• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

Which players are deserving of entry into the Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame?


  • Total voters
    28

This may be controversial, but I think Tito is a better manager and Hargrove is a bit overrated. Hargrove had much more talented rosters and was manager before free agency really turned MLB into the haves and have-nots. I think Tito would've won a ring with those 90's Tribe teams.
 
Hargrove - 9 years, 721-591 (.550), 5 Division Titles, 2 AL Titles

Francona - 9 years, 674-522 (.564), 3 Division Titles and 1 AL Title
 
I vote against all of them in favor of the gangstas of the 1990s. Joey Belle would kick all their asses by himself.

There was the time period where Belle's walk to the plate song was AC/DCs Hell's Bells. Bases juiced, and you'd here those ominous opening deep tones of that song. The chords of doom. Then Belle would walk out to the plate with that glare, and the sell-out crowd would be going nuts. Nothing quite like being at one of those games and feeling that sheer power in the air. You'd almost feel the fear in the opposing dugout. Wish there was video of that somewhere but I haven't been able to find one.

I suppose that time period was the pinnacle of baseball here, and I honestly feel badly for those too young to have experienced that. We were the biggest, baddest dudes in the ballpark, and everyone knew it.
 
Last edited:
This may be controversial, but I think Tito is a better manager and Hargrove is a bit overrated. Hargrove had much more talented rosters and was manager before free agency really turned MLB into the haves and have-nots. I think Tito would've won a ring with those 90's Tribe teams.

Francona is the better manager, not sure he would have been a better manager for the rosters that were in place though in the 90s. I haven't seen Francona with a hitting first roster honestly.
 
Francona is the better manager, not sure he would have been a better manager for the rosters that were in place though in the 90s. I haven't seen Francona with a hitting first roster honestly.

I don't think the pitching staff on their 2007 team was much to write home about, personally. Their bullpen was good, but the rotation was more about names than production. Their lineup hit the hell out of the ball though.

 
I don't think the pitching staff on their 2007 team was much to write home about, personally. Their bullpen was good, but the rotation was more about names than production. Their lineup hit the hell out of the ball though.

Yeah I was gonna say Tito had a HELLUVA lineup in the mid 2000s in Boston. Great starting pitching as well, but shit pen.



This thread needs more Manny love.
 
There was the time period where Belle's walk to the plate song was AC/DCs Hell's Bells. Bases juiced, and you'd here those ominous opening sounds of that song. The chords of doom. Then Belle would walk out to the plate with that glare, and the sell-out crowd would be going nuts. Nothing quite like being at one of those games and feeling that sheer power in the air. You'd almost feel the fear in the opposing dugout. Wish there was video of that somewhere but I haven't been able to find one.

I suppose that time period was the pinnacle of baseball here, and I honestly feel badly for those too young to have experienced that. We were the biggest, baddest dudes in the ballpark, and everyone knew it.

The Albert Belle swag doesn't get enough credit when people talk about franchise history. The team was awful for about two decades.

Then, up from the minors comes this dude who is built like an NFL player, angry, most likely crazy, and has a beautiful swing.

Sandy Alomar was the brains of the team... but Belle's attitude and aura changed the franchise. He doesn't get enough credit because his career was cut short.
 
I was at the Angels game in July 1995. We were down two runs in the ninth with two on and Baerga walks. He trots backwards to 1B pointing hard with both hands right at Albert.

Lee Smith was on the mound.

Albert gets to x balls two strikes, then he fouls a pitch off. Guy next to me screams “Smith is out of pitches, he’s got nothing left to throw, next one is gone.”

Next pitch ... dead center and way over the fence.

Belle was a total badass.

I still tell people out here on the East Coast that we had Thome and Manny batting 6/7 or 7/6 and they can hardly believe it. SAJ batted ninth. That lineup was brutal. It was a great summer when the Tribe, finally, were the bullies.
 
The Albert Belle swag doesn't get enough credit when people talk about franchise history. The team was awful for about two decades.

Then, up from the minors comes this dude who is built like an NFL player, angry, most likely crazy, and has a beautiful swing.

Sandy Alomar was the brains of the team... but Belle's attitude and aura changed the franchise. He doesn't get enough credit because his career was cut short.

Exactly -- it's really tough to convey how true that was unless you were there. Even when we'd have a "hopeful" stretch -- like right before the '87 season when we were on the cover of Sports Illustrated -- we kind of had the "likeable underdogs" vibe about us. Belle changed that. We became the bullies that scared everyone else, and it was a complete 180 for the aura of the franchise. Dude was simply menacing at the plate, and was the clear centerpiece of what we did offensively.

I'd give a whole lot to go back to just one of those games, feel that vibe, the crowd, and the deep tones of that bell as Albert walked to the plates. Truly awesome.
 
The Albert Belle swag doesn't get enough credit when people talk about franchise history. The team was awful for about two decades.

Then, up from the minors comes this dude who is built like an NFL player, angry, most likely crazy, and has a beautiful swing.

Sandy Alomar was the brains of the team... but Belle's attitude and aura changed the franchise. He doesn't get enough credit because his career was cut short.
It's still an absolute travesty that Mo Vaughn won MVP over Belle.

The two aren't even CLOSE from the plate, and Vaughn was a big ol' fatty at 1B while Belle played LF.

LmCM26s.png
 
It's still an absolute travesty that Mo Vaughn won MVP over Belle.

The two aren't even CLOSE from the plate, and Vaughn was a big ol' fatty at 1B while Belle played LF.

LmCM26s.png

'95 Division series, Vaughn had 0 hits in 15 plate appearances, which led to him being referred to as "O" Vaughn by Cleveland fans.

Good times.
 
Mo & Jose Canseco were 0 for the series (a 3 game Tribe sweep)...

It pretty clearly got in their heads as the series went on, and they weren't even close to hitting balls by the time it got to Game 3.
 
No chance Bauer gets in.

With the way he left, I doubt Brantley get the honor.

I think you leave VMart and Kipnis out. The rest are all good shots.
Despite what has been said in here, I think this has perceived bad blood has been taken way out of context in this subforum. Brantley was a free agent and likely wanted to move on. The Indians could've extended him a QO to at least get draft pick compensation but chose not to. Had they done so, it could have potentially hurt Brantley's market. Think the Indians did right by Brantley.
 

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top