So glad in my lifetime, that I finally saw Gil Hodges make the HOF!.....The "FEARED" slugger of the Brooklyn lineup!.....So Proud of one of my boyhood heroes!
This is a wonderful piece about Gil Hodges!! I love Gil Hodges - a great man of character and integrity, THE best First Baseman of his era, served his country in WWII, an upstanding family man, and has been denied his entry into Cooperstown for far too long.
Gil was (and still is) my hero and I'm now 66...I've worn the #14 on every uniform that I have ever worn in his memory...I never met him...but for some reason he captivated me and he is in my thoughts almost everyday...I view him as what the Hall of Fame is about...Gil is the Hall of Fame...he belongs there...and I will be jumping for joy when he finally is allowed in...I hope I'm still alive when it happens...2013 would be the perfect time for me and all of his fans!!
Jeff made such a powerful piece and important! My dad's (Marino Amoruso)'s book was a cornerstone of his life, there are plenty still out there pushing for this cause!
My favorite player. Saw him as a boy in Brooklyn when my dad took me to Ebbets. My dad's name was Gil, too, but his hero was Gherig. We have the same initials. He wore those cut sleeves to show off his guns. Formidable hitter. We moved to LA the same year the Dodgers did. If you look on RUclips for home run derby there are some great moments with Gil. Dodgers should have retired his #14.
Hodges was the best righthanded first baseman I ever saw.Given the bandbox that Ebbets Field was,defense was extra important-A long ago Sport Magazine article about 14 was aptly titled,"The Cat who carries a cannon."Thanks for this video.He was a better person than he was a ballplayer.
This lifelong SF Giants fan believes Gil Hodges not being in the Hall of Fame is the biggest injustice in MLB annals. The present-day Dodgers organization should advocate and the massive LA-area media need to get behind it!
Michael Henry -- would be nice if LA would get involved, but Gil was there only four seasons before finishing out his career with the newborn Mets ... LA doesn't have the love for Gil that Brooklyn always will
They, the HOF should have chisled a plaque for him on Oct. 16th, 1969., both as a player and his auxiliary credit as skipper for the 69 Mets. A gold glove 1st baseman, the best in the 1950s, and the RBI leader in 1950s..He had seven straight seasons of 100 or more RBI. If I'm not mistaken, he hit 12 grand slams. And in the final game of the 1955 WS, Hodges drove in both runs for Johnny Podres win for Brooklyns only ring. And four years later, he and Duke Snider, helped lead the Dodgers to their 2nd WS ring in the twilight of their careers, with 25 hrs. He hit 4 HRs in a game in 1950. He bought up Seaver, 67, Koosman, and Ryan, both in 68, and helped engineer the Rusty Staub trade in 72, right b4 he passed. WTF else does the HOF want him to do ? Walk on water?
On this day in 1950 {August 31st} Gil Hodges hit four home runs off four different pitchers and drove in a total of nine runs... The Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves by the score of 19 to 3... R.I.P. Mr. Hodges {1924 - 1972; and why he is not in the Hall of Fame is a mystery}...
sauquoit13456 -- no mystery ... SOMEBODY with pull has an axe to grind when it comes to Gil ... which is why 45 years after his death, Gil is still out in the cold in Cooperstown ... UTTER DISGRACE
I compared Hodges to some players with similar stats and time frames. Ralph Kiner whose 369 home runs is one less than was in the hall long ago without the post season stats. Another first baseman Orlando Cepeda has 379 to Hodges 370. When you look at the 162 game average both had 29 per 162 games. Cepeda had 104 Rbis per 162 games while Gil had 100.Gil got more RBIs during the 1950's than any other player. Cepeda is in the hall of fame and the only difference between the 2 aside from Hodges being a better fielder is that Cepeda got busted for transporting drugs and Hodges missed a year serving his country. When Hodges retired the Hall was reserved for the immortals of baseball. Now there are broadcasters and baseball clerks on the walls. This changes everything. To keep him out now is a disgrace. I once thought his stats alone were just a ounce too light for the hall. That was prior to 69. Considering his managerial skills of taking the last place Senators to sixth place and the miracle Mets from last to a Wold Championship in conjunction with his time as a player puts him over the top.
