kent me if you can

jeff kent is headed to the hall of fame. i didn't really see that coming, as there were a few people being considered by the eras committee for induction that i thought would limit votes for the all-time home run leader among second basemen. i mean, i thought it was wrong that he wasn't voted in by the writers when he was first eligible, but i also think it is an absolute shame that barry bonds is not in the hall, so what do i know.

what i do believe at this point is that bonds (and roger clemens for that matter) will never be inducted while carlos beltran seems to be on his way to eventual election (maybe even this go around). anyway, i recently picked up a couple more jeff kent cards for my dodger collection via sportlots. these two cards from 2007 topps moments & milestones

leave me just 147 away from having the full run of these kent cards. nonsense.

kent doesn't seem to sign at all, so i don't have a card to add to my hall of famer collection, but maybe this election will change that, sort of how it kickstarted ted simmons into signing a bunch of cards. if there is a certified, on card auto of kent out there somewhere, please let me know. i might try tracking it down. i saw kent play, but the connection i think of more often is from his very earliest days as a big leaguer. while i was in college, i worked at the city of costa mesa, where kent's dad was a police officer. the police station was adjacent to city hall, and while i never met either kent, one of my more senior coworkers pointed out the police lieutenant to me. there was quite a buzz at the city when jeff debuted with the blue jays in april of 1992 for sure.

who knew then that his career would result in baseball immortality? not me, but i am happy for him that it is happening. i do hope that he is the only inductee in 2026, unless some how alex rodriguez and manny ramirez get the votes.