The Politics of Glory: How the Baseball's Hall of Fame Really Works

by Bill James

Baseball's Hall of Fame, in bucolic Cooperstown, New York (site of the mythical creation of the game by Abner Doubleday), began enshrining baseball's best players in 1936, and has been mired in controversy ever since. In The Politics of Glory, bestselling author Bill James takes a hard look at the Hall - not only at the traditional questions of who is in and who is out and why, but at how the Hall of Fame operates, who operates it, how they make decisions, and why those decisions sometimes go awry. Using the endless battle over onetime Yankee shortstop - and new Hall of Famer - Phil Rizzuto as a recurring theme, James analyzes the perennial debate over Hall of Fame qualifications: players who should be in, and aren't, as well as players who shouldn't be, and are. Who is more deserving of induction, Catfish Hunter or Luis Tiant? Whatever happened to Vern Stephens, the St. Louis Browns shortstop who began in the majors the same year as Stan Musial . . . and during his first eight years had more home runs and RBIs than Musial? Can you name the shortstop who is the very best player in baseball history who is not in the Hall of Fame? (Hint: It wasn't Rizzuto.). Was Don Drysdale a qualified Hall of Famer? From Ron Santo to Joe Tinker, from Joe Gordon to Richie Ashburn, and (of course) from Shoeless Joe Jackson to Pete Rose, here are the fascinating stories, the profound dilemmas, and the raucous controversies that make up the history of baseball's Hall of Fame.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, History

452 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 1994

About the author

George William “Bill” James (born October 5, 1949, in Holton, Kansas) is a baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has written more than two dozen books devoted to baseball history and statistics. His approach, which he termed sabermetrics in reference to the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), scientifically analyzes and studies baseball, often through the use of statistical data, in an attempt to determine why teams win and lose. His Baseball Abstract books in the 1980s are the modern predecessor to websites using sabermetrics such as Baseball Prospectus and Baseball Primer (now Baseball Think Factory).

In 2006, Time named him in the Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world. He is currently a Senior Advisor on Baseball Operations for the Boston Red Sox. In 2010, Bill James was inducted into the Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_James

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed parts of it, but also found myself skimming/skipping some chapters. I think my buddy might like this book (at least the parts I read).

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill James is in fine form here, wondering about things like why Don Drysdale was a slam-dunk Hall of Famer and Milt Pappas wasn't. Was Phil Rizutto worthy? Did Frankie Frisch and friends steamroll old New York Giants into the Hall with debatable credentials? Like anything involved with Baseball Hall of Fame voting, people will argue vehemently forever (see Jack Morris in 2012). James can rankle with some of his observations but I still find him an entertaining writer. Many of his followers are inflexible doctrinaires when it comes to the new stats, at least James can write well.

[Estevan Alvarado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book discusses the history of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It discussed the issues and politics of getting seleceted or not selected. The author uses individual players to apply his statistical and qualatative analysis of players. Phil Rizzuto is used extensively throughout the book. Others used Don Drysdale, Glenn Davis and Tinker, etc.

[Chip Rickard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baseball fans love to argue about who is a Hall of Famer and who isn't. About 30 years ago Bill James wrote this book which is basically that. He centered his book around pitcher Don Drysdale and shortstop Phil Rizzuto. If they belong then why aren't others in there. But it's more than comparing players. James delves into the history of the HOF and who runs it. He also explains why he believes certain players already in shouldn't be and the probable reasons they are in. James also comes up with a different way to elect players to the HOF that includes fans, current and former players, executives, et. al. Since the book came out, voting procedures have changed somewhat with the addition of several committees that meet on a staggered basis to elect players no longer on the ballot. One committee will meet one year, another the next and so forth. The arguments and stats can be a bit mind numbing but James's arguments are solid and he offers solutions.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.49 stars.

1994 look at the Baseball Hall of Fame, how elections work, and the controversy surrounding inductions. I gave my copy away . . . wish I had it because it contains James's predictions of what current (1994) players probably would have Hall of Fame credentials. Alas, this was the steroid era, so many of those guys are tainted. I specifically remember he predicted Ruben Sierra would make it. You can check that one out!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

James' writing is always fun and this book was probably pretty great when it came out, but coming across a copy 26 years after it was published made for inconsistent enjoyment.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This deviation from my usual reading turned out to be a lot of fun. I probably should've read it twenty years ago, when I was still really invested in baseball. But I'm still really fascinated by canon formation, so there was a lot to love here.

The book could probably use an update, particularly in the institutional history area. (Those were maybe my favorite chapters. All the stuff about the earliest baseball historians and statisticians was fascinating, and James' dissection of the checkered history of the voting process was enlightening and informative.) With the giant influx of Negro Leaguers back in 2006, various changes to the rules involving the selection of veterans (or old-timers, or whatever they're calling them this week), and the BBWAA's apparent decision to hold off on recognizing non-pitchers from the steroid era, there's been a lot of controversy and deviations from the norm with HOF voting in the past two decades. Some coverage of all of this in an updated edition would be worthwhile.

But what's here is great, and any baseball fan should check this out.

[John Rabe]

Since republished under the title Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?, pioneering stats guru Bill James will show you that "Hall of Fame caliber" is largely a myth, and that while Phil Rizzuto, Richie Ashburn, and the entire double-play combo of Tinker, Evers, and Chance (and just about everybody elected by the Veterans Committee) probably don't belong in the Hall, Ted Simmons and Ron Santo probably do.

Great, enlightening fun for baseball geeks. Believe it or not, books like this and Moneyball are great, real-world ways to bone up on logic, since James' analysis is about cutting through foggy baseball cliches and tropes to find the truth.

[Josh Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Politics of Glory is a discussion about the Baseball Hall of Fame---why some players are in, why others are out, how the voting system is flawed and how it can be fixed. Author Bill James is adept at expressing his views clearly and supporting them with evidence. If you love statistics, baseball and the Hall of Fame, you will love this book. It jumps around from topic to topic without much structure or direction, but it is a stat-lover's dream. Much enjoyed the read and will reference it again.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really hope that the Hall of Fame has increased the level of librarianship it employs since 1994. I was more worried about that after reading this than the dubious election practices.

Also, if you're trying to calculate your own HoF monitors and whatnot based on the formulas in this book, the guy at baseball-reference.com already did and they're posted on relevant player pages.

[Patrick Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes the mechanisms, and biases in the Baseball Hall of Fame selection process. It is a good book for baseball fans so inclined for a deep dive into baseball history, but most likely seem a bit much to the non- or casual fan.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the baseball Hall of Fame voting process and arguements for/against particular players. I'd love to read an updated edition, though; this is from 1994.

[Tad Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bill James is the pioneer of modern baseball study, and always interesting.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 15 years old now, so some of it needs to be updated, but it's a great read, both for the Hall history and for the player analysis.

[Ray Charbonneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixes analysis and history. The analysis gets a bit dry upon rereading, but if you like that sort of thing, this is your book.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phil Rizzuto. A Hall of Famer?