Krause: Baseball writers got it wrong this time, too

Once again, the Baseball Writers Association of America got it wrong. This group has gotten it wrong quite often. Luis Tiant isn’t in the Hall of Fame either.But the annual snubbing of Jim Rice is simply preposterous. It makes no sense. You have to wonder whether all those writers, all those years ago, who were snubbed or disrespected back when Rice terrorized the Red Sox lockerroom haven’t gotten over it yet.What other possible explanation is there? Compare and contrast. Do that, and you’ll see that players whose statistics don’t begin to measure up to Rice’s are in there.But why shoot low? Let’s aim high. Let’s take Al Kaline, who was so revered by the time he retired that he’d have been escorted to Cooperstown in a limo and inducted on the spot if it were permissible.Kaline played 22 seasons to Rice’s 16. He finished with a lifetime .297 batting average to Rice’s 298, so we’ll call that even. He finished with 399 home runs in those 22 seasons to Rice’s 382. Do that math and I’d say Rice has him beaten, on average, in that department.Kaline has 1,583 RBI to Rice’s 1,451. Considering Rice played six less seasons than Kaline, I’d say Big Jim Ed has the former Tiger great there, too.Yet, there’s Kaline. Enshrined ? a legend ? one of the greatest players in the history of the Detroit Tigers.And here’s Rice. Rejected ? again ? and on what grounds?If you go by Kaline’s stats, where’s the “borderline” people keep talking about? It doesn’t exist.This has always been the big argument with Rice. He’s borderline. And because he’s borderline, his personality – and his propensity to hit into double plays – has always held him back.And whenever writers get accused of keeping Rice out of the Hall of Fame to pay him back for being such a churl back in his prime, they defend themselves by trotting out Eddie Murray, formerly of the Baltimore Orioles, who was just as nasty a person – but who had far better numbers.Keeping Eddie Murray out of the Hall of Fame would have been so transparent that anyone who voted “nay” should have his membership to the BBWA pulled with prejudice.But this argument doesn’t compute, mainly because – as we’ve now seen – “borderline” exists only in the minds of people looking for an excuse to stick it to Jim Ed Rice. It’s code for “he was such a jerk as a player that the only way he’s getting in is if he has Ted Williams numbers. Otherwise, we’re going to nitpick.”I’ll admit there were times when – as a reporter – I was frustrated by Rice’s lack of cooperation. He wasn’t the nicest of guys. There were times when you’d actually want someone other than Rice to be the big hero, because there was a chance that person would be a better – and more easily accessible – interview than Big Jim Ed.But I also saw him hit a home run over the center field flagpole. I also saw a pitcher walk him with the bases loaded because it made more sense to give up one run than four.People forever moan that he didn’t hit in the clutch – and trot out his batting average from the seventh inning on. That’s just absurd. How many times did Rice hit three-run homers in the fifth and sixth innings to put games out of reach?In his era, he was one of the dominant players. And he did it without steroids, too.The only thing one can conclude is that there are enough writers out there who still feel scalded by Jim Rice’s disposition ? and who feel as if his numbers are meager enough that punishing him for it appears legitimate.It’s not legitimate. It’s a disgrace. This is a sad day for my profession.Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item