NEW YORK -- Wade Boggs might have to get used to a new routine Tuesday:
life as a Hall of Famer.
The five-time AL batting champion, known for his array of pre- and postgame
rituals, is the top newcomer on the Baseball Writers' Association of America
ballot, joining holdovers Ryne Sandberg and Bruce Sutter.
During an 18-year major league career, Boggs won five American League
batting titles for the Boston Red Sox, made the All-Star team 12 times and
finished with 3,010 hits.
He headed to the ballpark at the same time before every game, made sure to
chow down on chicken and cheesecake before the first pitch, and had two hot
dogs, a bag of barbecue potato chips and an iced tea after the final out.
"If I had one or two, I wouldn't have anything to do," he said of his
routines and superstitions. "So I have 80 or 100 that I go through during the
day, and they fall into place. I know exactly what I'm going to do along the
way. That makes me relax and get into a frame of mind that I need to be in."
Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley were elected to the Hall last year, when
Ryne Sandberg fell 71 votes shy of the 380 (75 percent) needed. Bruce Sutter
(301) was third, followed by Jim Rice (276), Andre Dawson (253), Rich Gossage
(206), Lee Smith (185) and Bert Blyleven (179).
Eight-time All-Star Darryl Strawberry and two-time NL batting champion
Willie McGee also are among 12 players appearing of the ballot for the first
time.
Boggs, 46, won batting titles in 1983 and from 1985-88, becoming the first
player to win the AL batting championship in four straight years since Rod
Carew from 1972-75. Boggs, who hit .300 or higher 15 times, finished with a
.328 average and was the only player in the 20th century with seven straight
200-hit seasons. He also became the first player ever to get 200 hits and 100
walks in four consecutive seasons.
A two-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Boggs played for the Red Sox
from 1982-92, then spent five seasons with the New York Yankees, helping the
team win the 1996 World Series and riding a police horse around Yankee Stadium
after the final victory.
His final two seasons were with his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
"There's players that are in the Hall of Fame that are more gifted," Devil
Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said. "But I'm not sure there's anybody there
that has taken the game any more seriously and has truly come to the ballpark
every day ready to play."
On Aug. 7, 1999, Boggs became the 23d member of the 3,000-hit club,
connecting off Cleveland's Chris Haney to become the first player to get No.
3,000 with a home run. After circling the bases, Boggs kissed home plate.
"I finally put my flag in that mountain. So many guys have tried and come
up short," Boggs said. "It was like the longest mile to walk up to the
plate."
Sandberg, the 1984 NL Most Valuable Player, was a nine-time Gold Glove
second baseman for the Chicago Cubs and a 10-time All-Star. He hit 277 homers,
at the time of his retirement the most by a second baseman, and his .989
fielding percentage is the highest at the position.
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AP Sports Writer Fred Goodall in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report