Dave Parker and Dick Allen elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame

[pwaldo]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ml...arkinsons.html

Two of the most feared hitters of the 1970s will get their Hall-of-Fame nods as Dave Parker and the late Dick Allen were elected to Cooperstown on Sunday by the 'classic era' committee.

'Yeah, I cried,' Parker said after receiving the call from Hall chair Jane Forbes Clark. 'It only took a few minutes, because I don't cry.'

His body shaking during a Zoom news conference from Parkinson's disease that was diagnosed in 2012, Parker flashed the quick wit he became known for during a 19-year career that ended in 1991 and included a pair of World Series titles. Asked whether he had thought of himself as a Hall of Famer, Parker responded with one of his often-said remarks.

'Without a doubt. When the leaves turned brown, I´d be wearing the batting crown,' he said. 'That was one of my sayings, so I always thought that I was going to be a major leaguer. I told my mother at 8 years old that I would be a baseball star and one day buy her a house. Well, I did that in ´78. I got that done.'

Several fans described Parker and Allen's selections online as 'overdue.' Parker received 14 of 16 votes and Allen got 13. A vote of 75 percent or more was needed for election. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 along with players voted in by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, whose balloting will be announced on January 21.

Tommy John was third with seven votes on a committee that considered candidates whose primary impact was before 1980. Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, failed California senate candidate Steve Garvey, Vic Harris and the recently passed Luis Tiant each received less than five votes.

[PhillPhan]

Overdue for Allen