gil hodges didn't get the call

sadly, boy of summer gil hodges was not elected to the hall of fame yesterday.  congratulations to ron santo, of course, but hodges was the one i was really pulling for.  hopefully the dodgers will still, at some point, retire number 14 in his honor.

i assume that the person on the phone with hodges in the photo i used to create a 1970 topps card that should have been was president nixon after the amazing mets won the 1969 world series. 

it's too bad hodges didn't get the call from the hall prior to his passing in 1972, and even worse that his family has yet to receive the call in the time that has passed since.  yes, i am biased and not necessarily rational, so i think he belongs.

of course, hodges had an actual card that really was as part of the 1970 topps set

but it was rather uninspired.  hodges began his managerial career with the senators (here's his 1965 topps card)

after the mets traded him to washington in may of 1963.  hodges was an original met in 1962 and then played in 11 games for the 1963 team prior to the trade.  there is a 1964 topps card showing hodges as the senators' manager, but it's a high number which i do not own.  instead, i whipped up a couple of 1964 topps cards that should have been to celebrate hodges' career as a player - final tribute sorts of things. a close-up

or the more obvous spring training shot

i am not 100% sure whether those photos are from his playing days as a met or not, but based on the photo used for topps' 1968 hodges card

i'll go with yes. he looks ancient in that photo, and that was from before he even managed a single game for new york.

here's to you, gil hodges, a hall of famer in my book.