Catch the taste Robbie fresh off of
being shafted by the untrustworthy Americans earlier in the month, headlines the class of 2010. It is sad that our neighbors don't recognize a Hall of Famer when they see one. We certainly do.
Here is the
list of inductees he will join. If you are thinking of maybe attending, here are all the
details on how to get in touch with The Hall. ROAD TRIP
For immediate
release
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Alomar, Quantrill headline Ball Hall's 2010 induction
class
Owner Calvin Griffith, stats guru
Allan Roth to be enshrined posthumously
St. Marys
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Roberto Alomar, arguably the greatest
all-round Toronto Blue Jay player ever, and Canadian pitcher
Paul Quantrill, whose 841 game appearances rank him
35th all-time in major league history and first among Canadians, will be
inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 19th, 2010 in St.
Marys, Ontario.
Joining the duo of former Blue Jays will be a
pair of Montrealers who will be enshrined posthumously.
Calvin Griffith, who began his 60 years in baseball as
a batboy with the Washington Senators, had a brief minor league career and
then re-joined the Senators front office. He took ownership of the team in
1955, moved them to Minneapolis in 1961, and owned the Twins until 1984.
Griffith, who will be represented by his son Clark at the Induction
Ceremony, passed away in 1999 at the age of 87.
Allan Roth, referred to as the "Father of Sabermetrics"
by Bill James, was a pioneer in convincing teams to use baseball statistics
as a tactic. After charting stats for his hometown Montreal Canadiens and
the National Hockey League, Roth became the first full-time statistician to
be hired by a major league club when Brooklyn Dodgers' president & general
manager Branch Rickey hired him in 1947. Roth, who will be represented by
his son Michael at the Induction Ceremony, died in 1992 at the age of 74.
"Quantrill, Griffith and Roth further demonstrate the
often-underestimated impact that Canadians have had on so many facets of
the baseball industry," said Ball Hall president & CEO Tom Valcke.
"And while we do not strive to be identified as the Expos/Blue
Jays Hall of Fame, there is little doubt that the calibre of player that
Robbie Alomar was during his time with the Jays penetrated every grass
roots program from coast to coast and helped develop infielders. Being
superb at his position made countless Canadian youth wish that they could
play like Robbie Alomar, and that distinction is why we'll be honoring him
here in St. Marys in June."
Roberto Alomar
"This is an honour, truly a privilege," said an excited Alomar,
who is currently in Toronto
launching a clothing line called Second 2 None.
"I
cherished my years with the Blue Jays and have always loved the Canadian
people. Those years were the very best of my career."
Alomar,
born February 5,1968 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, began his major league career
with the San Diego Padres, arriving in the majors in 1988. He became part
of one of the biggest trades in baseball history on December 5, 1990 when
he and Joe Carter were sent to Toronto in return for 2008-CBHFM-inductee
Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff. Alomar, who played 17 years in all, went
on to play for Baltimore, Cleveland, the New York Mets, Chicago White Sox,
and Arizona, but his longest stint was in Toronto, where he led the Blue
Jays to back-to-back World Series championships in 1992-93.
The
slick-fielding second baseman was named to the All-Star Game all five years
he played in Toronto, and 12 times in all. He also won five of his 10 Gold
Glove awards and one of his four Silver Slugger awards while toiling for
the Blue Jays. The 1992 ALCS MVP was named Blue Jays Player of the Year in
1991, '92 and '95, and later was named to their "Level of Excellence."
Alomar's .307 batting average with the Blue Jays ranks him first
all-time. He compiled a lifetime .300 BA and a .313 post-season BA. His 206
stolen bases ranks him second to Lloyd Moseby, and he swiped 474 in his
career. His .382 on-base percentage during his time with the Blue Jays is
fourth-best all-time (his career OBP was .371). Alomar had 832 hits and 55
homeruns with the Blue Jays while amassing 2,724 hits and 210 homers in his
2,379-game career.
Alomar, who recently missed being inducted
into Cooperstown by just eight votes, currently resides in Tampa, Florida
with his wife Maria. He has an eight-year old son named Robertito.
