Williams has Hall of Fame credentials

By: SHAUN O'NEILL - Staff Writer | Tuesday, February 27, 2007 12:18 PM PST ∞

Tony Gwynn could get some company Tuesday for his Hall of Fame induction. But don't count on it.

The Veterans Committee decisions will be revealed today, providing a last chance for contributors to the game to get in on the Cooperstown fun. Problem is that since the committee was redesigned in 2003 to include more living Hall of Famers, the veterans have not selected a single candidate. Zilch. Nada.

Everyone gets the Mark McGwire treatment from the stars among stars.

That doesn't bode well for former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo, who has lobbied relentlessly for inclusion. Nor is there reason to be optimistic about the chances of former infielder Maury Wills; former outfielder Curt Flood; former owners Charles Finley and Walter O'Malley; or former union chief Marvin Miller ---- all of whom reshaped the game in some way, for better or worse.

San Diego State alumnus Doug Harvey, the longtime umpire, is a candidate. So is short-time Padres pitcher Mickey Lolich, original Padres general manager Buzzie Bavasi and former Padres manager Dick Williams.

Williams probably won't get a sniff, and that's unfortunate. He's the only Padres manager never to have a losing season ---- not counting Bud Black, wise guy ---- but that's only a part of his accomplishments. He won two world titles with the great Oakland A's teams of the 1970s, but his best work came in breathing life into moribund franchises. He turned that trick with the Boston Red Sox, the Montreal Expos and the Padres. Only with the California Angels and Seattle Mariners did he fail to work his magic.

Yes, Williams wore out his welcome in each of his six managerial jobs. But that was his niche ---- come in with fire and brimstone, get lazy players to work hard and teach them how to win. Once players tasted success, they usually tired of Williams' hard ways and rebelled. But they won first.

Williams was 1,571-1,451 lifetime, a .520 winning percentage. He ranks 17th in career victories; of the 13 non-active managers ahead of him, 11 are in the Hall of Fame. Only Gene Mauch and Ralph Houk are not.

Williams won more than Earl Weaver, Miller Huggins, Al Lopez and Wilbert Robinson ---- Hall of Famers all. At least Williams won't be alone in getting snubbed if the Veterans Committee follows its pattern.

More majors
The Washington Times has taken an interest in lefty Matt Chico, the Fallbrook High grad trying to crack the Nationals' pitching rotation. Chico gets the Q&A treatment from the paper. ...

Another ex-Warrior, Troy Cate, started and tossed two shutout innings Monday in the Cardinals' first action of the spring. Cate got the win as the defending world champions beat Florida Atlantic University 3-2. Cate has a chance to break camp in the St. Louis rotation. ...

Mt. Carmel High product Eric Munson is in the lineup at third base for the Astros' first intrasquad game. He spent most of last year as Brad Ausmus' backup at catcher, but will have to stick as a utilityman this year. It appears ex-Padre Humberto Quintero and Hector Gimenez are the candidates to back up Ausmus this year. Munson is in camp on a minor-league contract. ...

Here's the important stuff: Vista High alumnus Wes Littleton, heading into his sophomore campaign with the Rangers, reveals "The Real World" as his favorite reality TV show.

In the NFL
Former Chargers offensive lineman Damion McIntosh appears headed for free agency. His agent said the left tackle is unlikely to re-sign with Miami before the free-agency period starts Friday. ...

Vista High graduate Leon Hall is scheduled for his day in the dome Tuesday when he works out at the NFL combine at Indianapolis. The link is an NFL.com Q&A session.

Connect the dots
Valley Center's Abigail Spears got a bump in the rankings thanks to her upset of Vania King last week in Memphis, Tenn. She's at No. 122 worldwide, up 16 spots. Spears fell one spot in doubles, to No. 214. Spears is in a $75,000 ITF event this week in Las Vegas. ... Valley Center's Rancho Santa Fe's Coco Vandeweghe is No. 1,016. ...

San Marcos' Brian Wilson dropped three spots in the WTA rankings to No. 268. He held steady at No. 176 in doubles. Wilson failed to escape the qualifying bracket of the Las Vegas event this week. ...

Former Torrey Pines High student Dan Hendricks won't have his star horse, Brother Derek, in the Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday. The colt, trained by Hendricks, will have surgery to remove a bone chip from his left front ankle. ...

Two Torrey Pines High products are high on the leaderboard after two rounds Monday in the Arizona Wildcat Invitational college golf tournament in Tucson, Ariz. Cal's Allison Goodman is third at 1 over par, four strokes off the pace of Duke's Amanda Blumenherst. Hannah Jun of UCLA is tied for sixth at 2 over.

Contact staff writer Shaun O'Neill at (760) 740-3546 or soneill@nctimes.com.