The Big Hurt

The Big Hurt retires after eighteen pain-inflicting seasons. It was slightly unfortunate that he didn’t finish his illustrious career in a White Sox uniform, but it was nice to see him announce his retirement in Chicago and have his number 35 retired as well and see things come full-circle. He won back-to-back MVP’s in ’93 and the shortened ’94 season and was cheated in more than one way out of another one on 2000. We all know what happened in ’94 and it was just too bad especially for Big Frank who was on pace to break the single-season runs scored record in the AL held by none other than the Great Bambino George Herman Ruth set at 177 in 1921. Not to mention that he had a shot at the Triple Crown! His retirement makes me feel old as he was my first favorite player as a kid. I didn’t have posters of Mickey Mouse or Big Bird, but a monstrous poster of Big Frank putting one out of Comiskey. When we played swift in the parking lot behind our building and mimicked players’ batting stances I always became a little more intense and flared my nostrils and swung a little harder when I pretended to dig in as Frank Thomas. But I digress. Big Frank will undoubtedly be enshrined in Cooperstown. The question is, will he be a first ballot Hall of Famer? Now to me, obviously I’m hoping that he is as he deserves it in my humble opinion, but it doesn’t matter much either way. I understand that it’s prestigious to be a first ballot Hall of Famer, but it’s not like there is a separate wing in the Hall recognizing such players. For Frank Thomas, it’s probable, but it’s all up to the writers in the problematic voting process. There’s a lot of egos to get past in that gauntlet, egos that simply refuse to vote for anybody in their first year of eligibility. There’s also people that may not vote for a guy who spent half of his years hitting in the designated hitter position, even though it’s an every day position. DH is a position in baseball just like all the others; it may not be an on-field position, but a position nonetheless. Position, (that one was just for good measure). Yet again, I digress. So here’s to you, Big Frank. Thanks for your hard work, the memories (my favorite being that when you hoisted Robin Ventura over your shoulder after a game winner), and the unbounded joy you’ve bestowed upon us. I hope that you decide to stay in baseball some how some way.
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