Why did it take so long for Jim Rice to be elected to the Hall of Fame?
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$2 Answers
Now, if you're referring to the College HoF, there is a 10 year delay between "retirement" of the college career (leaving the college arena, that is). Rice became a professional in '84. A second requirement is that the player must be retired from professional play (no time limit) to be nominated. Jerry Rice was inducted into the CHoF on Aug 12 of his retirement year, so he literally waited about a year give or take to be inducted. This isn't that long.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$Another reason is a lot of these writers held a grudge for Rice not actually being open to the media, as they saw fit.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I just decided to look back at this after some time and it looks like the name had been changed after my initial response! lol Totally different people. :) Oh well: Here is why. :)
"Rice's delay in being elected to the Hall of Fame stemmed in part from more current statistical analysis of player performance. This analysis suggested that Rice's HOF credentials might have been more questionable than they were considered during his career. The delay may also have been related to his often difficult relationship with the media during his playing career, many of whom are still voting members of the BBWAA. Some writers, such as the Boston Herald's Sean McAdam, said that Rice's chances improved with the exposure of the "Steroids Era" in baseball. In the same article, McAdam expanded this subject by adding: "In an era when power numbers are properly viewed with a healthy dose of suspicion, Rice's production over the course of his 16 years gains additional stature. As such, he has received increasingly more votes each year since the 2003 ballot, improving his vote totals by 133 votes over the last five years on the ballot. However, from several sabermetric standpoints (not including Black Ink, Gray Ink or HOF Monitor) it can be argued that Rice falls short of his peers in the Hall of Fame."
Straight from the wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rice#Hall_of_Fame