Yeah, yeah. The Jays have self destructed and we're back to looking at next year. I'm tired of looking to next year. This entry isn't about that. This entry is about the five Blue Jays players eligible to be a Hometown Hero, a promotion by Major League Baseball designed to choose the greatest player in franchise history. The five Blue Jays players are:
- Roberto Alomar
- Joe Carter
- Tony Fernandez
- Pat Hentgen
- Dave Stieb
Firstly, the choice is clear. My vote goes to Robbie Alomar. The winner is clear, and I can't argue with four of the five candidates, but I can think of a few guys who deserve to be there ahead of Pat Hentgen.
Sure, Hentgen won a Cy Young award and gave us some solid years, but is he better than Jimmy Key, John Olerud or even Carlos Delgado? If I were to replace Pat Hentgen on that list right now, I wouldn't hesitate to go with #11 George Bell.
I recently wrote about my life long admiration for Bell, which presents a clear bias, but the proof is in the pudding. He was the AL MVP in '87, he was a clutch hitter who still holds the team record for most home runs in a season and he was our offensive spark plug during those excellent mid-80s years when we were learning to win and getting our first taste of playoff action.
He wasn't media friendly, and he told us all to kiss his purple butt, but if we look beyond that and see the player, there's no doubt he should be a candidate for our Hometown Hero.