His stats alone, 7 straight years of 100 rbi are pretty impressive. He was a slugger who was the best fielding 1st baseman of the 50s. He was a slugger whos career stats just didn't put him over the top. There are guys like Fred Lindstrom, etc, who do not belong. Snider had like 407 hrs, Rice and Cepeda have like 380 hrs, and are in. Hodges has 370 hrs, 7 straight rbi seasons, Gold gloves, and as player, 2 WS rings. I'm not including his auxiliary credit as 69 Mets skipper. Sorry but Hodges deserves the nod.
here is something to add to his home run total. when he hit his 370th homerun while playing for the mets in 1963 it put him at #8 all time mlb. It also put him #1 national league for a righthand batter. times change and there are now dozens with greater HR totals. he should be judged by his era.
I really could never understand why committee members wouldn't vote Gil Hodges inti The HOF. He was. along with Duke, was one of the most feared hitters of the 1950's. Isn't that enough in itself? Every year that goes by without Gil Hodges in it is another year I lose more and more respect for The Hall of Fame. It's just crazy why he is not in....forget how many respected the guy...just crazy! Ask Tom Seaver what he thinks of Gil Hodges if you disagree!.
What I find fascinating is that all these people obviously knew and observed Hodges as a teammate, player, manager, friend, and man, and respected and admired him deeply and deservedly as such, but none of them discuss his war record. A WWI U.S. Marine anti-aircraft combat veteran, he fought at Tinian and Okinawa and was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat "V" for Heroism under fire. I guess you could say that has nothing to do with baseball, and maybe it's so that it doesn't. But Hodges' on-field achievements speak plainly enough about the great player he was; his service record speaks volumes about the man he was. In a word, a Hero (though I suspect that men like Hodges would have chafed at being so designated.... that's part of what makes them Heroes.) Hodges should have been in the Hall a long, long, long time ago. His omission is one of the great mysteries, travesties, and injustices of all time, of all sports, in my opinion.
The record states he s 80 th on the hr list .With all the thousands of men who played in MLB.being 80 th and with a 274 ba and great glove .plus his time with the Mets ,Id like to know why they neglected him .What a great man !
I was at the game where Gil walked all the way out to LF to yank Cleon Jones for not hustling. Sat along the 3B line...saw it all right in front of me. The Astros killed the Mets in a DH that day... But many said that was the turning point in the 1969 season.
I remember listening to that doubleheader. Gil sent a message - it doesn't matter whether you're a bench warmer or the league's leading hitter. If you're not going to hustle, you're not playing. Gil was a saint. He belongs in the HOF, no question. Funny thing - the Mets retired his number 14, but not the Dodgers.
I will never forget the day my cousin came running down the staircase to the basement yelling that GIL HODGES had just died. Shocked i was. Gil Hodges has his own HOF.
Gil Hodges would have won more Gold Gloves. Unfortunately for him the award was only inaugurated in 1957. He won it the first three years, and the first year it was a Major League award, not one for each league. If it had been in place for Gil's entire career, he might have won 10 or 11. Ted Kluszewski would have been his only competition in 1949 (both of them had become regulars during the 1948 season) and throughout their careers, but most observers at the time would tell you that Hodges was better. Hodges was one of the slower runners in the league, but because of his baseball instincts, knowledgeable baseball people of his era will tell you that he rarely made a mistake on the base paths and knew when to go from first to third on a single. I was 5 years old in 1958 when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. The Dodgers were and continue to be my team. Even at that young age, I still remember a cartoon in Sport Magazine at the beginning of the 1958 season with a young, disconsolate fan sitting in front of a blank TV screen because the Dodgers were gone. Suddenly, he gets an idea. There were many players that could have been chosen, but the player whose picture the boy chose to tape to the TV screen was Gil Hodges. That's how respected he was at the time by the people who played, coached, managed and covered the game. Brooklyn fans were very knowledgeable and would even boo their own players if they felt it was warranted. (But don't ever knock one of their players if you were a Giants or Yankees fan!) Many have claimed that Hodges was the only player they never booed. And among visiting, the most admired was Stan Musial. Hodges with Musial? Pretty good company.
Hey Lois Simmons, you know MLB history and a nice ARTICLE you wrote in the comments section about GIL HODGES ....I agree with you GIL HODGES SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME !!! ...... By the way Lois, what do you think of STEVE GARVEY for THE HALL ???
