Is Todd Helton a “Hall of Famer”? Who cares?
“Helton’s not going to make it. We all know that. And it doesn’t matter“
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Since the great Rockies first baseman Todd Helton announced his impending retirement last week there has been much analysis of his career numbers and endless discussion as to whether or not they qualify him for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Local and national pundits have contributed their two cents to the debate and plenty have landed on either side.
Helton’s not going to make it. We all know that. And it doesn’t matter. Helton played nearly twenty years playing for a franchise that hardly matters in the grand scheme of baseball history and that’s too bad for him. But Helton was a big fish in a small pond and regardless of whether or not he is recognized for his greatness by a slew of East Coast baseball writers he will always be “Mr. Rockies”. So who cares if he is enshrined in some far away museum?
Right here in Colorado Todd Helton will forever be chiseled into our own local “Mount Rushmore” of sports greats along with John Elway, Joe Sakic, Alex English and a handful of others. Colorado is a professional sports wasteland as far as the rest of America is concerned. That’s something we residents have come to reluctantly accept. And while some greats are too great to be denied, we know that the standard for entry into any hall of fame is higher for our heroes than they are for those from Boston, New York and LA.
Would Helton’s statistics gain him entry if he had played in the East? Perhaps, perhaps not. There are examples of snubs from the coasts, too. Don Mattingly is one. Having played for the Rockies, though, makes Helton a virtual lock to be overlooked. And that’s fine. We’re used to it. The NFL Hall of Fame overlooked every Denver Broncos player from 1960 to John Elway. Then, after Elway was recognized, finally looked back at Floyd Little and gave him the nod. But by then Denver was no longer football Siberia. In baseball terms it is still.
It would mean a lot to Todd to be recognized. But to the fans of the region who are accustomed to seeing their heroes ignored it’s no big deal. We have loved Helton for almost as long as we have had baseball here. And that’s good enough. Let the blue bloods have their plaques. Our reward will be Helton remaining a part of our community right here in Colorado and his will be breathing fresh air.
