IL immortalizes Ripken, Boggs, Balboni

In 1981, three of the International League's standouts were Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs and Steve Balboni. Thirty years later, this illustrious trio has been named to the league's Hall of Fame.

The 14-team Triple-A circuit announced the 2011 Hall of Fame selections Tuesday morning. The three honorees include 1981's home run champ (Balboni), batting leader (Boggs) and Rookie of the Year (Ripken). Balboni and Ripken made their Major League debuts that same season, with Boggs following suit in 1982. The three went on to combine for more than 7,000 big league hits and 700 home runs, with Ripken and Boggs eventually earning enshrinement in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown.

The IL first established a Hall of Fame in 1947, but it went dormant between 1964 and 2008's 125th anniversary season. A league-appointed committee selected 50 individuals for enshrinement over the past three seasons, but it's the 2011 class that truly represents the hall's new era.

"This year we turned [the vote] over to the 53 living members of our Hall of Fame, as well as league executives and members of the media," explained International League president Randy Mobley. "I'm glad we put it into their hands, because they chose three pretty good players."

Balboni, Ripken and Boggs were the top three vote-getters on this year's 10-person ballot. But as with nearly any Hall of Fame, disagreements can arise regarding who is worthy of enshrinement and why. It can sometimes seem as though players are being honored for their eventual Major League accomplishments as opposed to what they did during their time in the Minors.

"That's an issue that we gave a great deal of thought to," said Mobley. "One of the things that's clearly stated in our Hall of Fame criteria is that inductees are being honored primarily for their accomplishments in the International League, as opposed to someone who was average [in the IL] and then went on to set the world on fire at the big league level.

"But while that's clearly stated, it still doesn't address the amount of time that a player had to spend in the league," he continued. "When you look at guys like Ripken and Boggs, I don't know that they could have done any more or better during the time they were here [in the IL]."

But as much as Boggs (.322 over two IL seasons) and Ripken (.288-23-75 in 1981) may have excelled, their most enduring IL legacy might be that they both played in the longest professional baseball game of all time. On April 18 (and 19), Boggs' Pawtucket Red Sox and Ripken's Rochester Red Wings played to a 2-2 tie over 32 innings, with Boggs contributing an RBI single in the bottom of the 21st frame. The game was suspended at 4 a.m., with Pawtucket finally winning in the 33rd inning when play resumed June 23.

Though Balboni was absent from that marathon, he nonetheless made a tremendous impact during his time with the IL's Columbus Clippers. Nicknamed "Bye-Bye" for his home run prowess, he led the circuit in homers in 1981 (33) and 1982 (32) before finishing with a still-standing franchise record of 92.

No dates have been set, but the three honorees will be inducted into the IL Hall of Fame during separate ballpark enshrinement ceremonies. This is fitting, as the Hall itself has no fixed location. Instead, it operates as a roving league-wide exhibit featuring plaques of the inductees and historical information.

"We didn't want to just have something hanging on the wall at our office in Dublin, Ohio," said Mobley. "Doing it this way enables us to educate our fans. It's something we feel good about, and it's been very well received so far."