Jim Ed Rice Makes the Hall of Fame
When I was a kid, my favorite player was Jim Rice, and there was nobody in second place. Rice finally got the call he has been waiting for 15 years when he was notified that he has made the Hall of Fame.
There have been a lot of arguments both for and against Rice and most of them seem basically legitimate, which is probably why it took him the full 15 years to finally get in. Better sabermetic minds than mine can debate the finer points of his inclusion, but none of that matters now. The man put up some staggering numbers in his prime, was legitimately feared, and that is enough for today.
There is also some justice for Rice in that he always seemed to be denied the big stage throughout his career. A broken wrist caused him to miss the epic 1975 World Series and he was on the downside of his career by the time 1986 rolled around. During his great 1978 season, the Red Sox crashed and burned in an epic failure that was no fault of his own.
A couple of years ago David Ortiz said that when Barry Bonds came to bat everyone in his house shut up and watched. That was what watching Rice was like back in the day.
Congratulations, Jim Ed.
