By Bruce Markusen

This week’s passing of Tommy Henrich brings to mind the understated value of a terrific ballplayer who sacrificed part of his career for a larger cause.

On the surface, Henrich’s Triple Crown numbers don’t sound like that of a Hall of Famer: .282 batting average, 183 home runs, and 795 RBIs. But let’s look at what could have been. Henrich missed three full seasons in the midst of his prime—his age 30, 31, and 32 seasons—while serving in the U.S. military during World War II. If Henrich had been able to play and post even “average” seasons during that span—let’s say 20 home runs and 85 RBIs per season—he would have finished his career with over 240 home runs and over 1,000 RBIs. Those are far more impressive numbers, especially within the context of Henrich’s percentages. For his career, Henrich compiled an on-base percentage of .382 and a slugging percentage of .491, both favorable numbers. On top of that, Henrich was a smart, disciplined hitter who walked nearly twice as often as he struck out. He also played a solid defensive right field, helping to form one of the great outfields in baseball history, teamed with Joe DiMaggio in center and the similarly overlooked King Kong Keller in left. Finally, let’s throw Henrich’s four world championship rings into the argument, and suddenly we have a far more viable candidate for the Hall of Fame.

I’m a firm believer that Hall of Fame candidates who lost playing time during the war deserve some kind of “war credit” for what they might have achieved. After all, these men often had no choice but to enlist in the military; many of them also felt a civic and patriotic duty to do so. Their responsibility and bravery should not be held against them. The crux of the matter is this: exactly how much war credit do we give these players for time lost in service? Each case varies, given the length of military service and the time that it occurred within a player’s career. In the case of Henrich, he enjoyed three of his finest seasons after the war, so it’s reasonable to assume that the three years he lost fell in the midst of what we should rightfully consider his peak or prime. That becomes a huge chunk of war credit, and perhaps it’s enough to put Henrich right on the Cooperstown village limits.

Beyond the Hall of Fame argument, Henrich has drawn plenty of praise for his solid standing as a teammate and his sterling reputation as an excellent player under pressure. He was widely known as “Old Reliable,” but I like his other nickname even more. He was occasionally called “The Clutch.” How cool is that? I can just hear one of today’s broadcasters saying, “The bases are loaded, the game is on the line, and hear comes ‘The Clutch.’ ” Henrich’s ability to produce in important situations has led some in the media to compare him to Derek Jeter, which is a reasonable comparison. I’ll offer another one. Henrich was Paul O’Neill without the footspeed. They both played the same position, both hit left-handed, both hit with similar levels of power. Of course, O’Neill is not a Hall of Famer, but he was an underrated player who was hugely important to the Yankee dynasty from 1996 to 2001. Henrich was a similarly underrated player who spread his contributions throughout the decade of the 1940s. And with that extra war credit, maybe he was a little bit better than O’Neill, maybe good enough to be knocking on the front door of the Hall of Fame…

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Speaking of Cooperstown, another member of the Yankees may be entering the Hall of Fame in the coming week. No, I’m not talking about Don Mattingly or even Tim “Rock” Raines. The man in question never actually wore the pinstripes, but he did call the shots for the franchise from 1915 to 1938. I’m referring to Jacob Ruppert, known as “The Colonel,” who is one of 20 former owners, managers, and umpires being considered by the Veterans Committee this month.

When Ruppert and business partner Tillinghast L’ Hommedieu Huston (I love that name!) assumed command of the Yankee ownership, the franchise was a near laughingstock. Ruppert showed an almost immediate willingness to spend money; within five years, he bought stars like Carl Mays and Babe Ruth from the Red Sox. Ruppert gave his general manager, Ed Barrow, a generous budget with which to work, allowing him to assemble an impressive roster of players and pitchers in the 1920s and thirties.

During Ruppert’s tenure, the Yankees acquired a virtual who’s who of early baseball talent. With Ruppert footing the bills, the Yankees not only purchased Mays and Ruth, but also traded for Waite Hoyt, signed Lou Gehrig, developed youngsters like Bill Dickey, acquired Red Ruffing through trade, and purchased Tony Lazzeri, Joe DiMaggio, and Lefty Gomez from the Pacific Coast League. The Yankees also hired two of the greatest managers in history on Ruppert’s watch: Miller Huggins and Joe McCarthy.

By the end of Ruppert’s reign, the Yankees had won ten American League pennants and seven World Series, including the “Murderers’ Row” team of 1927 and three straight world championship clubs from 1936 to 1938. Another championship would come in October of 1939, just nine months after Ruppert’s death.

Ruppert has emerged as one of the leading candidates among this year’s group of owners and executives being considered by the Vets Committee. Like a few other people in Cooperstown, I had assumed that Ruppert was already a member of the Hall of Fame. His resume as an owner is so impressive that it seems he would have been elected years ago. Perhaps the Vets Committee will rectify the oversight on Monday, when it announces the results of its latest election…

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Finally, the Yankees’ decision not to offer arbitration to any of their major free agents has me scratching my head. I understand why they didn’t offer arbitration to Hideki Matsui or Andy Pettitte, either of whom might have been inclined to accept the offer and take home what will likely be a significant pay raise. But why not Damon? Even though Damon would likely make more than $15 million in an arbitration decision, I cannot see him and agent Scott Boras essentially settling for a one-year deal. I believe that Boras is hell-bent on a two or three-year package, which becomes an impossibility if Damon accepts the arbitration offer.

As a Type A free agent, Damon would have brought back two draft choices in return if he had signed with any other team. Now that arbitration has been taken off the table, the Yankees would receive nothing for their valuable No. 2 hitter, who fits so nicely in the lineup between Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira, and brings so much grit and accountability to the clubhouse. Teams looking for a quality left-handed hitting outfielder (the White Sox, Braves, Cubs, and Giants come to mind) will be more inclined to make aggressive offers to Damon now that compensation has been removed from the equation.

I’m starting to think that we may see a new left fielder wearing pinstripes in 2010.