many other people have. Sure, he's got a big mouth. So what? This is still America, even for people we don't like. I think he'll wear a Boston cap.
He's hurt by the fact that he was only a little above mediocre until he was 29 or 30. For the 10 years in his 30s he was very good to excellent - 155-86, 3.42 ERA (league average around 4.60), 9.4 K per 9 IP, 1.108 WHIP, 6.8 IP per start. If that was all there was to it I would think that it would be touch and go, but I think the postseason performance definitely puts him over the top. It will be interesting to see how his big mouth affects the voting.
Again, he has always been a media friendly guy, so I doubt that him talking alot effects him negatively.
That's not really true. He's had MANY feuds with the media. The whole reason he started his blog was because he wanted to bypass the media.
Since he injured himself out of baseball, he has been the medias BFF. All that matters are last impressions in sports, and he is making a good one with the media.
On the other hand, it will be interesting to see what effect the bigger name steroid users have on HOF voting over the next decade. I tend to think of every ball player over the last 10 years as guilty until proven innocent. I'd look at Schilling's stats from 2001-2004 and think "guilty!" Still, I think he's probably considered by baseball writers as clean - although, we've seen how they're a pretty easy crowd to fool. Wouldn't surprise me if certain borderline guys vault ahead as a result of certain "tainted" players getting penalized.
Do you think Bonds gets in? Or Sosa? Bonds had a respectable career well before he got involved with steroids, but Sosa just kind of blew up.
The question of whether he gets into the HOF is not even debatable , He is a sure thing to get in and he most certainly deserves it. I can say this and I really do not like the guy or any team he played for. His ERA during the span of his career his almost a full run better than the league average for the same span. This is the single most indicating statitistic to judge how dominant a pitcher was during his career. Schilling's comparative ERA is better than Seaver, Gibson and many other notable greats. I think he belongs in on his regualr season #'s alone. Even if you want to argue that his 217? (top of my head) wins in the regular season make him borderline, his postseason record without a doubt seals it for him.
