Ted Simmons HOFer

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SunnyJim
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Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by SunnyJim »

Just wanted to hear your opinions regarding Simba's enshrinement.

He was and is one of my all time favorite Cardinals.

I know there are many who didn't care for his inclusion.

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JoeMcKim
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by JoeMcKim »

I was born in '77 so by the time I got into the Cardinals he was long gone from the teama. I have no problem with him being a HOFer based on his stats but I have no emotional attachment to him. I mean the same kind of applies to Lou Brock but the difference is Brock was one of the truly greats of his generation and Simmons was just kind of there playing solid.

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sighyoung
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by sighyoung »

I'll simply say that he was one of the principal reasons to watch the Cardinals in the 1970's. He was a team leader, tough as nails, played almost every game, was an excellent offensive catcher and switch hitter, and was solid behind the plate, although overshadowed by the likes of an all-time great in his contemporary Johnny Bench.

The 70's were a very frustrating decade, and although Simmons was a eight-time All Star, he could have shown more brightly on a national stage in the post-season if it hadn't been for head-scratching trades of the likes of Steve Carlton, Jerry Reuss, Reggie Smith, Jose Cruz, Jose Cardenal, and Dick Allen, to name just a few players, as well as a horrendous 5-20 start in 1973.

One can debate whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame or the Hall of the Very Good, but such debates shouldn't diminish the simple fact that he was certainly was of the best catchers of his era, and a tremendous joy to watch.

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CardsofSTL
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by CardsofSTL »

I think he belongs. I'm not a numbers guy so I don't really look into how he compares but I think he's in the top tier of the catching category for sure.

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SunnyJim
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by SunnyJim »

I remember reading this article when I was in high school.

The speech he gave at the Knights of the Cauliflower Ear stays with me.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1978/06/05/h ... s-his-game

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OmahaCard79
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by OmahaCard79 »

Been thinking about this a while, but does this mean the Cardinals will retire #23? I know the "rule" from the Cardinals has been that to be considered for permanent number retirement, one has to be elected to Cooperstown. The only retired number that doesn't fit that bill is Ken Boyer, but the rule was created years after his number was retired. I'd say Simmons case for a full number retirement with the Cardinals is borderline compared to many of the other retired numbers. He played 10 full seasons with the Cardinals and parts of 3 others. But, there were 6 all star selections in those 10 years. His case is way stronger for number retirement than Bruce Sutter who only played a handful of years in St. Louis. But, that retirement was a freebie gift to Sutter and the fanbase as it was no loss, and a decent PR gain with #42 already retired for Jackie Robinson.

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CardsofSTL
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by CardsofSTL »

I doubt they retire his number. There's a few HoFers that they didn't if memory serves. Carlton for one.

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st.lewis11
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by st.lewis11 »

Simba definitely was HOF caliber, absolutely belongs there. He's actually one of the better hitting catchers in history. If he had played in a different decade, he would've been much more recognized for his career. But during his era, Johnny Bench was one of a kind, there were also Munson & Fisk in the bigger markets, but I felt Simba was on par with the latter 2. Heck, he's top 10 in WAR among catchers in history, 7th in oWAR, 2nd in RBI's, etc.
I'd also bet Cards will retire his #.....after all, he established his HOF numbers here.
As CardsofSTL pointed out above, yes, there were some HOF'rs that weren't honored that way. However, Carlton didn't really have a HOF type of career until after he left St.Louis. Cepeda only played 3 seasons here.

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JoeMcKim
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by JoeMcKim »

It should be fun this summer to basically have a double Hall of Fame ceremony in August.

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InvincibleCakeEater
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Re: Ted Simmons HOFer

Post by InvincibleCakeEater »

CardsofSTL wrote:
January 4 21, 9:27 pm
I doubt they retire his number. There's a few HoFers that they didn't if memory serves. Carlton for one.
They're retiring his number and unveiling his statue on July 31.

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