Gil Hodges was one of the unsung heroes of those great Brooklyn Dodgers teams in the 1950s. And he was the manager of baseball’s biggest surprise team, the 1969 Miracle Mets.
Authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary are out with a new book: Gil Hodges: The Brooklyn Bums, the Miracle Mets, and the Extraordinary Life of a Baseball Legend.
Tom Hoffarth of the Los Angeles Daily News writes about the authors lobbying for Hodges to be in the Hall of Fame:
It’s a question Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcast Vin Scully brings up every time the vote comes around — Doesn’t Hodges deserve a plaque along with Dodgers of his era like Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella?
Hodges as so far been by passed by the regular Hall voters from 1969 to ’83, then by the Veterans Committee ever since, starting in 1984.
Hodges’ latest miss on getting voted in came last December, when it was announced that the 16 member committee voting on 10 finalists who played in “The Golden Era” of 1947-’72, got Hodges into the final group, but only the Chicago Cubs’ Ron Santo gained induction this past July.
The next time Hodges could come up for re-election is in 2014.
That gives Clavin and Peary more time to lobby, and Chapter 29 of their book is devoted almost solely to making the argument on Hodges’ behalf. It even cites a time in 1959 when Hodges, four years shy of retiring, competed against Willie Mays in the campy “Home Run Derby” TV show filmed at L.A.’s Wrigley Field, just more than a year after the Dodgers moved here from Brooklyn. They note that at the time, host Mark Scott (referred to in the book as “Mark Frost”) said to Mays at one point: “Baseball’s Hall of Fame has got a spot reserved for both you and Gil.”
Why not? From 1949 to ’59, Hodges averaged 30 homers and 101 RBIs, tying an NL record with 11 straight 20 homer seasons, to go with three Gold Gloves and helping the Dodgers win seven NL pennants and two World Series.
Here’s a preview of the book from Amazon:
Due to his achievements as a player and manager, as well as his sterling character, Gil Hodges deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than any other player. A towering figure during the Golden Era of the 1950s, Hodges was the Brooklyn Dodgers’ powerful first baseman who, alongside Jackie Robinson, helped drive his team to six pennants and a thrilling World Series victory in 1955. Fans never booed the beloved home run hitter from Indiana who married a Brooklyn girl and settled in their borough, and they famously prayed for him when he slumped.
Dutifully following the Dodgers to Los Angeles in 1958, Hodges longed to return to New York City. He joined the original Mets team in 1962, and he finished his playing career with them. In 1968, he took over the manager’s spot on their bench. Under his steady hand, the Mets went from a joke to World Champions in 1969—the Miracle Mets.
Yet behind his stoic demeanor lay a man prone to anxiety and worry. Hodges was scarred by combat on Tinian and Okinawa during World War II, and his inner turmoil was exacerbated by tight pennant races and excruciating defeats. His sudden death in 1972 shocked his friends and family, and left a void in the hearts of baseball fans everywhere.
Acclaimed authors Tom Clavin and Danny Peary delve into one of baseball’s most overlooked stars, shedding light on a fascinating life and career that even his most ardent fans never knew. An exciting biography that paints a portrait of an amazing era of baseball as much as it does an admirable player, Gil Hodges is sure to please fans of America’s pastime.