Was it really only 24 hours ago that I started this Rickey's Hall Teammates stampede? I didn't know what I was unleashing. Obviously.
At times like this, I'm not sure what amazes me more -- the power of the Internet in general and this site in particular, or the incredible passion for baseball of so many otherwise normal people with real lives and real jobs.
But whatever, you folks have blown me away with the research you've done on the project I laid out there yesterday. So just to refresh your memory before we get rolling, here's where we left off:
• First, I mentioned how loyal reader Chris Isidore suggested it was possible that
Rickey Henderson -- a man who played for nine different teams -- could wind up with more Hall of Fame teammates than any other Hall of Famer.
• Second, I asked if anyone out there wanted to figure out A) who holds that record; B) whether Rickey has a shot at it; and C) if not, which modern player might.
I'm not sure I've read every single e-mail since I kicked off that derby. I do, after all, try to convince myself I have a life. But it's gotta be close. So here's what you insanely loyal readers have dug up:
STRIKE ONE -- THE WINNER IS DEPT.: I wonder if Rickey Henderson has ever heard of Burleigh Grimes. Well, their Hall of Fame plaques are about to be roommates, so it's worth wondering. But that's not all.
According to the astounding work done by two especially amazing loyal readers -- Leon Chen and Eric Rosen -- Grimes and Waite Hoyt are the answer to the question: Which current Hall of Famers played with the most other Hall of Famers?
Grimes and Hoyt are tied, with 36 -- yes, 36 -- apiece. But Rosen broke the tie by determining that if you count only teammates who made the Hall as players, Grimes wins this duel, 35-33. Who knew?
Want a list of all the other Hall of Famers with more than 20 HOF teammates? Here's the identical list Chen and Rosen compiled:
Leo Durocher: 30
Dan Brouthers: 26
George Kelly: 26
Rogers Hornsby: 25
Frankie Frisch: 23
Freddie Lindstrom: 23
Al Simmons: 21
Dazzy Vance: 21
Now you may have noticed that it's kind of been a while since anybody on those lists appeared in a box score. So Chen also passed along the leaders since World War II:
Hoyt Wilhelm 20
Orlando Cepeda 19
Gaylord Perry 18
Thanks to that remarkable work, we know where the bar sits -- for Rickey or whoever else comes along. Which brings us to …
STRIKE TWO -- THE HALL OF RICKEY DEPT.: So does our man Rickey Henderson have any shot at reaching those numbers above? Uh, it doesn't look good, no matter how many times he once had to pack up his moving van.
We reported yesterday he'd already played with six Hall of Famers -- Dave Winfield, Goose Gossage, Paul Molitor, Joe Morgan, Eddie Murray and Tony Gwynn. Thanks to all the readers who fired off the two names we'd missed -- Dennis Eckersley and Phil Niekro.
But to get to Hoyt Wilhelm territory, Henderson would need a dozen more of his good friends, some of whose names he might actually remember, to make the Hall. And there's pretty much no way.
Most likely candidates for now (eight):
A-Rod,
Manny Ramirez,
Pedro Martinez,
Mike Piazza,
Trevor Hoffman,
Fred McGriff,
Edgar Martinez and
Mark McGwire. But among Rickey's other still-active teammates, about the only feasible possibility I can find -- barring a stunning midcareer renaissance by D'Angelo Jimenez -- is
Jamie Moyer.
So it's tough to see how Henderson can get past 17 under any scenario. Or, as loyal reader David Feldman pointed out, past 18 if Deion Sanders makes the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But that doesn't mean somebody else can't get to 20. Right? And by that, we mean …
STRIKE THREE -- WHO THE HECK ELSE DEPT.: I had a lot of fun names thrown at me. Like
Todd Zeile. And
Kenny Lofton. And Joe Girardi. Well, they've all had many, many teammates, and many potential Hall of Fame teammates. But we're looking for Hall of Famers only, remember? So let's get down to business.
• Moyer: Loyal reader Dan Robinson tossed Moyer's name into this mix. And it's a good one. Not that Moyer is a Hall of Fame cinch. But he's up to 246 wins, has blown past every single modern pitcher on the Most Wins After 40 list and just signed a two-year contract. So never say never. Now just peruse all the Hall of Famers and potential Hall of Famers he played with:
Ryne Sandberg, Eckersley, Gossage, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr., Rickey,
Greg Maddux, A-Rod,
Ken Griffey Jr.,
Randy Johnson,
Mike Mussina, Andre Dawson, Lee Smith, Harold Baines, Edgar Martinez,
Ichiro,
Rafael Palmeiro,
Sammy Sosa,
Roger Clemens and maybe even
Ryan Howard,
Chase Utley,
Cole Hamels and
Jimmy Rollins. That's 24 decent names, if you ignore stuff like Clemens/Palmeiro subplots. Stay tuned.
• A-Rod: His name came up several times, not only because of players he's already played with but because readers practically want to buy stock in the Yankees' potential to accumulate future Hall of Famers. Here's a typical A-Rod-teammate list:
Griffey, Johnson, Gossage, Rickey, Clemens,
Derek Jeter,
Mariano Rivera, Edgar Martinez, Moyer,
Pudge Rodriguez,
Gary Sheffield, Mussina, Palmeiro,
Bernie Williams,
Jorge Posada,
Mark Teixeira,
CC Sabathia. That's 17 potential names, with many big-name Yankees acquisitions ahead -- and two Hall of Fame ex-managers (Joe Torre, Lou Piniella). Could be a contender.
• Clemens: Hey, I don't know if he's ever getting in. But if he does, consider all the Hall of Famers and possible Hall of Famers Clemens played with and for (courtesy of loyal reader Drew Kratz):
Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Eckersely, Smith, Tom Seaver, Dawson, Jeter, Rivera, A-Rod,
Jeff Kent,
Jeff Bagwell,
Craig Biggio,
Lance Berkman,
Nomar Garciaparra,
Roy Halladay, Mussina, Moyer,
Roy Oswalt and Williams. And he was managed by Torre. That's 20. And who knows where the careers of other teammates like
Brad Lidge or
Carlos Beltran might be headed?
• Sheffield: Sheff is no Hall of Fame lock himself. But he sure has had a lot of teammates. Which always helps. Loyal reader Adam Harris was among the group that tossed his name out there. And why not? This guy played with …
A-Rod, Randy Johnson, Rivera, Gwynn, Hoffman,
Chipper Jones,
John Smoltz, Maddux,
Tom Glavine, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Dawson, Fred McGriff, Pudge Rodriguez, Jeter and Mussina, just to name 17. And Sheff also played
for Torre and Bobby Cox. So he's a fine name indeed.
Oh, there were others: Maddux and
Andy Pettitte were two more good ones. But if you think we missed anybody grievous, feel free to keep this thread going. It's too much fun to stop now. Just fire off your e-mails to uselessinfodept@yahoo.com. And I'll take care of the rest.
Jayson Stark
