| Raines, Bell lead Canadian Hall class of 2013 |
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| Written by Admin |
| Thursday, 07 February 2013 12:50 |
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TORONTO (AP) - Still waiting for Cooperstown, Tim Raines can say he's a Hall of Famer. The former Montreal Expos outfielder was selected for induction Thursday into the Canadian Baseball of Fame. Also included in the class of 2013 are former outfielders George Bell and Rob Ducey as well as former announcer Tom Cheek and longtime minor league owner Nat Bailey. No players were elected into baseball's Hall of Fame this year by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Raines was fifth in BBWAA balloting with 297 votes (52.2 percent), well short of the 75 percent required for induction. ``Definitely different types of emotions,'' Raines said during a conference call. ``The emotions of not getting into the Baseball Hall of Fame is something I've been dealing with for five years. ``Getting into the Canadian Hall of Fame . . . is the highest honor I've gotten since I played professional baseball, so this is a great moment for me and my family. I was ecstatic about it.'' The 53-year-old played left field for six major league teams from 1979-02 and is best known for his time in Montreal (1979-90). Raines was a seven-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion as a player, and added a third title in 2005 as a Chicago White Sox coach. He retired with a career .294 average, 2,605 hits, 170 homers and 808 stolen bases. Last month, Raines joined the Toronto Blue Jays as a baserunning and outfield coach. Bell, 53, spent 12 seasons in the majors with Toronto, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox and enjoyed his best success with the Blue Jays. He was a three-time All-Star and won the AL MVP award with the Jays in 1987. |
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