I will be posting my weekly column today and the podcast will be moved to Thursday morning this week as Gretzpo was out late last night pursuing sins of the flesh and he didn’t have time to record a podcast.
I would never be one to stand in front of man at the precipice of such sensual delights; if I was, what kind of wingman would I be? Although, I do like how this problem never arose with a boring, married guy like CSzem.
Nevertheless, I figure it’s time that I weigh on the recent Baseball Hall of Fame voting results which saw Roberto Alomar inducted into the Hall on his second year on the ballot. He received over 90 percent of the votes and Alomar deserves every single one as he is enshrined in Cooperstown as one of the most dynamic second basemen to ever play the game.
More importantly for Toronto Blue Jays fans, Alomar will go into the Hall in July with a Jays cap on his head. He will be the first player ever inducted wearing a Toronto hat, which means that the Hall of Fame feels that the one team that best embodies Alomar’s professional career is the Blue Jays.
It’s a tremendous accolade and a long time coming for the franchise. The decision has also catalyzed spirited debate in the GTA about whether or not Alomar is the greatest Jay in team history.
The short answer: No.
Look, I’m a fan of Roberto Alomar as much as the next guy and I’m happy that he’s the newest member of the Hall of Fame. And I have no problem saying he was one of the greatest players in Blue Jays history. However, he is not number one. Truthfully, I think he’d barely be able to sneak into the top five.
I know the majority of Jays fans will read this and automatically dismiss my argument and accuse me of heresy for daring to question the greatness of Roberto, but hear me out. Just because he’s going into the Hall as a Jay doesn’t mean that he is suddenly the face of the franchise and all other players in team history pale mildly in comparison.
I have no problem saying that Roberto Alomar is the most talented and probably best position player who ever suited up for the Jays. However, he is not the best BLUE JAY of all time. There’s a difference.
Alomar only played her for five seasons. It’s insulting to the other great players in the history of the franchise to give the greatest Jay ever tag to someone who was only here for half a decade. But he was incredible for those five seasons, critics will argue. Alomar’s body of work in those five seasons supersede the fact he was for only five years.
By that logic, that means Roger Clemens (two years, two Cy Youngs, 500 strikeouts, 40 wins) was the greatest pitcher in Blue Jays history. And I don’t think there’s a Jays fan on Earth who wants to make that claim.
Alomar was great, but he didn’t spend his formative years here and his time in Toronto was much too short. To me, the greatest Blue Jay mantle is between four players: Dave Stieb, Roy Halladay, George Bell and Carlos Delgado.
To pick the greatest Jay, you need to look at longevity and what that person meant to his teams, plus gaudy statistics. Delgado and Halladay will probably get more votes because everyone has forgotten the eighties already and we’re in a ‘what have you done for me lately’ culture.
I think Halladay and Stieb are equals, Bell is just above those guys, but Delgado is in a class by himself. I know he left on questionable terms with the fan base, but once all is said and done, he will be looked upon as the best Jay of all time (and I don’t think he belongs in the Hall of Fame).
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