Hopefully Gil will make it to the HOF. In December (2021), the "Golden Days era" 1950-69 players will be considered for votes. Hopefully the vote will take a "smart pill" THIS time. Pushing for Dale Murphy some day too!
It's a travesty that Gil Hodges is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The HOF Veterans Committee MUST do the right thing and put Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame NOW.
My Dad & brother were huge Hodges fans. I was 9 yrs old when the Mets won in 1969. It makes me angry that he has not been inducted.I cried when hearing Gil died from a heart attack. I have his 1956,1957,1959 and a few of his cards when he managed the Senators and the Mets. The sports writers are a bunch of buffoons if they can't see he belongs in the hall.
Grew up in Brooklyn and still a Dodger fan. I have family in the Cooperstown area, but have never been to the HOF because Gil isn’t in it. And look at all the players that are that didn’t measure up to anything near him.
There are scarcely few players who deserve enshrinement in the Hall of Fame more than Gil Hodges. To me, he and Roger Maris will get their plaques some day, and when they do, it will right a wrong that has been a stain on the BBHOF for the last forty years...
The first 3 ever issued. He spent 10 years playing GG first base prior to the award being created. If the award had been there his whole career he would have had a dozen of them and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now about how do we get him in the HOF.
The Mets never would have tanked the way they did in the late 70s if Hodges had remained alive. Who knows - Whitey Herzog might have stayed in the Met organization, too.
Gil should probably be in based on his playing career alone but why can't they add a man's achievements in and contributions to the game in all phases in considering him? Being the great first baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the manage rof the '69 Mets should be more than enough. Joe Torre was a similar case: a borderline Hall of Famer as a player. Add Six pennants and 4 World Championships with the Yankees and he should clearly have been in long before he was finally inducted.
Steven Chappell -- unfortunately for Torre, his managerial resumé looks more like Casey Stengel -- take out the Yankee years, and the record is a TOTAL joke ... nothing against Joe (who suffered as a Mets manager as well), but his numbers don't stand up to Gil's ... either on the field or from the bench
It is a shame that such an immortal Brooklyn Dodger player, who was one of the main cogs of the Boys of Summer years in the City of Churches is not an HOF member. It truly is a shame. As a longtime fan of the LA Dodgers (Mom was a Brooklyn fan) I am so deeply saddened that Gil's name is not mentioned in the Hall. I'm sure there are many a Brooklyn fan who would echo my sentiments.
Hi Jeff - I like your system but am a little confused as to how you chose those 10 best years. did you choose them based on home runs, RBIs, BA? that could include more than 10, picking and choosing the best numbers in each category. Or did you calculate for each year and then choose the best 10? That could take a lot of work if you wanted to compare him to other players. Let me know if you will. Great video! Let's get him in!.
In a coincidence, Rusty Staub and Gil Hodges both attended the same church (St. Ann's in St. Petersburg) for Easter Mass on the morning of April 2nd. Afterward, Rusty came over to say hello in the back of the church and he and Gil had a lengthy conversation. What Rusty did not know was that the Mets (with Gil advocating) had traded for Rusty just a day earlier but due to the impending players strike, the teams would not able to announce it. Gil and the other coaches in attendance kept mum. Later that evening, Rusty found out Gil died. The Mets announced the trade on April 5th. Rusty said not having played for Gil, a man he most respected was THE greatest disappointment of his career. Gil's wife Joan told Rusty, the respect was mutual. Can you imagine, what Gil would have achieved with a hitter like Rusty in his lineup?
Rusty is one of the most under rated players in the history of the sport. I'm sure you know that along with others who are reading these threads, but mention the name Staub to the casual fan and they will have of an inkling of a clue.
Write to the Veterans Committee c/o National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Post Office Box 590 • Cooperstown, New York 13326 • And tell them to get Gil Hodges in the HOF this year!!!! Do it for wife Joan and her family.
Can't watch because the audio is all messed up. The voices are too low and music is too loud. I'm surprised no one is complaining about it. Otherwise it would have been a good video.
