RetroSimba

The United Cardinal Bloggers (UCB) conduct an electronic roundtable throughout October. Each weekday, a chosen blogger sends an e-mail question to participants, then posts the transcript of the responses.

The question I sent on Oct. 13: Which one of these former Cardinals is most deserving to be the next elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame?

_ Ken Boyer

_ Curt Flood

_ Roger Maris

_ Mark McGwire

_ Ted Simmons

_ Lee Smith

Based on the two responses, the players receiving support from the United Cardinal Bloggers were Curt Flood, Ted Simmons and Keith Hernandez.

Here is the transcript: (You can read transcripts of all the roundtable discussions at UCB)

JACQUELINE CONRAD, Cardinal Diamond Diaries

This was a hard question for me because I happen to think they are all deserving for various reasons. … After researching each player I went back and forth between Curt Flood and Ted Simmons. My head tells me Ted Simmons. My heart tells me Curt Flood. Since my heart leads me in most things when it comes to Cardinal baseball, I’m gonna let it lead me today. I also think there will be plenty of my colleagues that will make the case for switch hitting catcher Ted Simmons. I was able to see Simba play and it has been a terrible omission that he has been overlooked.

But an even worse omission is the fact that Curt Flood is not in the Hall of Fame. Curt belongs for two reasons: what he did on the field but even more so by what he accomplished off the field. His courage has impacted every player that plays the game.

Curt’s accomplishments on the field can probably be argued as being HOF worthy. But they ARE worthy in my opinion. He was a superbly talented ballplayer. Sports Illustrated referred to him as the best defensive CF in major league baseball. This was at the same time Willie Mays was still showing his defensive wizardry in the National League. Flood had a 15 year career in center field. He finished top ten in batting every year from 1963-68. His lifetime batting average was .293. His OBP was .347 and Slugging was .390 and his OPS was .732. His career high BA was .335. He had 1861 career hits. He was a 7 time consecutive Gold Glove winner and a three time All Star.  He helped the Cardinals win two World Series. Only Willie Mays and Richie Asburn played more games in CF in NL history that Flood.

Off the field, Curt Flood social significance is unchallenged. Flood challenged the notorious reserve clause which bound players to the clubs that owned their contracts. In 1969 when the St. Louis Cardinals attempted to trade Flood to the Phillies, he refused to move. It wasn’t about the money. He simply wanted to remain a Cardinal or have a say in where he was traded. Taking this to court, he proceeded to the U.S. Supreme Court. Flood, with the backing of the Major League Baseball Players Association attempted to break a system that was the equivalent of a 20th century indentured servitude. The Supreme Court ruled against Flood, but Flood’s actions set in motion a series of events that led to the elimination of the reserve clause and the emergence of the system of free agency, which most Major League baseball players take for granted.                             

That was Curt Flood’s greatest accomplishment. He elevated the game of generations of players by his courage and willingness to stick by his belief: that he was not property, but a human being with rights. He sacrificed and shortened a terrific career to do so. For his contribution to our beloved sport, Curt Flood deserves to be immortalized in the HOF. Curt Flood died of cancer in 1997.

MATTHEW “Pip”  PHILIP, Fungoes

Flood’s case is the most intriguing of the group, and perhaps of any potential Cardinal HOFer. Jackie made a strong argument for Flood’s dual contributions on and off the field. But while he was indeed a legendary fielder and a positive offensive force, he didn’t quite put up Hall of Fame numbers. So if Flood’s playing credentials are insufficient for election, his case has to rest on his non-playing impact. But the Veterans Committee for Executives and Pioneers has a rather high bar, having passed over one of the game’s greatest ambassadors, Buck O’Neil, and one of its most impactful (for good or ill) non-players, Marvin Miller. 

So I’ll pick Ted Simmons. Among catchers not in the Hall, Simmons’s WAR of 50.4 ranks third behind Mike Piazza (59.1) and Joe Torre (55.6). But it puts him ahead of Hall catchers Gabby Hartnett, Ernie Lombardi, Roy Campanella, Roger Bresnahan, Rick Ferrell and Ray Schalk, and well ahead of presumptive HOFer Jorge Posada. 

But if I had the chance to vote for any former Cardinal, not merely the ones listed, I’d vote for Keith Hernandez, who has the most WAR of any Cardinal not in the Hall of Fame.

I should clarify what I meant when I said that Hernandez has the most WAR of any Cardinal not in the Hall of Fame.

 (a) Any Cardinal who is eligible for the HOF.

(b) Cardinal defined as playing a plurality of his games as a Cardinal.