Bert Blyleven is such a classy guy. After years of disappointment, he was so close to election to the Baseball Hall of Fame, falling short by just five votes. I would have been devastated and probably taken the opportunity to rant and rave about how unfair the process is. But after admitting that he was a little disappointed, he laughed off the shortfall.
Blyleven thanked his supporters, including Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, for their constant encouragement. He seemed genuinely happy that Andre Dawson finally made it into the Hall. "It's a beautiful day for Andre Dawson," he said.
Blyleven also praised his strong climb in the balloting, going from 62.7% in 2009 to 74.2% in 2010. He has solid credentials with 287 wins, a 3.31 ERA and 3,701 strikeouts, but he is hurt by losing 250 games playing for some bad teams.
Despite his disappointment, Blyleven is playing the game just right. He knows that with a weaker class coming in next year he will probably make the Hall in 2011. All he has to do is continue to be gracious and he will finally be rewarded with a plaque in the Hall.
Thanks to ConspiracyofHappiness via Wikipedia for the photo.
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