Between this video and the 2012 biography of Gil by Tom Calvin and Danny Peary, those on the Veterans Committee should be ashamed that this man has been overlooked for WAY too long ... this video shows that Gil has better numbers than all but 4 HoF 1B (as of the release date) ... and his numbers stand above McCovey and "Pops" who are both in the Hall ... time for TRUE baseball fans to EMPHATICALLY DEMAND enshrinement of Gil Hodges in Cooperstown
Gil is one of the reasons I feel the H of F has lost all credibility, at least from me and I mean that !!! How when you retire and at that point you have hit more homeruns from the right side than any other National leaguer in the history of the league and one of the greatest defensive first baseman EVER and a perennial All Star and a Championship manager on top of that and you are not in the Hall???? Nonsense and a disgrace!
![What's My Line? - Gil Hodges; Peter Ustinov; Eamonn Andrews & Kitty Carlisle [panel] (May 26, 1963)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c_PUijDpP8Y/mqdefault.jpg)
![Quando Rondo - Grow Up [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8zFnCg3BO4Q/mqdefault.jpg)
So glad in my lifetime, that I finally saw Gil Hodges make the HOF!.....The "FEARED" slugger of the Brooklyn lineup!.....So Proud of one of my boyhood heroes!
This is a wonderful piece about Gil Hodges!! I love Gil Hodges - a great man of character and integrity, THE best First Baseman of his era, served his country in WWII, an upstanding family man, and has been denied his entry into Cooperstown for far too long.
Gil was (and still is) my hero and I'm now 66...I've worn the #14 on every uniform that I have ever worn in his memory...I never met him...but for some reason he captivated me and he is in my thoughts almost everyday...I view him as what the Hall of Fame is about...Gil is the Hall of Fame...he belongs there...and I will be jumping for joy when he finally is allowed in...I hope I'm still alive when it happens...2013 would be the perfect time for me and all of his fans!!
Gil is Going !
Thanks, Jeff. That was great! You got me crying all over again, like after Amaroso's "The Quied Man." Yes, he was my hero too. God Bless, Gil Hodges.
Jeff made such a powerful piece and important! My dad's (Marino Amoruso)'s book was a cornerstone of his life, there are plenty still out there pushing for this cause!
This man belongs in the Hall of Fame
He is in the HOF.
My favorite player. Saw him as a boy in Brooklyn when my dad took me to Ebbets. My dad's name was Gil, too, but his hero was Gherig. We have the same initials. He wore those cut sleeves to show off his guns. Formidable hitter. We moved to LA the same year the Dodgers did. If you look on RUclips for home run derby there are some great moments with Gil. Dodgers should have retired his #14.
He deserve it!, great player,and manager too.
Hodges was the best righthanded first baseman I ever saw.Given the bandbox that Ebbets Field was,defense was extra important-A long ago Sport Magazine article about 14 was aptly titled,"The Cat who carries a cannon."Thanks for this video.He was a better person than he was a ballplayer.
I was born in Brooklyn. I applaud the effort for Ballball of Fame to get Gil Hodgesthese.
So many players are inHOF that couldn't carry Gil's shoes. He should be in the HOF
HES IN
Gil Hodges & Buck O'Neil - two HOF-ers who DESERVE to be in... make it right, MLB !!
THEY’RE IN
This lifelong SF Giants fan believes Gil Hodges not being in the Hall of Fame is the biggest injustice in MLB annals. The present-day Dodgers organization should advocate and the massive LA-area media need to get behind it!
Michael Henry -- would be nice if LA would get involved, but Gil was there only four seasons before finishing out his career with the newborn Mets ... LA doesn't have the love for Gil that Brooklyn always will
The Dodgers should also retire his number. Ludicrous they have not.
They, the HOF should have chisled a plaque for him on Oct. 16th, 1969., both as a player and his auxiliary credit as skipper for the 69 Mets. A gold glove 1st baseman, the best in the 1950s, and the RBI leader in 1950s..He had seven straight seasons of 100 or more RBI. If I'm not mistaken, he hit 12 grand slams. And in the final game of the 1955 WS, Hodges drove in both runs for Johnny Podres win for Brooklyns only ring. And four years later, he and Duke Snider, helped lead the Dodgers to their 2nd WS ring in the twilight of their careers, with 25 hrs. He hit 4 HRs in a game in 1950. He bought up Seaver, 67, Koosman, and Ryan, both in 68, and helped engineer the Rusty Staub trade in 72, right b4 he passed. WTF else does the HOF want him to do ? Walk on water?
I've been a Dodger Fan since 1959. Hodges, Snider, Drysdale, Koufax, Wills, Gilliam are my favorites. Hall of Fame induction is long overdo.
