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Commentarty: Shame on Baseball -- They Left Out Lefty Again

From: Dick Meister
Length: 03:09

Despite his extraordinary career, Lefty O'Doul has again been bypassed for admission to Major League Baseball's Hall of Fame. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Commentarty: Shame on Baseball -- They Left Out ...
From: Dick Meister

Default-piece-image-1 Lefty O'Doul was indisputably one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history and one of the game's most colorful and popular players. He's been enshrined in Japan's Hall of Fame for his role as "the Father of Professional Baseball" in that country and if only for that absolutely merits entry into the U.S. Hall.

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Piece Description

Lefty O'Doul was indisputably one of the greatest hitters in Major League Baseball history and one of the game's most colorful and popular players. He's been enshrined in Japan's Hall of Fame for his role as "the Father of Professional Baseball" in that country and if only for that absolutely merits entry into the U.S. Hall.

Broadcast History

None

Transcript

Well, Major League Baseball?s Veterans Committee did it again in this year?s voting for new members of baseball?s Hall of Fame. Once again, the committee bypassed Lefty O?Doul.

Sure, I know many other former players belong in the Hall of Fame but aren?t there ? including some you could probably name yourself..

But I also know that it would be very hard to find many former players ? in or out of the Hall of Fame ? with more impressive credentials than Francis Joseph O?Doul.

I mean, look at the man?s record: Lifetime batting average of .349, the seventh highest in the entire history of the Major Leagues ? and, among other grand deeds, two batting titles ? the first in 1929, when O?Doul, then with the Philadelphia Phillies, hit an extraordinary .398 and got 254 hits, still the National League record for a single season.

O?Doul was later traded to Brooklyn, where he won his sec...
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