Red Sox Hall...of reduced standards...

The Commish is back after a brief hiatus to the Emerald City to weigh in on the Red Sox Hall of Fame recent inductions. As far as the real Red Sox go...13 games in...I am not going to panic. In fact until the Bruins-C's playoffs are done the Sox take the backseat. I will leave the worrying up to The Fellowship of the Miserble. For now enjoy the Commish's take on the Red Sox Hall of Fame...

Red Sox Hall of Fame

When the Red Sox rolled out the Hall of Fame back in the 90’s I was not against the notion. I thought it was a decent way to pay tribute to some great Red Sox who weren’t quite good enough for the MLB Hall of Fame.

Dwight Evans or Luis Tiant were perfect symbols of that honor. Evans had a great career winning 8 gold gloves, and hitting more HRs than Jim Rice. But when it came time for Hall of Fame election, he barely received a sniff. Luis Tiant was before my time, but everyone swears by his big-game play in the 70’s.

I never really paid much attention to who else was getting into the hall – other than some notable names – like Fred Lynn (who still is the only player to win MVP and ROY in the same season).

But the other day – or a few weeks ago – they announced the latest class of the Red Sox Hall of Fame.

Jimmy Piersall and Eddie Kasko were before my time. Even Don Zimmer was a little early for me, although I do remember him. John Valentin was right in my wheelhouse. And this is when I knew something was amiss.

Valentin should be credited for his time at Fenway – but worthy of Hall of Fame? I really struggle with that notion. Everyone certainly liked Valentin, as part of the rag-tag team that would grind their way into the post-season.

But what was so special about Valentin? Maybe it was his all-star appearances. However, he didn’t have any. Maybe it was his 30 HR season – none of those either.

I guess it was just the year he finished 9th in the MVP race that sealed the deal. That and he’s an all around good guy.

I know this is a crap on Valentin session – but that’s not the intention. He unfortunately is the collateral damage.

The Boston Red Sox hall of fame was created to recognize the “outstanding careers of former Red Sox players and managers.”

I guess defining outstanding is subjective – because I struggle with this class.

Maybe I missed the point. I thought it was to recognize those guys who were pivotal to the Red Sox but not quite good enough for the hall of fame.

Don Zimmer is well-respected in the game and all. I get that – but isn’t he the same coach that was blamed for benching Bill Lee during the 1978 season due to an internal spat between them – didn’t they trade Bill Lee to the Expos for Stan Papi on Zimmer’s advice? They also had Ferguson in 1977 that Zimmer was rumored to convince management to trade away – Both Jenkins and Lee won 16 games each in 1979. Jenkins won 18 games with the Rangers in 1978.

But hey, Zimm, you paid your dues – you were once a member of this organization, so welcome to the Hall of “reduced standards”

The Commish is a contributor to the Bingo Bar Blog and aspiring journalist. He's made his bones covering the MVFFL as a beat writer and now enjoys a freelance career.