Sometimes former baseball players must wait a long time to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, for some, the honor never comes, but for others it takes a vote of the Classic Baseball Era Committee to make that dream come true. That’s what happened this week for a couple of former players.

Dick Allen, a seven-time All-Star and two-time home run champion, and Dave Parker, a two-time batting champion and the owner of two World Series rings, earned election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday via the Classic Baseball Era Committee process.

Allen and Parker were the only two of eight players on the ballot to be voted in by a 16-member committee. The ballot was comprised of candidates whose primary contribution to the game came prior to 1980.

Parker was named on 14 of 16 ballots and Allen on 13 of 16 ballots as the only candidates to reach the 75-percent threshold necessary for election.

Parker, who is 73, and Allen, who passed away in December 2020, will be joined in the Hall of Fame Class of 2025 by any players who are named on 75-percent of the ballots from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voting, which will be announced on Jan. 21.

Allen played 15 seasons for the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and Athletics, totaling 351 home runs and 1,119 RBI. He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award with the Phillies and was named the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player with the White Sox. He reached the 20-home run mark in nine straight seasons and 10 overall while leading his league in slugging percentage three times, extra base hits three times and on-base percentage twice.

Allen retired before I ever went to my first baseball game, but I do remember watching him play on television and had many of his baseball cards.

Parker was named to seven All-Star Games in his 19 seasons, winning back-to-back NL batting titles in 1977-78 while earning league MVP honors in 1978. He was a key member of the Pirates World Series champions in 1979 and the Oakland Athletics World Series winners 10 years later, Parker led his league in total bases three times and slugging percentage twice.   A three-time Gold Glove Award winner in right field, Parker won the 1979 All-Star Game MVP Award following a legendary exhibition of his throwing arm.

I remember watching Parker play in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I even got his autograph after one of those games. He was a big man with a powerful swing and hit many tape-measure homes at Three Rivers Stadium. He also had and amazing arm, and it wasn’t uncommon for Parker to throw out a runner at third base or home plate.

The 2025 Hall of Fame Weekend will be held July 25-28 in Cooperstown, N.Y., with the Induction Ceremony slated for Sunday, July 27.

COACHING NEWS

It took only two weeks for the University of Tulsa to replace fired head football coach Kevin Wilson. Tre Lamb was introduced as the Golden Hurricane new head coach at a press conference on Tuesday. Lamb comes to Tulsa after only one year as the head coach at East Tennessee State.

Following the collapse of the OSU football team this season, much talk was made about the potential firing of head coach Mike Gundy. Although some outlets reported that he indeed was fired, apparently that wasn’t the case, and all he had to do to keep his job was renegotiate his exorbitant contract.

Interesting.

Maybe Kevin Wilson should have tried that at Tulsa. What if he had offered to coach for $100 per game until they had a winning season? I wonder if TU would have taken that offer.

TULSA BEACON RADIO

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