On this day in 1950 {August 31st} Gil Hodges hit four home runs off four different pitchers and drove in a total of nine runs...
The Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the Boston Braves by the score of 19 to 3...
R.I.P. Mr. Hodges {1924 - 1972; and why he is not in the Hall of Fame is a mystery}...
sauquoit13456 -- no mystery ... SOMEBODY with pull has an axe to grind when it comes to Gil ... which is why 45 years after his death, Gil is still out in the cold in Cooperstown ... UTTER DISGRACE
He should be in the Hall of Fame.
I compared Hodges to some players with similar stats and time frames. Ralph Kiner whose 369 home runs is one less than was in the hall long ago without the post season stats. Another first baseman Orlando Cepeda has 379 to Hodges 370. When you look at the 162 game average both had 29 per 162 games. Cepeda had 104 Rbis per 162 games while Gil had 100.Gil got more RBIs during the 1950's than any other player. Cepeda is in the hall of fame and the only difference between the 2 aside from Hodges being a better fielder is that Cepeda got busted for transporting drugs and Hodges missed a year serving his country. When Hodges retired the Hall was reserved for the immortals of baseball. Now there are broadcasters and baseball clerks on the walls. This changes everything. To keep him out now is a disgrace. I once thought his stats alone were just a ounce too light for the hall. That was prior to 69. Considering his managerial skills of taking the last place Senators to sixth place and the miracle Mets from last to a Wold Championship in conjunction with his time as a player puts him over the top.
His stats alone, 7 straight years of 100 rbi are pretty impressive. He was a slugger who was the best fielding 1st baseman of the 50s. He was a slugger whos career stats just didn't put him over the top. There are guys like Fred Lindstrom, etc, who do not belong. Snider had like 407 hrs, Rice and Cepeda have like 380 hrs, and are in. Hodges has 370 hrs, 7 straight rbi seasons, Gold gloves, and as player, 2 WS rings. I'm not including his auxiliary credit as 69 Mets skipper. Sorry but Hodges deserves the nod.
here is something to add to his home run total. when he hit his 370th homerun while playing for the mets in 1963 it put him at #8 all time mlb. It also put him #1 national league for a righthand batter. times change and there are now dozens with greater HR totals. he should be judged by his era.
I really could never understand why committee members wouldn't vote Gil Hodges inti The HOF. He was. along with Duke, was one of the most feared hitters of the 1950's. Isn't that enough in itself? Every year that goes by without Gil Hodges in it is another year I lose more and more respect for The Hall of Fame. It's just crazy why he is not in....forget how many respected the guy...just crazy! Ask Tom Seaver what he thinks of Gil Hodges if you disagree!.
What I find fascinating is that all these people obviously knew and observed Hodges as a teammate, player, manager, friend, and man, and respected and admired him deeply and deservedly as such, but none of them discuss his war record. A WWI U.S. Marine anti-aircraft combat veteran, he fought at Tinian and Okinawa and was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat "V" for Heroism under fire. I guess you could say that has nothing to do with baseball, and maybe it's so that it doesn't. But Hodges' on-field achievements speak plainly enough about the great player he was; his service record speaks volumes about the man he was. In a word, a Hero (though I suspect that men like Hodges would have chafed at being so designated.... that's part of what makes them Heroes.) Hodges should have been in the Hall a long, long, long time ago. His omission is one of the great mysteries, travesties, and injustices of all time, of all sports, in my opinion.
Absolute disgrace that Gil is not in the HOF.Someday it will happen if there is any justice in this worled.
He is in the HOF. The video mentions it several times
great video, thanks for sharing! Others have lower stats and still in the HOF, its sad hes not there
The record states he s 80 th on the hr list .With all the thousands of men who played in MLB.being 80 th and with a 274 ba and great glove .plus his time with the Mets ,Id like to know why they neglected him .What a great man !
BEST 1st BASEMAN OF ALL TIME ! ! ! Ask Keith Hernandez ! GiL could do it all and do it so great. RIP....
I was at the game where Gil walked all the way out to LF to yank Cleon Jones for not hustling. Sat along the 3B line...saw it all right in front of me. The Astros killed the Mets in a DH that day... But many said that was the turning point in the 1969 season.
