Oh, how the once mighty have fallen and left the game. Carrie Fisher began Star Wars as an ear muff hair cut having sweet little princess with a bad attitude standing up to the greatest villain in the galaxy. When it was over, she was wearing the metal bikini and kicking ass as a Jedi Knight, her real father and mother having been revealed. In between, she hooked up with Harrison Ford's Han Solo and found true love on Endor beside the Ewoks and Wookies.
Now, she's 75 pounds heavier and the new face of Jennie Craig.
And that's what life is. I've put 75 extra pounds on my frame too, and like Carrie, I dream about the future as I contemplate the gym that I will go to later today. That's life. Making up for the things that went wrong and moving to the future.
I can imagine that Trevor Hoffman feels much the same way as he goes into retirement. Sure, there are 601 saves to his total, but I have to say the same thing many baseball columnists have said - saves are over-rated. It's not like Rollie Fingers coming in for half of a game in the middle of a game. It's not Hoyt Willhelm's knuckle ball being called in to end Roger Maris's dreams.
In 6 years of post season appearances, Hoffman has 4 saves and a 3.46 ERA. That's not clutch. It's like Casey McGehee, his teammate said, “Sometimes he appears to be Superman. Hoffy’s human, too.” However, McGehee was defending his teammate who was imploding during the beginning of his final season.
Yet, this is the guy that crapped the bed for the Padres in 07 - blowing a 3-run lead in the 13th inning to send the Rockies - not the Padres - to the playoffs. Clutch.
"Hells Bells" to the pitching mound, he had to do something to make the pros after failing as a shortstop, consistently over-throwing first base, and he did well for the most part. In 5 All Star Games, he let up 6 runs. Slamming the door shut. In 1998, he let up a big fly to Scott Brosius and made Tony Gwynn angry since he was going to go to his retirement with no ring. He was already upset - remember, the moonshot off the upper deck from a guy who only ever hit 135 home runs in 3,141 successful hits.
I'll be honest... every time I saw Hoffman in a big game, it was as if he was folding like it was laundry day in my house. Not good at all. If you look through my past posts, you'll see how much I've downplayed relievers. Take a few good years from your young closer with a fierce attitude and don't pay big unless he can do multiple innings saves in the playoffs with a sub 1.00 WHIP and a 0.00 ERA (or damn near close to it). Other than that, these modern closers better be coming in and shutting the door.
I tell my wife often that when we have a kid, we'll be teaching him to throw left-handed since there is big money for a situational southpaw reliever. Now, more than ever, I believe that (barring the fact that he can't get even bigger money to be a left-handed starter).
Something about this post being done 2 days after the announcement says anti-climactic in the same way that most of his career does. Sure, the number is impressive, but numbers aren't everything. Quality not quantity. More is not better.
That said, good luck with the future Trevor, you're definitely a gamer... you're just not worthy of Cooperstown.
Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hall of Fame. Show all posts
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Stephen Clark
In 1933, Lake Oswego's neighboring town, Cooperstown, became the genesis of a grand idea - Stephen Clark realized that baseball needed a Hall of Fame to save the town, and his idea for a museum to house artifacts and memories, a nostalgia of a time that should never be forgotten was brought to life and in in 1936, the inaugural class of Walter Johnson, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Babe Ruth were put into the Hall of Fame for all future generations to pay homage to. The next year, Nap Lajoie, Cy Young, Grover Alexander, and Tris Speaker joined the initial four members and brought owners and managers like Ban Johnson, John McGraw, Connie Mack, and Morgan Bulkeley to the fold.
In looking down the list of all those who made the Hall of Fame in its early years, there were many great players who did amazing things. By about 1945-46, some of the names are pulled from the deepest recesses of baseball history, but in dusted off tobacco cards, their images come alive again to show that they were the founders of the game that made it possible for all others.
In looking at the salaries of the modern baseball players who prove that with one good year, especially a good year in a contract year, they can go anywhere, it's hard to see general managers and owners and fans getting bang for their bucks.
Sure, Alex Rodriguez and hiss $33 million per SHOULD make the Hall of Fame - save for the pesky steroids trouble he had, but will Carlos Lee and his $19 mill per? Let's keep this trend going and ask about John Lackey, AJ Burnett, Magglio Ordonez, Barry Zito, Aramis Ramirez, Todd Helton, John Lackey, Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran, and Mark Teixara? And one could also ask about Johan Santana and CC Sabathia, he of the Taft-like figure, but perhaps they will go somewhere with the bright lights of the Big Apple shining on their careers - if they can stay consistent and win, especially on the bigger post season stages.
