Tim Raines: Hall of Famer?

Reading a series of e-mails between Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons is not exactly my idea of fun on a Sunday night, but I got about 3 more months before all the fun starts again. So I'm forced to grab at straws.

You can read the whole thing here, but here's the long and short of the e-mails traded back and forth between the two. Odd numbered e-mails are from Stark to Gammons and even numbered e-mails are vice versa.

E-mail #1:
I initially was not sure about Tim Raines' HOF candidacy, but the more I reviewed his case, the more I became convinced he belonged.

E-mail #2:
I have a problem with Tim Raines because a bunch of people who call themselves experts never voted him higher than 5th in MVP voting. He never led the league in anything. He doesn't have a big dick like beautiful, rugged, godlike, amazing Jim Rice. He's like Bert Blyleven. He just doesn't give me orgasms.

E-mail #3:
Um, ok. But I don't think MVP voting should be that important. And no he didn't lead the league, but he did finish in the top 5 a lot. That means something.

E-mail #4:
Well, ok. He was a really good player. But he wasn't as good as Koufax over that short period of time. And he certainly has nothing on my hot loverboy hero Jimmy Ricecakes.

E-mail #5:
If Raines weren't fucked by collusion and labor strife, he would have gotten a good deal closer to 3,000 hits. If he were at about 3,000 hits for his career, we wouldn't be having this debate. You know he reached base more times in his career than Tony Gwynn? They had identical OBPs.

E-mail #6:
Ok, you got me. I'm gay for Rice but not for Raines. Raines probably deserves to be in, I'll give you that. He gets my, Peter Gammons' vote, but he still doesn't get my dick's vote.

E-mail #7:
Your dick has a vote?

E-mail #8:
Why do you think Jim Rice keeps getting votes every year? My dick votes like other Red Sox fans vote for Kevin Millar and Trot Nixon to represent the Sox at the ASG.

E-mail #9:
Well I guess that explains your wife's unhappiness and her need for male escorts.

By the way, those last 3 e-mails are not made up. You may think I'm just over-the-top and that I'm kidding. I'm not. That's exactly what Gammons wants you to think...

Seriously though, Raines is a borderline Hall of Famer. Jim Rice is NOT a borderline Hall of Famer. He was a valuable player, but he shouldn't even merit discussion because he simply wasn't good enough. Looking at his numbers, the following two things discount Jim Rice immediately:

1. .320/.375/.546 at home, .277/.330/.459 on road
2. Fenway Park was his home park

Those two facts alone should explain his exclusion from the HOF in my opinion.

Raines. Debatable? Yes. But using Jim Rice to explain your reason for excluding Raines? Ok, Peter. Stop drinking that Mirabelli defecation flavored cool-aid and shut up.