I remember listening to that doubleheader. Gil sent a message - it doesn't matter whether you're a bench warmer or the league's leading hitter. If you're not going to hustle, you're not playing. Gil was a saint. He belongs in the HOF, no question. Funny thing - the Mets retired his number 14, but not the Dodgers.
I will never forget the day my cousin came running down the staircase to the basement yelling that GIL HODGES had just died. Shocked i was. Gil Hodges has his own HOF.
Gil Hodges would have won more Gold Gloves. Unfortunately for him the award was only inaugurated in 1957. He won it the first three years, and the first year it was a Major League award, not one for each league. If it had been in place for Gil's entire career, he might have won 10 or 11. Ted Kluszewski would have been his only competition in 1949 (both of them had become regulars during the 1948 season) and throughout their careers, but most observers at the time would tell you that Hodges was better.
Hodges was one of the slower runners in the league, but because of his baseball instincts, knowledgeable baseball people of his era will tell you that he rarely made a mistake on the base paths and knew when to go from first to third on a single.
I was 5 years old in 1958 when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. The Dodgers were and continue to be my team. Even at that young age, I still remember a cartoon in Sport Magazine at the beginning of the 1958 season with a young, disconsolate fan sitting in front of a blank TV screen because the Dodgers were gone. Suddenly, he gets an idea. There were many players that could have been chosen, but the player whose picture the boy chose to tape to the TV screen was Gil Hodges. That's how respected he was at the time by the people who played, coached, managed and covered the game.
Brooklyn fans were very knowledgeable and would even boo their own players if they felt it was warranted. (But don't ever knock one of their players if you were a Giants or Yankees fan!) Many have claimed that Hodges was the only player they never booed. And among visiting, the most admired was Stan Musial. Hodges with Musial? Pretty good company.
I
Hey Lois Simmons, you know MLB history and a nice ARTICLE you wrote in the comments section about GIL HODGES ....I agree with you GIL HODGES SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME !!! ...... By the way Lois, what do you think of STEVE GARVEY for THE HALL ???
@@johnhariton7432 I think that Garvey should also be in the Hall of Fame.
He deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame.
My dad’s favorite player.
Hopefully Gil will make it to the HOF. In December (2021), the "Golden Days era" 1950-69 players will be considered for votes. Hopefully the vote will take a "smart pill" THIS time.
Pushing for Dale Murphy some day too!
Holy cow! Sisler's plaque looks just like William Macy. Of course Gil belongs in the hall -- way ahead of juicers like Bonds, Clemens, and A-rod.
It's a travesty that Gil Hodges is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The HOF Veterans Committee MUST do the right thing and put Gil Hodges in the Hall of Fame NOW.
My Dad & brother were huge Hodges fans. I was 9 yrs old when the Mets won in 1969. It makes me angry that he has not been inducted.I cried when hearing Gil died from a heart attack. I have his 1956,1957,1959 and a few of his cards when he managed the Senators and the Mets. The sports writers are a bunch of buffoons if they can't see he belongs in the hall.
It is a shame that both Gil and Carl Furillo are not in the hall
HEY HALL OF FAME - - - PUT GIL HODGES IN THE HALL OF FAME ! WAKE UP ! ! !
Grew up in Brooklyn and still a Dodger fan. I have family in the Cooperstown area, but have never been to the HOF because Gil isn’t in it. And look at all the players that are that didn’t measure up to anything near him.
great video, thanks!
You won't get an argument out of me. I've been saying for a long time he should be in.
I'm with you. It's always been a mystery to me why Gil Hodges isn't in the HOF.
There are scarcely few players who deserve enshrinement in the Hall of Fame more than Gil Hodges. To me, he and Roger Maris will get their plaques some day, and when they do, it will right a wrong that has been a stain on the BBHOF for the last forty years...
Gil had 3 Gold Gloves I believe
The first 3 ever issued. He spent 10 years playing GG first base prior to the award being created. If the award had been there his whole career he would have had a dozen of them and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now about how do we get him in the HOF.
The Mets never would have tanked the way they did in the late 70s if Hodges had remained alive. Who knows - Whitey Herzog might have stayed in the Met organization, too.
Gil should probably be in based on his playing career alone but why can't they add a man's achievements in and contributions to the game in all phases in considering him? Being the great first baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the manage rof the '69 Mets should be more than enough. Joe Torre was a similar case: a borderline Hall of Famer as a player. Add Six pennants and 4 World Championships with the Yankees and he should clearly have been in long before he was finally inducted.
