Anybody who has been a Mariners fan is undoubtedly familiar with the name Edgar Martinez. He had multiple All-Star seasons as the M's designated hitter. He is perhaps best known for knocking in the winning run – Ken Griffey, Jr. – on a double that he hit down the left field line during the playoffs in the magical 1995 season against the New York Yankees. The season where the team coined the slogan "Refuse to Lose."

I remember being a sixth grader at home watching the game while my Dad was at the game with a next door neighbor. I remember jumping off the couch and being so pumped that the Mariners were heading to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) to face the Cleveland Indians next.

This was just a glimpse of some of the amazing plays that Martinez made as a Mariner. He was also involved in local charities and really gave back to the Seattle community, as well as the Latino community at large (Martinez is Puerto Rican, though born in New York City). Martinez even has a street named after him – Edgar Martinez Drive, right outside of Safeco Field.

One man who has been in support of the notion to add Martinez to the Hall of Fame is local Edmonds resident Tim Raetzloff. Raetzloff began studying historical statistics and encouraging local media to speak out in support of Martinez's worthiness.

"With his accomplishments, he's in the company of a lot of players in the Hall of Fame," Raetzloff said. The question is will Martinez literally end up in their company, with a bronze plaque in Cooperstown? Late next year, Martinez's name will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, as he becomes eligible for the class of 2010.

Martinez showed the kind of poise about the Hall of Fame talk we are used to seeing when he is at bat when he said, "It's a great honor to even be considered for the Hall of Fame," he said. "On a day-to-day basis I'm concentrating on other things, but when people mention and talk about it, that's when I give it a little more thought. But it's not something that I really think about a lot."

For a player to be elected to the Hall, he must be selected by 75 percent of Hall voters, per official rules. Boston Globe national baseball writer Tom Cafardo, a Hall of Fame voter, was quoted saying, "I don't think he's a player who more than 70 percent of the voters are going to look at and say, 'Oh yeah, first-ballot Hall of Famer.' I think he'll be someone whose vote total gradually rises as voters begin to place him in proper context with his peers."

One of the tough obstacles in his way of getting the Hall of Fame nod, in my opinion, is that Martinez rarely played utility positions – like first and third base – though he did when it was absolutely needed, or if a player was injured. Martinez was almost exclusively a designated hitter – and an amazing one at that - meaning that we rarely got to see him flash the leather in the field.

Another obstacle that stands in the way is Martinez's late rise to stardom. He did not post Hall of Fame numbers until he was in his late 30's. Despite playing into his 40's, he didn't finish even close to the supposed "magic numbers" for Hall inclusion: 3,000 hits (Martinez finished with 2,247) and 500 homers (309).

But whether or not Martinez does make the Hall of Fame, I would give him the nod. Being able to play that well into his 40's is quite an accomplishment. I also do not totally agree with the method of admitting players into the Hall. I think that statistics are one thing, but how well rounded a person is off the field should also be a determination. In other words, admission to the Hall should not just be based on performance on the field.

If you think about it, admission procedures and guidelines in other areas are not just based on performance. Look at college admissions, they base it on how well rounded you are as a person, your community involvement, sports involvement, and other factors; not just solely on the fact that you had a 4.0 GPA in high school.

The same rule applies when you are looking for a job. In the interview you are not only asked about what you have done to increase sales, efficiency or productivity. There are first-time job seekers and recent college graduates who have no experience, so they must draw on experience in other areas of life. Interviewers will ask you about your strengths, weaknesses, what books you like to read, what challenges you have had and how you dealt with them, and then what the final result was.

So that I don't get too far off the subject, these are ideas of mine; the Hall may exclusively base votes on performance, but they really should think outside the box and look at obstacles, such as age, that Martinez has dealt with and overcome to still post great numbers late in his career, a magnificent accomplishment if you ask me. Hopefully voters do the right thing in Cooperstown and select Edgar Martinez, one of the most memorable Mariners, to the Hall of Fame. 



Dan Olson writes for KSTW-TV in Seattle. All opinions expressed in this column are his.