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 Gill Hodges Photo Gallery
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Last Chance To Sign Petition In Support of Gil Hodges for the Hall of Fame!

 

“Gil Hodges was a great player but an even greater man.” – Duke Snider

On December 5, the sixteen member Golden Days Era committee will consider Gil Hodges’ qualifications for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

As many of you may be aware, for the past two years, I’ve been running an online campaign in support of Gil here on my Baseball History Comes Alive web site. Over this time, I’ve had a petition in suport of his candidacy available for readers to sign. Many of you have already signed it. My original goal was 500 signatures, but as of today, there are nearly 700 signees.

If you’ve already signed the petition, your name will appear before the members of the Golden Days Era committee. If you haven’t signed as yet and would like to, please do so soon as possible. I’m planning on mailing the results to the committee on approximately November 15.

In addition to the petition, I’ve put together a packet of information that includes a detailed essay enemurating Gil’s many qualifications for induction into the Hall. I’m also including the result of an ongoing poll I’ve been running for the past two years. Over 13,000 readers have voted in the poll with well over 99% in Gil’s favor.

If you feel as I do, you will agree that Gil’s selection is long overdue. If you are not yet sure, I hope you will take the time to read my essay. Also, read this paragraph taken from John Saccoman’s SABR biography of Gil Hodges. It provides perhaps the best summary of Gil’s career achievements: 

“Gil Hodges led all major-league first basemen of the 1950s in home runs (310), games (1,477), at-bats (5,313), runs (890), hits (1,491), runs batted in (1,001), total bases (2,733), strikeouts (882), and extra-base hits (585). He made the All-Star team eight times, every year from 1949-55 and again in 1957, the most of any first baseman of the time. In addition, Hodges was considered the finest defensive first baseman of the era, winning Gold Gloves the first three years they were given out (1957-59, and there were no separate AL and NL awards). Also, he was second among all players in the 1950s in home runs and RBIs, third in total bases and eighth in runs. Not to mention the managerial feat of 1969. Did his premature death cause people to forget about his greatness?”

When all of his many accomplishments are viewed together, I think you’ll see there is no doubt Gil Hodges is more than qualified and would be an outstanding addition to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I hope you will join me as we try to correct an injustice done to an outstanding ballplayer who was an even better man.  

Here is a link that will take you to the petition. It will also take you to my essay written in support of Gil’s candidacy. 

Gary Livacari 

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