Perusing the top 20 salaries by year, only Ichiro and Derek Jeter are locks. At this point, Jeter could probably rob a bank and be forgiven due to his having been involved in the (most over-rated) play of all time that saw Jeremy Giambi's steroid addled self thrown out at home for failing to slide, but I digress...
If Manny Ramirez did steroids, what's to say that Ryan Howard won't be found guilty or some future generation will punish whiff masters for failing to connect with the ball more often, if only to make a ground out and advance runners?
Who's a safe bet? Miguel Cabrera? Torii Hunter? It would be easy to shift them to the same list of not quites as previously mentioned, but such is the game of baseball in 2011.
And while I've said it before and I'll say it again that players should take what they're being offered, is giving the money to really good players INSTEAD OF great players the answer? Should the whole thing be based on hope?
If so, then Carlos Gonzalez is in a great place for both himself and his team. $80million for 7 years is very affordable in a world where total salary packages are pushing towards $150million plus rapidly and that's not even getting into the waste of cash that is Alex Rodriguez's $264million salary. In a downturn of his career and coming off a steroids revelation, is this smart money? And barring steroids allegations, the long term high money package deals look relatively safer for the top players, but still... Mike Mussina? Carlos Delgado? Gary Sheffield?
Jeff Bagwell?
Which brings us to the Hall of Fame vote at 1pm today. For a man who made the All Star team 4 times from 1991-2005 and accumulated 449 supposedly "steroids free" home runs (the strength of his vote, if one is casting for him) and a near .300 lifetime batting average (which eclipses Dave Kingman's 442 and .236 respectively), are we really to believe that just because a person wins Rookie of the Year and 1 MVP award, he is worthy of Cooperstown?
And perhaps we'll see today.
Personally, I think Larry Walker's 383 home runs and .313 batting average and the idea of what could have been, even though he played at Coors Field is a hell of a lot better, but that's just me. I know that he will be nowhere close.
I also know that Roberto, "the Spitter," Alomar should sit out for another year, but alas, that's just me, too. The good folks at ESPN are giving him a 94% favorable rate in his 2nd year (out of 18 voters) and Walker only has 1 vote. However, it should be noted, Mark McGwire has 7 votes, still only half of the needed vote to get through the doors, but for his honesty and the bad advice that he took from his lawyers, we can look at his career for what it is.
Someday soon, the Hall of Fame will need to address steroids users in its wing of honor. This won't be next year because the highlight of the voting will be guys like Dustin Hermanson and Carl "Dinosaur" Everett. There will literally be nobody to vote for. Really. Don't believe me? Look it up.
But in 2013, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza will join Mark McGwire in the vote getting. We're not even including drunken lout David Wells in that category, but should he really be getting votes either if we're talking about doing things with honor? I mean, he's not Doc Ellis, but still... next year is not going to be pretty.
So who will tip the scales this year?
Bert Blyleven in his millionth year? Jack Morris? Barry Larkin? Dale Murphy? Lee Smith?
Will the voters respect DH Edgar Martinez?
Will Tim Raines be remembered for his stolen bases or that they were done headfirst to avoid smashing the cocaine vials that he kept in his back pocket?
Will Rafael Palmeiro be believed for his stern denial of using steroids before or after the fact he was busted?
Will Barry Larkin still be seen as great in a day and age when short stops hit for power and presitge?
Will anyone remember the 80s enough to remember Alan Trammel?
Will Fred McGriff's 2 years leading the league in home runs to end up with 493 in a career that ran from 1986 to 2004, only to be derailed by the fact that nobody wanted to sign a guy for one year to let him attain a milestone, finally end up in Cooperstown?
So many choices... so much celebration ready to be unleashed, but in the end, my bet is for Bert Blyleven and that's it.
Alomar will go next year in the emptiness of the voting, as will Barry Larkin. The following July will be a dull celebration that nobody except for Reds fans will go to. You can guarantee that Mets fans won't be there to cheer Roberto on to glory.
