For 14 years Bert Blyleven, the winner of 287 big league games, 3,701 strikeouts, and owner of one of the nastiest curve balls in baseball, waited for the call that he had been elected into the Baseball Hall of fame, and for 13 years that never came.
Today, year 14, that call came, and now Blyleven is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Joining Blyleven is Roberto Alomar, the 10 time Gold Glove All-Star shortstop for the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
Blyleven, who finished just 5 votes short last year, received 79.7% of the votes, and Alomar, who came within 8 votes in 2010, finished with a whopping 90% of the total vote.
Blyleven and Alomar will be joined by former Blue Jays and Phillies executive Pat Gillick, who was voted in by the post expansion Veteran's Committee in December of 2010.
Last month I was privileged to be asked to recommend players who I believed belong in the Hall of Fame as a member of the
Baseball Bloggers Alliance.
I voted for both Blyleven and Alomar, and both were recommended by the BBA to the BBWAA for induction.
Here's to all the voters who finally got it right and voted in Blyleven and Alomar.
I hope next year they do the right thing and put both Barry Larkin and Jack Morris in as well, and I sincerely hope the Veteran's Committee rights another wrong and inducts the late Cubs 3rd baseman Ron Santo.
