Then do I have a post for you. We all know the story of Buck O’Neil. We know how he was passed up from the Hall of Fame for a myriad from pimps, punks, and fools. It’s a damn shame.
But you know what? He’s not alone. There are Hall of Fame travestys that you don’t know about. Herein lies a tale.
A tale of Jack Glasscock.
Jack Glasscock? Jack Glasscock! See, here’s a photo.
And you know that nobody has ever bothered to doctor photos of baseball cards from the 1880’s, right? So, we’ve established that Jack Glasscock is more than a fun name to say. But you know what?
Jack Glasscock was the dominant force in 19th century Shortstop Entertainment. Truly. His defense was spectacular, and he held a career record for leading the league in fielding percentage and assists that lasted until the era of Ozzie Smith. That’s 100 years.
AND YOU KNOW I’M IN THE HALL OF FAME, BABY!
And get this? He ended his career with records for the most games, putouts, assists, double plays, and fielding percentage. How was he so good defensively? Shall we visit the Wikipedia?
- Nicknamed “Pebbly Jack” for his habit of scrutinizing the infield for small stones, typically pocketing them, the practice helped him to avoid the bad-hop ground balls which more regularly afflicted other infielders; fielding averages of the era rarely exceeded .900 among shortstops.
That’s right. Jack Glasscock. “Pebbly Jack” Glasscock. The most dominant force in defensive entertainment.
But that’s not all. Jack Glasscock brought the offensive juice. Jack Glasscock struck the bean with power and grace. Pebbly Jack struck back at the plate.
Yeah. I went there. You know how I can prove it. By having fun with OPS+. OPS+ can bridge the gap between eras. OPS+ is Sabermetrics meets the number 100. Why 100?
Because 100 equals being offensively average. And as for shortstops? Most of them aren’t exactly great offensively. By this metric? Rabbit Maranville and Luis Apricio are lucky they even got invited to Hall of Fame. But you know what?
Jack Glasscock would be a top-notch Hall of Famer. Maybe not Honus Wagner, maybe not Ernie Banks, but he is as offensively skilled as Luke Appling or Cal Ripken. And you know what? That’s not bad.
So what’s the final tally on Glasscock? Finishing his career as the single greatest defensive shortstop of his time. Striking out once in every 33 at bats. 2,630 total bases, 313 doubles, 98 triples. He was the dominant force of the old age of baseball.
He was Captain Pebbly Jack Glasscock. He was awesome.
Vote Glasscock, for the Hall of Fame.
Holy shit. That was awesome and informative!
Comment by Sooze — May 11, 2008 @ 10:02 pm |
[...] The HOF case for Jack Glasscock [Cake Rocks The Party] [...]
Pingback by Busted Coverage: Booze, Ladies And Football » Daily Dump: Romo Sings And Gets Booed, Case For Glasscock, Tony Gwynn Still Inflating And A Kardashian Leak — May 12, 2008 @ 5:34 am |
he has a funny name LOL
Comment by Rusty Kuntz — May 12, 2008 @ 1:09 pm |
Sir,
I know you aren’t the real Rusty Kuntz. I know you made a joke as go-to as calling Brady Quinn gay. But the fact of the matter is, this would mean nothing if someone did not comment as Rusty Kuntz.
Bless you sir.
Comment by Andrew — May 12, 2008 @ 3:23 pm |
[...] Unite!, GLASSCOCK! GLASSCOCK! GLASSCOCK!, SI SE PUEDE! Earlier this week, I told you about Jack Glasscock and his case for the Hall of Fame. It’s a travesty that he had never been inducted. But you [...]
Pingback by You know what? It’s time for some action. « The Grand National Championships — May 17, 2008 @ 5:36 pm |
I know it is a strange name, but that should be overlooked for a great baseball player who obviously deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Comment by Ken Glasscock — May 21, 2008 @ 9:05 pm |
I knew a fellow named Tony Glasscock when I was a kid. I don’t think anybody teased him that I can remember
Comment by Mark Milner — August 16, 2008 @ 12:30 pm |