In looking down the list of all those who made the Hall of Fame in its early years, there were many great players who did amazing things. By about 1945-46, some of the names are pulled from the deepest recesses of baseball history, but in dusted off tobacco cards, their images come alive again to show that they were the founders of the game that made it possible for all others.
In looking at the salaries of the modern baseball players who prove that with one good year, especially a good year in a contract year, they can go anywhere, it's hard to see general managers and owners and fans getting bang for their bucks.
Sure, Alex Rodriguez and hiss $33 million per SHOULD make the Hall of Fame - save for the pesky steroids trouble he had, but will Carlos Lee and his $19 mill per? Let's keep this trend going and ask about John Lackey, AJ Burnett, Magglio Ordonez, Barry Zito, Aramis Ramirez, Todd Helton, John Lackey, Carlos Zambrano, Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Beltran, and Mark Teixara? And one could also ask about Johan Santana and CC Sabathia, he of the Taft-like figure, but perhaps they will go somewhere with the bright lights of the Big Apple shining on their careers - if they can stay consistent and win, especially on the bigger post season stages.
Perusing the top 20 salaries by year, only Ichiro and Derek Jeter are locks. At this point, Jeter could probably rob a bank and be forgiven due to his having been involved in the (most over-rated) play of all time that saw Jeremy Giambi's steroid addled self thrown out at home for failing to slide, but I digress...
If Manny Ramirez did steroids, what's to say that Ryan Howard won't be found guilty or some future generation will punish whiff masters for failing to connect with the ball more often, if only to make a ground out and advance runners?
Who's a safe bet? Miguel Cabrera? Torii Hunter? It would be easy to shift them to the same list of not quites as previously mentioned, but such is the game of baseball in 2011.
And while I've said it before and I'll say it again that players should take what they're being offered, is giving the money to really good players INSTEAD OF great players the answer? Should the whole thing be based on hope?
If so, then Carlos Gonzalez is in a great place for both himself and his team. $80million for 7 years is very affordable in a world where total salary packages are pushing towards $150million plus rapidly and that's not even getting into the waste of cash that is Alex Rodriguez's $264million salary. In a downturn of his career and coming off a steroids revelation, is this smart money? And barring steroids allegations, the long term high money package deals look relatively safer for the top players, but still... Mike Mussina? Carlos Delgado? Gary Sheffield?
Jeff Bagwell?
Which brings us to the Hall of Fame vote at 1pm today. For a man who made the All Star team 4 times from 1991-2005 and accumulated 449 supposedly "steroids free" home runs (the strength of his vote, if one is casting for him) and a near .300 lifetime batting average (which eclipses Dave Kingman's 442 and .236 respectively), are we really to believe that just because a person wins Rookie of the Year and 1 MVP award, he is worthy of Cooperstown?
And perhaps we'll see today.
Personally, I think Larry Walker's 383 home runs and .313 batting average and the idea of what could have been, even though he played at Coors Field is a hell of a lot better, but that's just me. I know that he will be nowhere close.
I also know that Roberto, "the Spitter," Alomar should sit out for another year, but alas, that's just me, too. The good folks at ESPN are giving him a 94% favorable rate in his 2nd year (out of 18 voters) and Walker only has 1 vote. However, it should be noted, Mark McGwire has 7 votes, still only half of the needed vote to get through the doors, but for his honesty and the bad advice that he took from his lawyers, we can look at his career for what it is.
Someday soon, the Hall of Fame will need to address steroids users in its wing of honor. This won't be next year because the highlight of the voting will be guys like Dustin Hermanson and Carl "Dinosaur" Everett. There will literally be nobody to vote for. Really. Don't believe me? Look it up.
But in 2013, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, and Mike Piazza will join Mark McGwire in the vote getting. We're not even including drunken lout David Wells in that category, but should he really be getting votes either if we're talking about doing things with honor? I mean, he's not Doc Ellis, but still... next year is not going to be pretty.
So who will tip the scales this year?
Bert Blyleven in his millionth year? Jack Morris? Barry Larkin? Dale Murphy? Lee Smith?
Will the voters respect DH Edgar Martinez?
Will Tim Raines be remembered for his stolen bases or that they were done headfirst to avoid smashing the cocaine vials that he kept in his back pocket?
Will Rafael Palmeiro be believed for his stern denial of using steroids before or after the fact he was busted?
Will Barry Larkin still be seen as great in a day and age when short stops hit for power and presitge?
