These are no “average Joes” in the Baseball Hall of Fame

At the risk of getting a little too religious by running two Catholic-themed posts in the same week, I write today – on the feast of St. Joseph – to note all the “Joes” in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It’s an impressive roster, headed by “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio, “Smokey Joe” Wood and plain old Joe Morgan. Those were the first three Joes who came to mind.

Then I took a look at the Hall of Fame roster and found a bunch more, slapping myself on the side of the head for not immediately remembering these obvious inductees with whom I’m well familiar : Joe Cronin, Joe Gordon, Joe Tinker (as in “Evers to Chance”), Joe Sewell and “Ducky Joe” Medwick.

There are some old-timers with whom I’m only partly acquainted – Kelley, McCarthy and McGinnity – and one Jose; Mendez, a Cuban who played in the Negro Leagues.

And there was one surprise, in that I never knew his first name was Joseph: “Arky” Vaughan.

Interestingly, the only two true “Joes” in the Hall are Wood and Morgan. All the others entered with the full name “Joseph” or “Jose,” in the case of Mendez.

There’s one painfully obvious omission from the list, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, banned from the Hall for his alleged involvement in the Black Sox Scandal. I hope some day baseball will reconsider.