Paul Quantrill
"Baseball has been a
huge and wonderful part of my family's life, so getting the call from St.
Marys created a lot of excitement around our home," said Quantrill from his
residence in Port Hope, Ontario.
"The Canadian Baseball Hall of
Fame represents a community that has a true love and respect for our game.
I hope my genuine enthusiasm and passion for a kid's game reflects well on
the Hall. Thank you for the tremendous honour of representing our baseball
community, and we can't wait to be in St. Marys with Robbie and
representatives from the Griffith and Roth families this coming June."
Quantrill, born November 3, 1968 in London, Ontario attended the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was originally drafted in the 26th
round in 1986 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then again by the Boston Red
Sox in the sixth round in 1989. The rubber-armed right-hander's first
appearance was with the Red Sox on July 20, 1992, and his final game was on
September 27, 2005 with the Florida Marlins. In between, he played for
Philadelphia, Toronto (his longest stint with one team, from 1996-2001),
Los Angeles, the New York Yankees, and San Diego.
Quantrill even
toed the rubber for Team Canada during the 2006 inaugural World Baseball
Classic. He also coached Team Canada in the 2009 WBC along with
2009-CBHFM-inductees Ernie Whitt, Larry Walker and Bernie Soulliere, and
assisted Greg Hamilton with the Canadian Junior National Team as well.
Known for his spot location and nasty sinkerball, Quantrill
appeared in 386 games with the Blue Jays from 1996-2001 (4th overall),
where he won 30 games and saved 15, compiling a 3.67 ERA. 64 of his career
841 appearances were starts, and the majority of the rest were middle and
late-game relief. He chalked up 68 wins, 21 saves, and a 3.83 ERA over his
14-year career, striking out 725 over 1,255 innings.
"Q", as he
is known by friends and teammates, was the Blue Jays Pitcher of the Year in
2001 and was named to the All-Star team. He led the American League in
games pitched that season with 80, and his .846 winning percentage that
season (11 wins, 2 losses) represented the second highest in Blue Jays
history. He also led the AL in appearances in 2004 with 86, and led the
National League in appearances in 2002 (86) and 2003 (89). He led the AL in
"Holds" with 32 in 2002. Both his 841 career appearances and 89 game
appearances in the 2003 season are Canadian records.
Quantrill's
only complete game happened to be a shutout, when the Red Sox rookie
allowed only a single by Jay Buhner and a double by Mackey Sasser, both in
the second inning, as he went on to strike out six in blanking the Seattle
Mariners 6-0 on July 4, 1993.
Quantrill has been married to his
wife Alyson for 16 years, and they have a son Cal (14) and two daughters,
Reese (12) and Avery (8).
Calvin Griffith
"To be remembered a full decade after his death is a true honour
for my father," said Clark Griffith from his home in Minneapolis.
"This is just fantastic news, and all of us our very proud that
his legacy remains strong and will carry forward in St. Marys."
Born Calvin Robertson on December 1, 1911 in Montreal, brother of
2007-CBHFM-inductee Sherry Robertson, he was the nephew of Clark Griffith,
a former major leaguer and owner of the Washington Senators. Calvin was
from a poor family and when his natural father Jimmy Robertson died, Clark
Griffith began raising Calvin and then adopted him in 1924. The youngster
became a baseball junkie under his uncle's tutelage, and was known to have
spent countless hours in the living room figuring out batting orders and
farm team acquisitions to help the team as a youngster. Calvin played
baseball and basketball at Staunton Military Academy from 1928 to 1933, and
then baseball at George Washington University beginning in 1933. Following
that, he managed in the minor leagues in Chattanooga and Charlotte from
1937 to 1941. He moved into several administrative positions throughout the
organization, including secretary-treasurer and then vice president
beginning in 1942. By the early 1950's, Calvin was basically running the
Senators' day-to-day operations, and he was handed the ownership of the
team after the senior Griffith's death in 1955.
