Well, some people may not think Bert is Hall-worthy, but ESPN's Jim Caple, the sage who once dubbed the Twins "America's Team," sure does.:
Koufax or Blyleven? The question might seem strictly hypothetical, along the lines of "What if Oprah could fly?" But really, it gets to the heart of what makes a Hall of Fame career. Koufax's brief span of greatness was enough to get him into Cooperstown, but wasn't Blyleven's longevity also a type of greatness? Doesn't being that good for that long make you great? Or do you just become really, really good?I don't know the answer. But I do know that the very fact that this is a difficult question is a big reason why I cast my Hall of Fame vote for Blyleven this week.
And what IF Oprah could fly?
(Thanks to Wonder Woman for the heads-up!)
In more ESPN linkage, the Sports Guy says the HOF is broken, and he's got a plan to fix it: tiers:
Here's the premise: In an ideal world, the Hall of Fame should be a place where someone could stroll in, spend weeks walking around, absorb everything about the game ... by the time they departed, they would know everything there is to know about professional baseball. Well, the way the place is presently constructed, all the Hall of Famers are sort of lumped together. It's like having a Hall of Fame for models and putting Cindy Crawford's plaque next to the girl who modeled as the "Before" picture in the original "Weight Watchers" ad.So why couldn't we transform it into a five-level pyramid -- seriously, an actual pyramid, like a replica of the Luxor casino in Las Vegas -- where elected players are assigned to different levels.
Meanwhile, as YankeeFan points out in the comments, Page 2 makes a gross error in judgment by pronouncing some other blog as the hot must-read blog. (This other blog Curbed, is actually run by a FOBs, and Batgirl has incriminating photos.) Nor do they call Batgirl "America's Sweetheart." First the HOF snub, now this? What is the world coming to?
I am disheartened today by Page 2. While normally their veracity is unblemished, in today's what's hot/not 2005 preview, they have a category for "Must-read blog." Sadly, BG is not mentioned as the hot blog of 2005. I am certain Page 2 will print a correction in tomorrow's edition.
YankeeFan
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hotnot/050106
Posted by: YankeeFan at January 6, 2005 01:58 PMStacy, for one, is outraged.
Batgirl and Bert would have my votes of they would let Stacy vote, *sigh*
Posted by: Stacy at January 6, 2005 03:46 PMI sense that Yankee Fan is trying to avoid addressing what's really bothering him, which is how Randy Johnson is going to destroy his team's chemistry.... :D
Posted by: frightwig at January 6, 2005 07:36 PMLevels...
News Flash: Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, is found to actually be Cosmo Kramer.
Posted by: MO Boiler at January 7, 2005 04:24 AMfrightwig,
Kudos. However, 25 players, 25 limos never works. Of course, anytime you can land a top 5 pitcher you want to do it, but (and the Yanks have apparently finally acknowledged this) there has to be a limit...until you get bogged down with Giambis and Browns (and maybe Johnson in '07) and can't afford to plug up holes that matter. $4M for Tony Womack? Out of control. And as I have said many times (probably way too often and with too many words, as usual) the '80s are coming.
Do you think that the Yanks have the '05 World Series locked up? I can't say that I do.
Sometimes (ok, once, just now) I wonder if you would feel like I do if you were a YankeeFan. Then again, it is the offseason and I am posting to a Twins blog...so...probably :)
YankeeFan
Posted by: YankeeFan at January 7, 2005 08:28 AMp.s.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=1960725
Posted by: YankeeFan at January 7, 2005 09:50 AMNot only should Jack Morris be in the Hall, but Alan Trammell should be as well. As a lifelong Tigers fan, I had the luck of watching Tram and Whitaker turn a double play smoother than any combo since. (And that includes Alomar & Vizquel!)
What do you guys think of Trammell's snub?
Ron
"Do you think that the Yanks have the '05 World Series locked up? I can't say that I do."
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No, I don't think they have the '05 World Series locked up; but we know going into the season that they're just about a cinch to make the playoffs, and will be one of the favorites once October rolls around. They will most likely win 100 games for the fourth straight season, and in that case the only way they miss out on the October festivities is if Boston wins the East while two teams in the West also win more than 100 games. What are the odds?
I do agree with you that the Yankees look headed for a rough patch (relatively speaking) within the next few years. Not so much because they have "too many stars," but because their stars are getting old, locked into contracts that will be difficult to move, and at some point I hope all the other GM's will figure there really aren't any prospects they want in trade from the Yankee farm.
I think Johnson gives them a great weapon this year, but locking him up through 2007 (when he turns 44 in September) could bite them in the ass. Meanwhile, they could be on the hook to pay Giambi $76m through 2008. Posada makes $17m over the next two years, then they have the option of retaining him for $12m or paying a $5m buyout in 2007 when he'll be 35-36. Jeter has at least $118m coming to him through 2010. A-Rod is owed $160m through 2010. They owe Mussina $19m in 2006, with an option for $17m or a $1.5m buyout in 2007. Sheffield gets paid $13m in 2006. In 2006, they have to decide whether to keep Bernie for $15m or pay him a $3.5m buyout. They have to negotiate a new deal with Matsui to keep him in 2006 and beyond.
Some of those deals could come off the books after 2006, and they'll have a chance to start again with a fresh crop of younger stars. But the 2006 season could be sorta ugly for them, and maybe George will screw up the retooling opportunity afterwards. The fact that he signed Sheffield and Johnson rather than Vlad and Beltran may be a little encouraging to anyone who hopes that the Yanks won't be getting much younger anytime soon....
Posted by: frightwig at January 7, 2005 04:10 PM"What do you guys think of Trammell's snub?"
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Not only does he belong in the HOF, but I'd cast my vote for Lou Whitaker, too.
Whitaker's four Most Similar hitters: Sandberg, Trammell, Biggio, Alomar. Most Similar at age 38, when he retired: Joe Morgan. Whitaker was the '78 ROY, won 3 Gold Gloves, made 5 All-Star teams. Batted .276/.363/.426 (117 OPS+) with 2369 hits, 1386 Runs, 244 HR, and 1084 RBI.
Ryne Sandberg hit .285/.344/.452 (114 OPS+) with 2386 hits, 1318 Runs, 282 HR, and 1061 RBI. His advantage over Whitaker is that he also won the '84 MVP, 9 Gold Gloves, and made 10 All-Star teams. But was his career significantly better than Lou Whitaker's?
According to Win Shares, Whitaker actually had the greater cumulative career value with 351 Win Shares to Sandberg's 346, although Whitaker never had one peak season like Sandberg's 1984, and Whitaker had the advantage of 226 more games than Ryno did. Anyway, players with 351 career Win Shares are generally Hall of Famers.
Maybe there is a line between them somewhere, but I think it's a shame that Sandberg is going into the HOF while Lou Whitaker dropped off the ballot after his first year of eligibility. Offhand, I can't think of another 2B in the AL during the '80s and early '90s who was better than Whitaker. He really deserved better consideration from the voters.
Posted by: frightwig at January 7, 2005 04:35 PMAnyone who says Jennie Finch is a not-hot hottie is clearly lacking judgement.
Posted by: Bobbie at January 13, 2005 11:43 AM