The American Spectator

Galen| 9.24.09 @ 7:47AM

"Full many a rose is born to blush unseen/to waste its sweetness on the desert air"

Howard| 9.24.09 @ 7:52AM

I think Mr. Hillyer has it partially correct. I am not sure if the Hall of Fame bias is against small market teams, as much as it is a bias against defensive players in general. Read The Cold Hard Football Facts website. They list several top defensive players who belong in the Hall. It is much easier if you are a flashy running back or wide receiver to get in, than a linebacker or safety.

The Big E| 9.24.09 @ 4:32PM

I think even greater bias against against defensive linemen and linebackers who do NOT record tons of sacks, as if that is the only thing that matters in the front seven.

craig henry| 9.24.09 @ 8:08AM

Great article. Let me second the point about CHFF and defensive players.

Ryan| 9.24.09 @ 8:12AM

From a life-long Saints fan, I heartily concur about Rickey. That defense - particularly the '87 season and the early '90s - was a sight to behold. Probably the best collection of linebackers in a single season EVER.

Stupid Niners and their being so good...

CPAP Tips| 9.24.09 @ 9:23AM

So Quin, you're saying that if Jackson had traded places with Tippett the Pats w0uld have reversed their 46-10 spanking at the hands of Da Bears?

CPAP Therapy| 9.24.09 @ 9:29AM

Geez, I wrote the first comment before I got to Rice & Dawson.

That bit about "protection" isn't really supported by the studies. Kinda like "clutch hitting".

JP| 9.24.09 @ 9:30AM

"Probably the best collection of linebackers in a single season EVER"

Ryan,
I thought about what you wrote, and I think you are correct. When I think of other great defenses like the Bears (85-87), or the Cowboys (75-79), or even the 1973-80 Steelers -those defenses were all built around superb front 4s. The Bears (Perry, Dent, Hapmpton, McMichaels), the Cowboys (White, Dutton, Martin, and Henderson), and the Steelers (Holmes, White, Greenwood, Green) all had memorable front 4s, but the Saints Linebackers were the backbone of thier defense. The Bears could have had a better linebacking corps if Otis Wilson and Wilbur Marshall weren't traded.

It is a shame Jackson didn't get in the first time around.

And I have no idea why Dawson didn't get in already.

Thomas| 9.24.09 @ 9:58AM

I vote for a large market [that is television market] and regional bias [Northeast and, to a lesser extent, West Coast] being the dominant factors in nominations for both the NFL and MLB Halls of Fame. In football, offensive players have always had the edge and since the mid-1980's defensive players have really been overlooked unless Northeastern sportswriters take a shine to one.

Bronson| 9.24.09 @ 10:09AM

Outside of LT, Rickey Jackson was the best LB of that era... period. The HOF voting is slanted towards QB's, RB's and more well known players. Jackson should be in on roller skates as should several offensive linemen and defensive linemen who are always overlooked. Richard Dent should be in, Mark Bavaro, Jay Hilgenberg and Donnie Shell as well. The game is won and lost in the trenches.

Doctor Right| 9.24.09 @ 10:30AM

Nice article. But in my humble opinion, the most outrageous exclusion from the NFL HOF in Canton is thge yearly denial of Art Modell's admission, driven by bitter, dick-heads in Cleveland who refuse to let go of the past.

In fact, these malcontents don't even NEED to let go of the past, since, in addition to a new stadium, and local ownership, they got to keep their colors and name, unlike similarly aggrieved fans in Baltimore, St. Louis, and Los Angeles.

Art Modell is one of the league's legendary owners. He's one of the men who is primarily responsible for the growth of the league in the 1960's as it became the sports and marketing juggernaut that it is today. Denying him his place in the HOF is nothing but sheer vindictiveness.

As a native of Baltimore, the sweetest irony in Modell's move was his Superbowl trophy for SB 35. That REALLY sent the bitterness brigades in Cleveland into overdrive...

Modell belongs in the HOF. Grow-up, Cleveland.

Eric damon| 9.24.09 @ 12:34PM

Not only did they get to keep their colors, etc., they got to keep all of the records associated with the Browns. Jim Brown is still the best player in team history, even though he never played for the new Browns organization.

And while I agree that Rickey Jackson deserves to be in the running for the HoF (at least), I don't think he suffered from being surrounded by great players that shared his position. Having guys like Swilling, Mills, and Johnson alongside you does not hurt you; it only enhances your ability to produce. Tommy Nobis suffered in Atlanta, Rickey Jackson...not so much!

And I have to say that the year he won his Super Bowl in San Franciso, he was not the key addition that put that team over the top. The guy that did that on defense was Deion Sanders, who was in his prime (pardon the pun) and shut down one half of the field on pass defense. Lots of guys were able to start on good teams late in their careers, but that doesn't mean they were still impact players (think Clay Matthews with the original Browns).

But the problem is that too many times the sportswriters who get these votes look at things other than play to formulate their votes. They act as though being media friendly has something to do with greatness, or playing for great teams is the tipping point. But I say that a player can be great, even all-time HoF great, even if the team put around him stinks like a Rahm Emmanuel fish-o-gram; Dale Murphy is a perfect example of that!

Hunter Baker| 9.24.09 @ 10:43AM

Quin, you should have been a lawyer because you made an outstanding case for your position. Really well done.

Quin| 9.24.09 @ 12:33PM

Thanks, Hunter! And thanks to you all for your comments.

Pete| 9.24.09 @ 12:38PM

It's the northeast media bias. Tune into SportsCenter any given night - we are all subjected to 40 minutes of Red Sox, Yankees and Patriots news on ESPN vs. 20 minutes for all other teams and sports. Jackson was a man.

Cpm| 9.24.09 @ 2:10PM

Otis Wilson, Mike Singletary,Wilbur Marshall....best linebacker trio in a single season EVER, 1985.
Rickey Jackson, I admit I had to scratch my head.
I wholeheartedly agree about The Hawk.

MikeN| 9.24.09 @ 4:53PM

Dawson's career numbers aren't high enough for automatic enshrinement. Comparing to Rice is weak, as he is a borderline candidate to begin with.
If you keep doing that, you get a hugely expanded Hall.
Dawson's big weakness is a .323 career on base percentage. Absolutely terrible. This year, it wouldn't make the top 120, and it's worse than David Ortiz's number for 2009.

vito toia| 9.24.09 @ 6:59PM

ricky jackson was a great player at pitt also.i saw him play many times in college and he was a better player than heisman runner up hugh green.
in fact the 1979 pitt team was probably the best college team i ever saw.saw them play syracuse that year.great great team.

Allen Hanson| 9.24.09 @ 7:08PM

Great article, Quinn!

The Hall of Fame selectors are a bunch of tools. They won't let Jerry Kramer from the Packers in, simply because he was and is a better writer than any of the sports-weasels on the Selection Committee.

The Hall of Fame's selectors should be football players and coaches, not a bunch of moron sportswriters.

Scott Browdy| 9.24.09 @ 10:40PM

Quinn could not be more correct as far as he goes. No one, however, has mentioned Ron Santo. The MLB HOF should not even exist until Dawson andSanto are in. Blyleven deserves to make it, as does Tommy John.

Phil Rizzuto? Bill Mazeroski? Come on. Fine players, but they're in before other more deserving players.

CalMark| 9.25.09 @ 7:39PM

Dead-on! A number of great baseball players who only played on "Flyover Country" teams come to mind, for whom media know-it-alls sniff at the idea of Cooperstown. All else being equal, they'd probably be more than good enough had they worn Yankee pin-stripes!

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