Claim To Fame

The ballots are in and the votes have been tallied. Congratulations Tony Gywnn and Cal Ripken, you have just been elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame! Ripken was picked by 537 voters and appeared on 98.53 percent of ballots to finish with the third-highest percentage behind Tom Seaver (98.84) and Nolan Ryan (98.79). Gwynn received 532 votes for 97.61 percent, the seventh-highest ever, also trailing Ty Cobb, George Brett and Hank Aaron.

There may never be two greater players inducted in the same year as Gywnn and Ripken. They are all star players in every regard.

Ripken spent 21 seasons with Baltimore, hitting .276. A 19-time All-Star, he won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1982, the AL MVP award in 1983 and 1991 and was a two-time Gold Glove shortstop. Ripken played in a major league-record 2,632 consecutive games to break Lou Gehrig's ironman mark of 2,130 and set a new standard for shortstops with 345 home runs (431 for his career) and 3,184 hits.

Gwynn broke into the majors in 1982 and won eight batting titles to tie Honus Wagner's NL record. He made 15 All-Star teams and won five Gold Gloves as an outfielder. Gwynn, who compiled 3,141 hits and a .338 batting average during his 20-year career with the San Diego Padres.

The statistic that my be the most amazing is that in this day and age of free agency and "hired guns," Gwynn and Ripken each spent their entire major-league careers with one team. They will be inducted during ceremonies held July 29 at the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Gywnn's and Ripken's baseball achievements are only overshadowed by the strength of their character. They are both outstanding gentlemen, role models, team mates and citizens. The only surprise in the voting was that they were not unanimous picks.

The same cannot be said today of Mark McGwire. He is the first player to seek election from the so-called "steroid era." I wrote about him earlier in a blog titled Character Counts. You won't hear many journalists or sports writers talk about it, but the ballot says a player's record of achievement, contribution to the team, the game, their character, longevity and sportsmanship should be considered. The baseball writers considered the character question and McGwire received only 23.5% of the vote, far shy of the 75% needed for election.

But this cannot in anyway tarnish the incredible careers and achievements of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken. Today, they can both hold their heads high, unashamed of their past accomplishments. Today, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripkin received the highest award bestowed upon any baseball player. Their names and their achievements will forever be memorialized and remembered at Cooperstown for as long as the game is played. Tony and Cal played the game the way it's meant to be played. And they played it with class and dignity. This is their true claim to fame.