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Brady Anderson Is on the New HOF Ballot
By Jamie Mottram | August 7, 2007
The historically bad ‘88 Orioles did something right by dealing Mike Boddicker to Boston for Curt Schilling and Brady Anderson just before the trade deadline. Schilling has had a Hall-of-Fame career, but he was shipped off to Houston in the historically bad Glenn Davis blockbuster before doing anything in Baltimore. So it was Anderson who captured O’s magic for 13 seasons with a combo of power and speed, sideburns and ambiguous gayness that Charm City may never see again.
This is mentionable because Brady is on Gheorge: The Blog’s humorously insightful list of newly eligible players for the HOF class of ‘08. As G:TB notes, none of the new guys have a shot, but that doesn’t mean we should overlook the careers of Shawon Dunston, Rich Garces, Delino DeShields and dozens of others littered throughout my worthless card collection. For me, though, Brady stands out amongst the common(er)s.
He was a light-hitting OF before his out-of-nowhere, 20 HR-50 SB season in ‘92. Anderson became Rickey Henderson-light, an instant All-Star and 90210-fueled sensation with a “Brady’s Bunch” cheering section in the newly minted Camden Yards. He continued on in that fashion for years — staying true to the ‘burns all the while — before busting out with 50 HR in ‘96. This was and is a wonder because a) Brady never hit more than 24 HR in any other season and b) aside from Cecil Fielder’s 51 in ‘90, it was the only 50-HR season I’d ever known.
Many folks may think it was all downhill from there, but Anderson made his third All-Star team the following season and posted the second-best numbers of his career in ‘99. He retired after a brief stint with Cleveland in ‘02, was inducted into the O’s Hall of Fame in ‘04 and was named the ninth-greatest Oriole ever by Camden Chat just last spring.
So while he won’t garner HOF votes — his Baseball Reference similar batters include Devon White and Chet Lemon — he’s worth remembering as a fine player and a damn fine Oriole. Rollerblading be damned.
Topics: Brady Anderson, Orioles | 5 Comments »
August 7th, 2007 at 12:36 PM
I remember my sister having a huge crush on Brady when she lived in Baltimore. She would throw a fit whenever I casually reminded her that Brady had no interest in girls.
August 13th, 2007 at 3:10 PM
Brady was up in Cooperstown, pimping in a black T shirt. The ambiguous gayness part is dead on.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:51 PM
Actually he was pimping a dark blue t shirt with a yet another beautiful girl on his arm in Cooperstown which is convenient to omit when trying to tag your “ambiguous gayness” on him. By the way how does a t shirt black or otherwise indicate gayness? He consistently dated and pursued some of the most beautiful girls in the world and is probably one of the most unambiguous straight men in the world. You people are sadly amusing.
August 16th, 2007 at 9:58 PM
Yeah man, nothing screams “I hate men, I love women!” like rollerblading shirtless.
March 8th, 2009 at 1:15 AM
wow! you people hating on brady need to look in the mirror, funbunch little jealous, cause any girl you hook up with would rather do Brady then you and probably steal you sister’s bf too