KAROL KUDYBA
Sports Writer

More often than not, the most positive news the Toronto Blue Jays ever have to offer is delivered in the off-season. Legendary member of 1992-93 Jays, Roberto Alomar’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame is the most recent instance of this.

Alomar, the lightning fast second basemen and member of the World Series-winning Jays teams in the early ’90s has finally received his golden ticket to Cooperstown.

Alomar finished his career with an impressive batting resume, collecting over 2,700 hits, 1,100 RBIs and 200 home runs to go with a sparkling .300 batting average. For a middle infielder not on steroids (see Rodriguex, Alex or Boone, Brett), that’s impressive.

In terms of hardware, Alomar collected four Silver Sluggers (award for having the highest batting average at his position) and the ’92 ALCS and ’98 All Star Game MVP awards, as well finishing in the top six of the votes for league MVP six times.

But it was Alomar’s defensive abilities that helped him achieve the status of a 12-time MLB All Star. Alomar’s ability to transform what appeared to be definite singles into outs was unparalleled. And Alomar’s ability to leap over a sliding base runner to nail a batter at first is rivaled by few with the exception of Ozzie Guillen.

Seeing Alomar make a turn on a double play was a thing of beauty, with every throw landing perfectly in then first basemen John Olerud’s glove before many batters had a chance to get there.

Now before you even start, don’t give me this “Derek Jeter invented the jump throw” nonsense. Not a chance. Robbie Alomar was pulling that move while Jeter was a still pimply faced freshman at Kalamazoo High.

I would also laud his 10 Golden Gloves, but I’m fairly sure that everyone who plays baseball gets one, it’s like a participation medal or something. I mean, even Kenny Rodgers has four of them for God’s sake.

Alomar is joined in the 2011 hall of fame class by Bert Blyleven, a right hander who pitched on multiple teams, most notably the Minnesota Twins. But he never received a double play ball from Kelly Gruber, so no more mention will be made of him.

Alomar joins fellow second basemen Nap Lajoie, Bid McPhee, Red Schoendiest and Nellie Fox in Cooperstown.

Alomar received 90 per cent of voters’ support on his second year of eligibility, having fallen eight votes shy the year before. Had he retired earlier, odds are he would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer for sure, but it’s likely that Alomar’s last few years, seven forgettable seasons spent with five different teams probably derailed his chances.

Spitting in the face of umpire John Hirshbeck’s during a MLB game in ’98 probably delayed Alomar’s induction as long as it did too.

Without Robbie Alomar, it’s no doubt that the world would be a sadder place. The Jays wouldn’t have any banners flying over top of the Sky Dome (I refuse to say Rogers Centre) and we wouldn’t have laid witness to that awesome Coca-Cola song that debuted after the Jays’ repeat championship. That jingle still makes me smile.

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image: Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library