Kenny's Ballot

Kenny's Hall of Fame Ballot begins with Kenny.

Kenny also supports Kenny's buddy, Harvey "The Hammer" Aaron. Like his cousin, Hank, Harvey was a feared hitter. Kenny would argue Harvey was the most feared hitter in the game. Kenny knows this because no one could beat Harvey. In fact, most people wouldn't know this, but in addition to Harvey's 355 homers (better than all but 8 current Hall of Famers) Harvey also held a 36-0 record in APBA boxing. (Unofficially Kenny saw Harvey pound about 100 players to a pulp over the years) But what makes his case so compelling is how he compares to other Hall of Famers. Harvey finished his career with 355 HRs, 1154 RBIs, and .252-.329-.464. Numbers very similar to other Hall of Fame Outfielders:

Harvey 355 - 1154 - .252 - .329 - .464
Shockwave 244 - 1032 - .286 - .338 - .475
Aruba 272 - 1036 - .285 - .381 - .469
R. Prime 262 - 886 - .261 - .337 - .476
Sinbad 358 - 1103 - .250 - .349 - .453
Misfire 349 - 1411 - .280 - .349 - .478
R. Jackson 352 - 1392 - .287 - .349 - .470

He also compares very well to other Hall of Famers like Alex Hansen, Helmut Schmidt, and Brad. In the end, there is a ton of statistical evidence for inducting Harvey, but the best reason to vote for him so that he doesn't beat you up.

Kenny also advocates Rob Block. Kenny didn't see Rob play, but he did manage to steal a base and Kenny respects a man who hits 700+ homeruns but doesn't let his career end with a goose-egg in this important statistic.

Sonic Russell. If Kenny did not exist two things would be true. The world be a less interesting place and Sonic Russell would be recognized as the best baserunner in the history of the game. But Kenny does exist and Sonic belongs in the Hall.

Butch Coolidge, Roberto Ramirez, and Vern Terrell all hit 400 homeruns and look pretty like reasonable selections. Not exactly Kenny's type of players, but won't cry foul if they find their way in.

And then there is Joe Thomas. Kenny is confused why Joe is not already a Hall of Famer. Don't get Kenny wrong. Kenny hates the Cobra as much as the next guy, but Kenny played against Joe a bunch. And the best thing Kenny can say is Kenny hates Joe. See, Joe single-handedly prevented Kenny from winning more than Kenny did. Sure, Kenny stole Kenny's fair share of games away from Joe, but Joe is the individual Kenny most associates with the hated Cobra. Every great rivalry requires great players and Joe was one of the greatest. He could have stole a few more bases. He could have hit a few more homeruns. He could have gotten a few more hits. He could have won a few more titles. But he played against the Penguins and Wally, Harvey, Gerald, and Kenny in their prime. All of our stats could have been better. But try facing that every couple of weeks and see what numbers you put up. Oh, and try going in to 2nd base spikes up on Joe. You only make that mistake once. Joe Thomas' exclusion from the Hall of Fame is perhaps the greatest travesty in the game today.