I know none of you care but ........ (the Baseball thread)

[pmarachi]

I don't understand how someone can get into the baseball hall of fame on the SECOND try.

I mean do these players get BETTER between voting?

[pmarachi]

Just ordered my Yankee tickets.  

Is it time for the season to start yet?

[UK Redsox]

I don't understand how someone can get into the baseball hall of fame on the SECOND try.

I mean do these players get BETTER between voting?

What ? Have you forgot all those home runs Andre Dawson hit during the 2009 season ?


The HOF elections always amaze me. As far as I'm concerned, BBWA voting** should be a one-and-done system. A player is either a HOF'r or they're not

(** I've no problem with some kind of Veteran's Committee to correct the worst omissions. However, their decisions can be just as mystifying)

With regard to this year's elections.

Andre Dawson was elected but as far as I'm concerned he was nowhere near as good as Tim Raines, who wasn't.

As for the failure to elect Roberto Alomar in his first year or eligibility. This can only be due to some voters seeking to punish him again for the Hirschbeck incident, for which he served his ban and for which Hirschbeck has forgiven him to such an extent that he publicly endorsed Alomar's candidacy.

Alomar's the best second baseman since Joe Morgan.

I expect that Alomar and Bert "Be Home" Blyleven will be enshrined next year.

The lack of support for the Crime Dog surprised me. Maybe it was because he only hit 493 home runs rather than crossing the 500 threshold or maybe its because voters didn't look closely enough at his career and failed to see how consistently good he was.

[pmarachi]

Hirschbeck actually lives in the town I grew up in.  He used to come to the Italian Delli I worked at when I was like 14 years old.  He was a really really nice guy.


I agree.  It's like these writers feel they need to make people wait or something.  It should be a one and done.

But they als are turning it into a Hall of Allstars.

What do you think?

I think Hall of Famers should be like no brainers.

You should be able to just hear the name and KNOW right off the bat "yea! this guy is HOF"

[UK Redsox]

Some HOF's are no-brainers

As long as no steroid related stuff comes up in the next five years, Maddux, Glavine, Unit, Pedro and Biggio should be first ballot elections.

Roberto Alomar should have fallen into this category as well.

However, so candidates require more thought/analysis, eg Edgar, Crime Dog, Schilling etc

Then there's the whole steroid group to consider (Barry, Rocket, Sammy, Raffy, Big Mac etc)

The problem is that the HOF is decided upon be just the writers. I know that rules have been relaxed now so that web based writers can join the BBWAA but they still seem to be deliberately excluding those writers who lean towards statistical analysis.

16 out of 18 web based writers up for consideration in 2007 were let in (why Gammons had to wait until that point is beyond me) but the organisation chose to exclude Rob Neyer and Keith Law, ie the two most stat orientated writers.


Regards

UK Redsox - Baseball Stadium Hall of Fame Inaugural Class of 2001

[pmarachi]

my take is that if its not a no brainer, you shouldn't be in the hall of fame.

The steroid era players are gonna cause some interesting debate though...

I have never been to the hall of fame, which is odd, considering I live like 15 miles out of NYC and it couldn't be more than 4 hours away from me.


That is awesome that you are in the HOF.

Just out of curiousity, does that honor award you any benefit as far as going to games?

[UK Redsox]

That is awesome that you are in the HOF.

Just out of curiousity, does that honor award you any benefit as far as going to games?

Although I did get to give a speech during the 2001 HOF Induction weekend it was in the museum theatre rather than on the main stage.

However, the only lasting benefit is that there's one page profile about me in the Hall of Fame Library. However, its not on display and you have to ask to see it.

I know its there because a friend asked to see it during a visit to Cooperstown last year.



A mate of mine who was inducted the same day does however have a great baseball related benefit that he was given by the Umpires.

Players with more than a certain number of years service (ten I think), umpires and some team officials are given a "Gold Pass" that gets them into any MLB game for free. My mate negotiated a marketing deal for the umpires to meet with fans/corporate sponsors before games (for a fee of course). In thanks for this the umpires arranged for MLB to issue my mate a "Gold Pass".

As far as I'm aware its the only one ever issued to someone who didn't work directly in/for MLB.

The seats that the pass gets are normally great (usually in the scouts or player's family sections). I've been lucky enough to benefit several times.

[UK Redsox]

Derek Jeter to marry Minka Kelly




OK, so its not quite DiMaggio marrying Monroe, but its close.

Jeter's had his pick of the world's finest beauties over the years (inc Mariah Carey, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson plus at least one Miss Universe) but I can't argue with his final choice

[UK Redsox]

Mark McGwire 'fesses up at last that he took steroids ........ but only for medical reasons of course




NB - He's only doing this now because he has a job with the Cardinals this coming season.

[UK Redsox]

Jose Offerman loses it



FF to 45 seconds for the punch

Not much contact there

[cdbearsfan]

What team is that, the ground looks empty?

Does Birmingham City have a baseball franchise?

[VillaZogmariner]

Shouldn't that clip be in the WWE thread, it looked about as real as their punches are!

[UK Redsox]

What team is that, the ground looks empty?

Does Birmingham City have a baseball franchise?

It was a Dominican Winter League game. Offerman has now been banned for life from baseball in that country

[pmarachi]

What team is that, the ground looks empty?

Does Birmingham City have a baseball franchise?

It was a Dominican Winter League game. Offerman has now been banned for life from baseball in that country

so he's gonna miss out on the big bucks...



Hey, just throwing this out there...

If anyone on this board/thread plans on coming to NYC this summer and wants to go to a Yankee game, let me know.  I will definitely extend the invite to anyone who wants to go bleachers and sit with me and my friends.

[UK Redsox]

Any of you who accidentally stumbled upon baseball on Five will have heard Jon Miller commentating

He's just been elected to the Hall of Fame

http://community.baseballhall.org/Page.aspx?pid=627