Steven Chappell -- unfortunately for Torre, his managerial resumé looks more like Casey Stengel -- take out the Yankee years, and the record is a TOTAL joke ... nothing against Joe (who suffered as a Mets manager as well), but his numbers don't stand up to Gil's ... either on the field or from the bench
Tug McGraw looks like Al leiter
It is a shame that such an immortal Brooklyn Dodger player, who was one of the main cogs of the Boys of Summer years in the City of Churches is not an HOF member. It truly is a shame. As a longtime fan of the LA Dodgers (Mom was a Brooklyn fan) I am so deeply saddened that Gil's name is not mentioned in the Hall. I'm sure there are many a Brooklyn fan who would echo my sentiments.
He is in the HOF. The video mentions it several times
Hi Jeff - I like your system but am a little confused as to how you chose those 10 best years. did you choose them based on home runs, RBIs, BA? that could include more than 10, picking and choosing the best numbers in each category. Or did you calculate for each year and then choose the best 10? That could take a lot of work if you wanted to compare him to other players. Let me know if you will. Great video! Let's get him in!.
You are telling me that Gil Hodges is not in the HOF? Didn't know that. Well its never too late to do something good. And don't forget Rusty Staub.
In a coincidence, Rusty Staub and Gil Hodges both attended the same church (St. Ann's in St. Petersburg) for Easter Mass on the morning of April 2nd. Afterward, Rusty came over to say hello in the back of the church and he and Gil had a lengthy conversation. What Rusty did not know was that the Mets (with Gil advocating) had traded for Rusty just a day earlier but due to the impending players strike, the teams would not able to announce it. Gil and the other coaches in attendance kept mum. Later that evening, Rusty found out Gil died. The Mets announced the trade on April 5th. Rusty said not having played for Gil, a man he most respected was THE greatest disappointment of his career. Gil's wife Joan told Rusty, the respect was mutual. Can you imagine, what Gil would have achieved with a hitter like Rusty in his lineup?
Rusty is one of the most under rated players in the history of the sport. I'm sure you know that along with others who are reading these threads, but mention the name Staub to the casual fan and they will have of an inkling of a clue.
One of the best 1st basemen of all time. He deserves to be in the Hall.
really better than brouthers or connor or anson
Beatles fans
Write to the Veterans Committee c/o National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Post Office Box 590 • Cooperstown, New York 13326 • And tell them to get Gil Hodges in the HOF this year!!!! Do it for wife Joan and her family.
Thanks for the information.
A writer I talked to said don't bother writing a letter. Doesn't do any good. Sorry.
He is in the HOF. Watch the video
Hall of Very Good
Why is everyone saying he should be in a hall of fame? He is and the video mentions it several times.
Gil and Tony Oliva are no brainer HOF ers.
Can't watch because the audio is all messed up. The voices are too low and music is too loud. I'm surprised no one is complaining about it. Otherwise it would have been a good video.
Between this video and the 2012 biography of Gil by Tom Calvin and Danny Peary, those on the Veterans Committee should be ashamed that this man has been overlooked for WAY too long ... this video shows that Gil has better numbers than all but 4 HoF 1B (as of the release date) ... and his numbers stand above McCovey and "Pops" who are both in the Hall ... time for TRUE baseball fans to EMPHATICALLY DEMAND enshrinement of Gil Hodges in Cooperstown
Ralph Branca's the one who gave up the most famous homer in history to Bill Mazoroski.
Lose the music. The rest is well worth the watch.
Cherry picking stats like that arent a real good idea
Gil is one of the reasons I feel the H of F has lost all credibility, at least from me and I mean that !!! How when you retire and at that point you have hit more homeruns from the right side than any other National leaguer in the history of the league and one of the greatest defensive first baseman EVER and a perennial All Star and a Championship manager on top of that and you are not in the Hall???? Nonsense and a disgrace!
God should be in the Hall of Fame and certainly, Gil's number 14 should be retired by the Dodgers.
Steve Garvey more worthy of hall of fame than Hodges. Gil Hodges was a sub 500 manager
Gil will never be in the hall of fame.they have something against all the dodgers in the hall unless we petition.
Gil should have converted to Judaism before he died.Then,Madoff's silent partner would have named the Rotunda for him.