Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Hah! Pesky Remains Snubbed


At last, something to smile about...

The Boston Herald
October 3, 2008 Friday


LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Where's Johnny?


Retiring Johnny Pesky's number was a great idea (``Johnny on the spot,'' Sept. 29). But where are:

** No. 3, Jimmie Foxx (534 homers)
** No. 7, Dom DiMaggio (non-pareil outfielder)
** No. 10, Lefty Grove (300 wins)

From 1946-1949 the Red Sox won more games than any other team. Yet those teams have only two men in the Hall of Fame, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr. The
Yankees have five, the Dodgers four, the Cardinals and Tigers three each. What's wrong here?

If Johnny had not lost three years to World War II, he would have had six straight 200-hit years to open his career, a record. He has been kept out of Cooperstown because of something that never happened - he did not hold the ball in the 1946 World Series. Official major league films prove that.

Enos Slaughter is in because of that play. He batted .300 lifetime. Pesky batted .307, terrific for a shortstop and it would have been higher if he hadn't lost his three best years in the Navy. Pee Wee Reese (.269) and Phil Rizzuto (.273) are in, because they played for New York teams.

Where is Johnny?

- John B. Holway, Springfield, Va., Holway is the author of ``TED, the KID.''

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Are you demented?

No Red sox should ever be in the Hall of Fame.

In fact, those already in, should be redacted.

It's enough that they are going to win the next 10 World Series.