0-for-7.
It was a figure that Rich “Goose” Gossage was likely to elicit when he took the mound in the seventh inning with a narrow lead, two outs and runners on the corners. But on Tuesday, the statistic was nothing the former relief pitcher of the menacing K’s and an equally menacing Fu Manchu would want to cite.
For the seventh year, Gossage came up short in the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America for selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Despite 124 wins, 310 saves, 1,502 strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA over 22 seasons in the majors, Gossage came roughly 10 percent shy of the 75 percent required on the ballot for selection.
In a column last week, The Denver Post’s Jim Armstrong referred to Gossage, a Colorado Springs native and former standout at Wasson High School, as “.” And in an article Tuesday, The Denver Post’s Troy Renck reported that former teammate Reggie Jackson called Gossage’s omission “.”
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| AP / Orlin Wagner |
| , shown working as a guest instructor for the Colorado Rockies at spring training in 2003, received 64.6 percent of the vote on this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. The pitcher, who spent 22 seasons in the majors, needed 75 percent for selection to the shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y. |
Gossage can locate encouragement in his approval ratings. He registered 64.6 percent of the votes this year. Last year it was 55.2 percent, up from 40.7 the prior year. The voters are coming around.
In addition, if this year’s sole recipient of selection is any indication, voters are warming to the notion of recognizing achievement in relief pitching. Before Bruce Sutter was selected as the only member of the Hall’s Class of 2006 — Sutter is the first pitcher who never started a game to win selection — only relievers Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley had been voted into the shrine at Cooperstown, N.Y.
Perhaps two closers in the same year was deemed too much relief.
Collecting considerably less sympathy and fewer votes Tuesday was another former major leaguer with Colorado ties.
When the bloom was still on the Rockies’ rose, Walt Weiss manned shortstop at Mile High Stadium and later Coors Field for four seasons from 1994-97. Before joining the Blake Street Bombers, Weiss played with the Bash Brothers in Oakland, earning the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1988 and winning a World Series the next year.
Colorado Rockies fans remember Weiss best as the guy with knacks for roaming the basepaths (.351 career on-base percentage) and snaring feisty groundballs (.970 career fielding percentage). And in 1995, Weiss was part of the Rockies’ only playoff appearance, eventually losing three games to one to the Atlanta Braves as the wild card in the NL Division Series.
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| AP file |
| Bruce Sutter was the only player to qualify for this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, earning 400 votes (76.9 percent). In his first year on the ballot, former Rockies shortstop Walt Weiss, above, received one vote (.2 percent). The ceremony is scheduled for July 30. |
On Tuesday, the BBWWA familiarized Weiss, a first-timer on the Hall of Fame ballot, with the loneliest number.
One.
Not 1 percent. One vote.
As a result, Weiss likely won’t achieve baseball immortality. Players who receive fewer than 5 percent of the votes are no longer eligible for election by the BBWAA.
No biggie for longtime Rockies fans, whose collective memory of Weiss will endure.
What happened to Weiss after his tenure in LoDo?
Asked to move to second base after the ’97 season, Weiss opted to sign with Atlanta, along with teammate Andres “Big Cat” Galarraga. It was the end of the Rockies’ only “watchable” era. In their stead emerged “can’t miss” prospects in shortstop Neifi Perez and first baseman Todd Helton.
1-for-2.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
“The story goes something like this. When Dan Hawkins assembled the CU players for his first team meeting, he asked kicker Mason Crosby to raise his hand. ‘Don’t go!’ Hawkins pleaded. A month or so later, Crosby has reached the eleventh hour.”
From the mailbags
“I think ‘Breezer’ has been a pleasant surprise for the Avs this season. I can tell you personally that the guy is a class act, and he really cares about winning. He takes his job seriously, and he plays hard.”
From the message boards
“In the last 4 games, Belichick is 1-3 vs Denver, and that one win was when Kanell was at QB for a injured Plummer, and they barely beat Denver. While Belichick is a great strategist, he doesn’t do well against Mike Shanahan coached teams.” — Snarfo
From the online exclusives
Along with puzzles, game recaps and games, slide shows from each game this 2005 Denver Broncos season can be found on our section. Click the image to view a series of photographs from each regular-season game this season.
A look back
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| Post / Karl Gehring |
One season after leaving the Rockies to sign as a free agent with the Atlanta Braves, Walt Weiss fields grounders before the start of the MLB All-Star Game in Denver at Coors Field on July 7, 1998. The American League defeated the National League 13-8 in Weiss’ lone All-Star appearance. |
