by W.H.

While researching a highly sacrilegious article concerning the New York Yankees, I discovered an indiscretion committed by the baseball press which until now has not been discussed. There is a key participant in New York's 4 World Championships from 1996-2000 who has been forgotten. In fact, despite this man's 5 total World Series rings he was not able to garner enough votes to stay on the Hall of Fame ballot.  A team's effort is more important than an individual's in football, but being a starter for multiple championship teams in the NFL almost guarantees you a spot in Canton. So why doesn't Major League Baseball grant its highest honor to individuals who see continually achieve on its biggest stage?

Despite being one of the most successful pitchers of his generation, David Cone is not in the Hall of Fame. His 2.12 career World Series ERA was ignored. As was his 8-3 postseason record, 194 career regular season wins, 61% winning percentage, 3.46 ERA (despite 11 years in the modern American League), and 2668 strikeouts. He was a better postseason pitcher than Randy Johnson or Tom Glavine; a better regular season pitcher than Curt Schilling or John Smoltz; owner of as many championships as Johnson, Glavine, Schilling, Smoltz and Greg Maddux combined. Yet he couldn't last on the ballot for more than one year. Maybe he drove over a couple of sportswriters' dogs.

Did the Baseball Writers Association of America forget that he threw a perfect game three years after being diagnosed with an aneurysm in his arm? How about that he was a Cy Young winner and five time All-Star? Unless he spent his 13 seasons in New York finger-blasting journalists' wives, the east coast bias can't be blamed for this malfeasance. Would Cone have gotten more votes if he struck out 20 batters in a game, like his steroid abusing former Yankee teammate Roger Clemens? Because he struck out 19 in a game without the juice.

In fact, his career strikeout total places him 22^nd on the all time list. That's more K's than Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, Don Drysdale, and Sandy Koufax. Koufax and Nolan Ryan are the only Hall of Famers who averaged more strikeouts per nine innings than Cone. Lefty Gomez didn't have as many wins as him, neither did Koufax or Rube Waddell. Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and Catfish Hunter can't top his winning percentage. Those players competed in era's where it was supposedly easier for pitchers to get wins. Cone's ERA is lower than Waite Hoyt, Early Wynn, and Jesse Haines, all of whom never had to pitch against Designated Hitters and juicers in close quartered modern stadiums.

So how could a five time World Series champion with that pedigree only garner 21 votes? This oversight couldn't have been because he only won 20 games in a season twice. Ryan and Drysdale accomplished that feat an equal number of times, Jim Bunning reached it only once. Why would the press not only keep him out of Cooperstown, but vote him off of the ballot all together? What realistic set of benchmarks remain unmet?  His name's not in the Mitchell Report. Did he gamble on baseball, or perhaps punt a baby?

Jack Morris or Bert Blyleven are also stranded in Cooperstown Purgatory while lesser men determine their merits based on archaic measures from eras past. The game has changed and along with it the role of the starting pitcher. However, the caretakers of Cooperstown have yet to realize that we will not see a 300 inning season from a pitcher again. The modern game has five man rotations, agents working security for 100 million dollar arms, children throwing breaking balls that will eventually deteriorate their elbows, and bullpens featuring left-handed specialists. Major League Baseball has made sure that the balls are wound tight, and frequently replaced, so that they explode off the bat towards shrunken outfield walls. In today's game the pitcher's sanctuary of foul territory has become non-existent, apparently gray area has too.