Will anyone remember the 80s enough to remember Alan Trammel?
Will Fred McGriff's 2 years leading the league in home runs to end up with 493 in a career that ran from 1986 to 2004, only to be derailed by the fact that nobody wanted to sign a guy for one year to let him attain a milestone, finally end up in Cooperstown?
So many choices... so much celebration ready to be unleashed, but in the end, my bet is for Bert Blyleven and that's it.
Alomar will go next year in the emptiness of the voting, as will Barry Larkin. The following July will be a dull celebration that nobody except for Reds fans will go to. You can guarantee that Mets fans won't be there to cheer Roberto on to glory.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Harmon Killebrew
When more young kids are aware that your name is a drinking game than that of the 11th greatest home run hitter in major league history, which is a position that he will occupy for quite some time since nobody wants to take a chance on Manny Ramirez this off season and because Vladamir Guerrero is suffering from Dominican ball player aging-itis, this is something to say about the state of people understanding baseball history. Then again, many young players are completely unaware of the history of the game.
However, Harmon is just one of a long list of players and managers and announcers to develop life-threatening sickness and to move within inches of shuffling off this mortal coil. To be honest, 2010 was quite the legendary year for baseball with the comings, goings, and happenings, in what has come to be called the year of the pitcher.
But to that, Harmon was no friend of pitchers as he went deep 573 times in his 22 major league seasons. Six times, he led the league in dingers, and 8 times, he walloped more than 40 jacks. Eight times, he had more than 100 RBIs, which was at its zenith as the US put a man on the moon, a year that he contributed to 140 runs for the 1969 Twins. Considering that the Twins only had Rod Carew and Tony Oliva on their team that year, that's saying something.
Killebrew had 49 of the 163 home runs and 140 of the team's 744 RBIs. He was a man amongst men save for the fact he never hit more than 300 in a season (his first season didn't even produce 20 at bats). However, for those 49 jacks in 69, he only whiffed 84 times. That's not even half of a Ryan Howard season, and don't get me started on Mark Reynolds and Carlos Pena.
So as the 74 year old has developed esophageal cancer and moved into the Mayo Clinic for treatment. As he says:
"With my wife, Nita, by my side, I have begun preparing for what is perhaps the most difficult battle of my life. I am being treated by a team of medical professionals at the Mayo Clinic. While my condition is very serious, I have confidence in my doctors and the medical staff, and I anticipate a full recovery."
We can only hope that he recovers, and that as he does, people who profess a love of baseball remember that only 41 single seasons were ever greater than his 49 in 69. And while the Twins and the Senators and the Royals of his time were never that good, he was.
His plaque at Cooperstown proves it.
However, Harmon is just one of a long list of players and managers and announcers to develop life-threatening sickness and to move within inches of shuffling off this mortal coil. To be honest, 2010 was quite the legendary year for baseball with the comings, goings, and happenings, in what has come to be called the year of the pitcher.
But to that, Harmon was no friend of pitchers as he went deep 573 times in his 22 major league seasons. Six times, he led the league in dingers, and 8 times, he walloped more than 40 jacks. Eight times, he had more than 100 RBIs, which was at its zenith as the US put a man on the moon, a year that he contributed to 140 runs for the 1969 Twins. Considering that the Twins only had Rod Carew and Tony Oliva on their team that year, that's saying something.
Killebrew had 49 of the 163 home runs and 140 of the team's 744 RBIs. He was a man amongst men save for the fact he never hit more than 300 in a season (his first season didn't even produce 20 at bats). However, for those 49 jacks in 69, he only whiffed 84 times. That's not even half of a Ryan Howard season, and don't get me started on Mark Reynolds and Carlos Pena.
So as the 74 year old has developed esophageal cancer and moved into the Mayo Clinic for treatment. As he says:
"With my wife, Nita, by my side, I have begun preparing for what is perhaps the most difficult battle of my life. I am being treated by a team of medical professionals at the Mayo Clinic. While my condition is very serious, I have confidence in my doctors and the medical staff, and I anticipate a full recovery."
We can only hope that he recovers, and that as he does, people who profess a love of baseball remember that only 41 single seasons were ever greater than his 49 in 69. And while the Twins and the Senators and the Royals of his time were never that good, he was.
His plaque at Cooperstown proves it.
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