ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A decade before he ever showed up on a ballot, Carl Crawford was a Hall of Famer.
At least that’s how it seemed to a lot of people who watched him play for those early Devil Rays teams. He had the talent, he had the intangibles, he had the stats. It felt like Cooperstown and a retired jersey were just a few more line drives, stolen bases and shy smiles away.
And that’s why, in retrospect, this week’s Hall of Fame announcement seemed so remarkable.
