One more sports item. I spent the entire morning researching why Maz should NOT be in the HofF. Or, why, if he does, Eddie Mayo belongs too. Here's the evidence. I've included a couple of other fairly good second sackers just so you can compare and contrast. First, the fielding evidence:

	Total Errors	Total Games	Errors/Games Ratio	Adjust Err/Games
Mayo	86	834	1:9.69	11.69
Maz	204	2163	1:10.60	10.60
Gordan	264	1566	1:5.93	7.93
Doerr	214	1865	1:8.71	10.71
Geh.	310	2323	1:7.49	10.49

** For each decade separating the midpoint of each player's most productive years, an adjustment factor = 1.00 is added to that player's ratio to account for the increasing size of baseball gloves; and for the fact that as each decade passed, ground crews became more adept at removing rocks, stones, gopher holes, and hotel keys from infield dirt --- not to mention the fact that infield grass was measurably smoother as time passed. The base decade is the 1960s, thus Mazeroski gets nothing added to his ratio since he played on qualitatively better infields with a much larger glove. (This is fair. Whitaker would lose 2-3 points.)

As you can see, Eddie Mayo clearly was a better infielder than Mazeroski --- and, in fact, was better than a couple of other Hall of Famers, Gehringer and Doerr, as well as Joe Gordon, who Mayo himself considered to be a quality infielder.

Now for the offensive evidence:

1. It is true that Mazeroski hit a few home runs . . . 138 . . . .and one World Series homerun that was most significant because it kept the Yankees from putting another notch on the bedpost. (It was, in fact, less significant, from a historical perspective, than Bucky Dent's home run that kept the Red Sox from having a shot at making history by playing in the World Series in 1978.)

had hit one against the Yanks, he would have been voted into the Hall of Fame? Probably not, I'd say --- although I would have voted for him, of course.

Here's some more data:

Career Pinch Hitting Record (a far better measure of clutch hitting over the course of a career than "number of home runs in the ninth inning of the final game of a World Series”):

Mazeroski 13 for 60 (avg = .217)

Mayo 12 for 44 (avg = .273)

Career Stolen Bases . . . . . I know you'll scratch your head on this one:

Mazeroski 27 (= 1 every 80 games or about 2 a season)

Mayo 29 (= 1 every 28 games or about 5 a season) (and I'm sure had they kept statistics on

number of missed third strikes beat out that Mayo would have beat Mazeroski

on this, too)

KO / BB Ratio:

Mazeroski 706 KO / 447 BB (ratio = 1.58) = for every walk, Maz KO'd 1.58 times

Mayo 175 KO / 258 BB (ratio = 0.68) = for every walk, Mayo KO'd 0.68 times

I rest my case on one last point. Maz' major league career was longer, but as you and I have discussed before, should longevity play a role in deciding who belongs in the H of Fame? Mayo played in 834 games --- and he could have played in a lot more, but he was worried about having enough money to pay his son's college tuition --- so he got into management with the Toledo MudHens. Put this in perspective: Whitey

Ford played in only 498 games (not counting the 5 or 6 hundred World Series games he appeared in). Why should Ford be in the Hall --- and not Eddie Mayo ????? And, of course, why not Puddin' Head ???

Mayo in Hall, Maz Removed in Dramatic Turnaround

Veterans Committee Corrects Grave Error

Bill James, Ted Williams Applaud Action

_____________________________________________________________________________________

One more sports item. I spent the entire morning researching why Maz should NOT be in the HofF. Or, why, if he does, Eddie Mayo belongs, too. Here's the evidence. I've included a couple of other fairly good second sackers just so you can compare and contrast. First, the fielding evidence:

Total Total

Career Career Errors/Games Adjusted Err/G ames

Errors Games Ratio Ratio**

Mayo 86 834 1 err every 9.69 games 11.69

Maz 204 2163 1 err every 10.60games 10.60

Gordon 264 1566 1 err every 5.93games 7.93

Doerr 214 1865 1 err every 8.71games 10.71

Gehr'ger 310 2323 1 err every 7.49games 10.49

As you can see, Eddie Mayo clearly was a better infielder than Mazeroski --- and, in fact, was better than a couple of genuine Hall of Famers, Gehringer and Doerr, as well as Joe Gordon, who Mayo himself considered to be a quality infielder.

Now for the offensive evidence:

Let's keep things in perspective here. Puddin' Head Jones had 199 home runs in his career. He did NOT, however, hit a home run in the '50 Series against -- oh them again -- the Yankees. Do you think if Willie had hit one against the Yanks, he would have been voted into the Hall of Fame? Probably not, I'd say --- although I would have voted for him, of course.

Here's some more data:

Career Pinch Hitting Record (a far better measure of clutch hitting over the course of a career than "number of home runs in the ninth inning of the final game of a World Series”):

Mazeroski 13 for 60 (avg = .217)

Mayo 12 for 44 (avg = .273)

Career Stolen Bases . . . . . I know you'll scratch your head on this one:

Mazeroski 27 (= 1 every 80 games or about 2 a season)

Mayo 29 (= 1 every 28 games or about 5 a season) (and I'm sure had they

ept statistics on number of missed third strikes beat out that Mayo would have beat Mazeroski on this, too)

KO / BB Ratio:

Mazeroski 706 KO / 447 BB (ratio = 1.58) = for every walk, Maz KO'd 1.58 times

Mayo 175 KO / 258 BB (ratio = 0.68) = for every walk, Mayo KO'd 0.68 times

Ford played in only 498 games (not counting the 5 or 6 hundred World Series games he appeared in). Why should Ford be in the Hall --- and not Eddie Mayo ????? And, of course, why not Puddin' Head ???

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