Since you didn't ask... DDGP's 10 choices for the Baseball HOF

As the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voters mull the résumés of the candidates for the Hall of Fame’s (HOF) Class of 2010, the Dog Denizens of Genesee Park (DDGP) has selected the 10 nominees we consider Cooperstown worthy. No, the DDGP doesn’t have a vote… but neither do most of the mouthpieces on sports-talk radio.

• Roberto Alomar
• Bert Blyleven
• Andre Dawson
• Barry Larkin
• Edgar Martinez
• Don Mattingly
• Fred McGriff
• Jack Morris
• Tim "Rock" Raines
• Lee Arthur Smith

The DDGP has made its case for Seattle Mariners All-Star Edgar Martinez. Roberto Alomar (2,724 hits, .300, .984 fielding percentage) and Barry Larkin (.295, eight Silver Slugger awards, 1995 Most Valuable Player) were, respectively, among the standout second basemen and shortstops of the 1990s. Tim “Rock” Raines’ statistics (2,605 hits, .294, 808 stolen bases) surprised us.

Bert Blyleven (287-250 record, 3.31 ERA, 3,701 Ks), Andre Dawson (2,774 hits, 438 HR, 1,591 RBI), and Lee Smith (478 saves, 3.03 ERA, three-time league Rolaids Relief Man of the Year) are overdue. Fred McGriff (2,490 hits,493 HR, .509 slugging percentage) and Jack Morris (254-186, 2,478 Ks, ratio of 5.8 Ks in nine innings) rank as the “best of the rest.”

Don Mattingly (2,153 hits, .307, 1985 MVP, nine Gold Gloves in 14 lumbago-afflicted seasons) won the coin toss over Harold Baines (2,866 hits, 384 HR, .465 slugging percentage in 22 seasons). The Internet perpetuates the theory -- one that Mattingly vehemently denies -- that Donnie Baseball injured his back while engaged in “clubhouse horseplay” with Yankee teammate Bob Shirley in 1987. The account was in question, but the chronic injury was real. One year later, Shirley was back on the line with Laverne at Shotz Brewery.

We considered Mark McGwire, the steroid allegations notwithstanding. Major League Baseball began testing all players for steroids in the 2004 season, three years after McGwire retired. Counter the career homers (583) and slugging percentage (.588) against 1,167 hits and .263 in average I6 seasons. Putting it in a GGDP context, if McGwire were a dog denizen he'd be the large unruly canine that plays too rough with the other hounds. The park "parents" would glare holes through him before his owner tethered him for five minutes, released him for an hour, and finally loaded him in the Tahoe SUV. Mattingly is more akin to the Weimaraner that plays hard, gets injured in the frolic, and makes an unplanned trip to Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services (ACCES) in Lake City.

If ours were a real ballot, only two or three of our 10 selections would crack the 75 percent votes needed for HOF election. We hope that Edgar Martinez is one of them.