The Hall Of Fame has four new members

The 2015 Hall Of Fame Class is one of the best as they elected four new members, three of them were first ballot.  John Smoltz, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and Craig Biggio are the newest members of the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York.  Last year Smoltz saw his teammates Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux go in on their first ballot and his manager Bobby Cox and now he joins them.  There really wasn't much issue with these guys.  The only controversy is why is Mike Piazza still not in.  He got a little bit closer getting close to 70 percent and he should be elected in next year but for now he waits. 

Randy Johnson is arguably  the best left handed pitcher to ever play the game.  He was big and intimidating and once he got under control he was just dominant.  He had two seasons with the Yankees which are here in my backyard and he won 17 games in both seasons but was never exactly what they thought.  If you can win 17 games two years in a row though and still be called a disappointment it pretty much shows just how good he really was.  He started with the Montreal Expos and then went to the Seattle Mariners and was very wild but once he harnassed that he was just lights out.  He had a career record of 303-166 with a 3.29 ERA and 4,875 strikeouts.  He was with the Expos his first two season in 1988 and 1989 and then with the Mariners for 9 full years and then in his 10th season with the Mariners was traded to the Houston Astros.  He spent six seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks and helped them to one world series championship.  He spent two seasons with the New  York Yankees and then back to the Diamondbacks for a couple of seasons before finishing his career with the San Francisco Giants in 2009.  He was a 10X all star and five time Cy Young award winner.  He pitched a no-hitter and a perfect game. 

John Smoltz spend played for 21 seasons and spent all but one of them with the Atlanta Braves.  He spent his final season with the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals.  He had a career record of 213-155 with a 3.33 ERA.  He struck out 3,084 and also had 154 career saves.  He was an 8X all star and won a world series in 1995.  He won one cy young award. 

Pedro Martinez played 18 seasons for five different teams.  He was an eight time all star, three time cy young award winner  and won a world series in 2004.  He has the lowest WHIP of any live ball era starting pitcher and his adjusted ERA+ is the best of any starting pitcher in MLB history.  He has the second highest winning percentage in modern baseball history.  He had a career record of 219-100 with a 2.93 ERA.  He had 3,154 career strikeouts and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. 

Craig Biggio was the only position player to join these three pitchers in the Hall Of Fame class of 2015.  He played 20 seasons all of them for the Houston Astros.  Biggio finished with a career batting average of 281 and he had 3,060 career hits.  He had 291 career homeruns with 1,175 career RBI, he also had 414 career stolen bases.  He was a seven time all star and four time gold glove award winner.  He won five silver slugger awards. 

Michael Strahan is a hall of famer

Michael Strahan is a Hall Of Famer


Michael Strahan is a former New York Giant football player. He is also currently a daytime talk show host along with Kelly Ripa. He replaced Regis Philbin on the Live with Regis and Kelly show and now it is the Live with Kelly and Michael show. He also is on the set of the fox pre game show on Sunday for the NFL. He was a great football player and is now being recognized for it. Michael Strahan got elected to the pro football hall of fame on Saturday night.

His career was 15 years long and he only played for one team. He holds the single season record for sacks and had over 140 in his career. He also won a super bowl in his final season of 2007. He was drafted in 1993 and played only nine games due to injuries. He had a breakout year in 1997 recording 14 sacks. He appeared in his first pro bowl that season. In 1998 he had 15 sacks and appeared in the pro bowl once again. The Giants appeared in the 2000 Super Bowl and lost and then won the Super Bowl in his last season of 2007.

Strahan retired with 141.5 sacks, 854 career tackles, 4 career interceptions, 24 forced fumbles and 3 career touchdowns. He was in the pro bowl seven times; in his first year of eligibility in 2013 he failed to make the hall of fame. He made it on his second try though. He set the record with 22.5 sacks in a season back in 2001.

Strahan has been on quite a run first getting to be the co-host on Live after Regis Philbin left and now a hall of famer. He is credited with taking the Live show to new heights. The ratings have been through the roof and now he will get to celebrate all in his life as a hall of famer.

