Jim Rice should be in the Hall of Fame

Jim Rice is a bona fide Hall of Famer. His statistics in his era absolutely merit his selection. He was one of the most feared hitters of the 1970's. Over a ten year period, he was in the top ten Major Leaguers in home runs, runs batted in and batting average. He was also an above average leftfielder with a strong arm who played in Fenway Park's unique and difficult leftfield.

He should not be diminished by the juiced numbers in the decades that followed. Don't be fooled by his 1981 production, remember that was a strike year. In part his candidacy has been negatively effected by the racial prejudices of Boston in the 1970's which undervalued his achievements (and overvalued those of his fellow outfielder Fred Lynn.)