Calvin Griffith
was instrumental in bringing the club from Washington to Minneapolis in
1961, where he served 24 more years as president and principal owner of the
Minnesota Twins. The Twins won three AL West titles under his reign (1965,
'69, '70), one AL pennant (1965), and they hosted the MLB All-Star Game in
1965, the year that Calvin was awarded the AL's Executive of the Year
award. He was inducted into the Twins' Hall of Fame in 2000, and the
organization named the team MVP award after him. Canadian Justin Morneau
won that award in 2006 and 2008. There are currently a row of seats in the
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome named "Calvin's Seats," which are used to host
underprivileged families at Twins home games.
When Carl Pohlad
purchased the Twins for $38 million in 1984, Griffith cried at the signing
of the agreement. He spent most of his final years in Minnesota, still
attending Twins games and serving as an icon on the Minneapolis sports
scene.
Both Calvin and his father were knows for some famous
one-liners.
His father Clark, who is inducted in Cooperstown,
once said about his Senators, "Fans like homeruns, and we have assembled a
pitching staff to please our fans!"
Calvin was quoted saying
"He'll either be the best manager in baseball, or the worst," after giving
a young Billy Martin his first job as a manager.
But his sense of
humour was hidden during contract negotiations. Pitcher Bert Blyleven
offered this story about negotiating with Griffith. Agents were not a part
of baseball at that time, so players had to negotiate with Griffith one on
one.
"You would go into his office and he would sit in a high
chair behind a high desk and you would sit on a couch that sank down, so it
was like you were looking up about ten feet at this big owner. He would
then basically tell you what you were going to make the next year, because
that is what he thought you were worth, period."
Griffith passed
away on October 20, 1999 in Melbourne, Florida. He was survived by his wife
Belva, his son Clark, his daughters Corrin Pillsbury and Clare Griffith,
his sister Mildren Cronin, and his brother Billy Robertson.
Allan Roth
"My father's induction into
the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is a great thrill for my mother, and a
huge honour for our entire family, and we will be proud to participate in
St. Marys" said Allan's son Michael from his home in Los Angeles.
"We are well aware that baseball has a very long and rich history
in Canada. My dad was baseball's pre-eminent statistician, working with the
Brooklyn and LA Dodgers, but he originally fell in love with baseball as a
child in Montreal and enjoyed seeing the Royals when he could. As a young
man, he was thrilled watching the exploits of a young infielder named
Jackie Robinson, and my father joined the Dodgers organization in 1947, the
very same year that Jackie broke the colour barrier. My father then went on
to a 45-year career working in Major League Baseball, but it all started in
Canada."
Allan Roth, born in Montreal on May 10, 1917, made a
pitch to Branch Rickey in 1944 that made the case for opinions such as
on-base percentage being more important than batting average.
"And, wouldn't it help a manager to know, for example, that a
certain batter hit .220 against right-handed pitchers and .300 against
lefties?", Roth asked.
Rickey became intrigued, and his hiring of
Roth in 1947 initiated a trend that has made the personal computer an
essential element of an MLB clubhouse's paraphernalia.
Roth did
stats for the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers until 1964 and developed the RBI
percentage (batting average with runners in scoring position). He charted
every pitch and did the requisite calculations either in his head or with a
simple calculator, insisting on working by hand throughout his career. He
began working the NBC and ABC games of the week until 1990, feeding
pertinent information to the broadcasters in the booth such as Al Michaels.
"Long before there was Mary Poppins, there was Allan Roth," said
the legendary Vin Scully.
"If you had some question that came to
you in the middle of a game, he would reach down into his bag and the next
thing you knew, you'd have your answer. It was marvelous!"
Roth
once said, "Baseball is a game of percentages; I try to find the actual
percentage."
He was featured in a 10-page story in Life Magazine
in 1954, and became the editor of "Who's Who in Baseball" from 1955-71.
"Allan Roth was as vital to Branch Rickey as Robin was to
Batman," said New York Times writer Alan Schwarz.
Still today,
there remains a Los Angeles chapter of the Society for American Baseball
Research (SABR) named after Allan Roth.