The Giants put out a lot of congratulations on Saturday night to him. They can all be read on Giants.com.

The Hall Of Fame Vote

The Hall Of Fame Vote


I don’t have a Hall Of Fame Vote but if I did I would have taken it very seriously. I think there are some out there who don’t do that. I don’t think it is a majority though and most do take it very seriously. When you have to get 75 percent of anything it is going to draw a lot of debate, not everyone is going to agree and that is just fine. There is nothing wrong with debate over merit or non-merit but it should be kept civil. Everyone has a right to do what they feel is the right thing and they shouldn’t be killed for it.

There does need to be some change though, I think the 10-player limit should be taken away. I think you should be able to vote for whomever you want to vote for with no limit. If you feel someone is worthy you should be able to vote for that person. I think the BBWAA mostly does a good job but it should be opened up to more of the new age media like the bloggers, announcers and others in the baseball community. Why should just the card-carrying members of the BBWAA decide this? There are others out there who care just as much about the game. There are some out there who care more then some who are currently voting.

I don’t think the vote should be made as an example. Deadspin purchased a vote of a writer; I don’t think that is right. What did we learn in all of this today?? We learned that the PED issue is a very big issue and the writers are still struggling with how to handle it. Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza would be in the Hall already if it wasn’t for this issue. They both went upward, the only two on the ballot who did so. They clearly are being hurt by the suspicion of PED use even though there was never any evidence that these players have taken steroids. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are first ballot Hall Of Famers who can’t even crack 40 percent. The reason why is simple, it is because of the PED use or suspected use. I don’t think they are ever going to get in as they went backwards. Rafael Palmeiro didn’t pick up five percent and is off the ballot for good. Mark McGwire only got 11 percent and Sammy Sosa around seven percent. The point is that these steroid guys or suspected guys aren’t coming even close the Hall Of Fame. I do think that Piazza and probably Bagwell will get in soon but should they be punished on suspicion?? Should clean players from the so-called steroid era be singled out because of when they played?? I don’t think so but this is a very complex issue. It is hard to know who did and didn’t use. There are certain guys of course like Bonds and Clemens where the evidence is too great but really how do we know.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a guy already in the Hall who took something and if not I am sure there will be in the near future. The best thing of all of this is that baseball is in the spotlight again. There is no sport that draws so much attention to a hall of fame vote. The passion out there is real and the debate is real, this is a good thing for the sport of baseball. It will be interesting to see if anything changes going forward, in the mean time lets recognize the three very deserving members of the Hall Of Fame Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. They will be the class of 2014 along with the three managers, Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

No one is elected to the Hall Of Fame by the BBWAA

The 2013 Hall Of Fame Class was an unbelievable one in name. It was star studded and included many locks for the Hall Of Fame. I should say they were locks if the suspicion and taint of steroids wasn’t hanging over them. Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio. When you hear those names I am sure most would think Hall Of Famers except they aren’t at least not right now. 
Mike Piazza had a near 60 percent showing as the first time on the ballot, I am sure he will get in one day. You have to remember that these guys as long as they receive five percent of the vote stay on the ballot for 15 years. That is a long time for minds to be changed and circumstances to be different. I think this ballot was just a perfect storm as many PED users or suspected users were on the ballot for the first time. This is the first time you had so many of those guys on the ballot and I think the writers were very conflicted.

I think next year you will still have a strong case and probably have many go in. The Veterans committee for instance will have Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre all on the ballot, I bet they all get in. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine will be on for the first time and may both get in. I would say Maddux for sure, what about Mike Mussina, he is a borderline Hall Of Famer and it will be interesting to see how he does. Jack Morris is a guy that may have been caught with the other guys and overlooked a little. There are a lot that think he should be in and next year will be his final year on the ballot. I personally am not so sure he should be a Hall Of Famer. He had a near four ERA which I don’t consider very good.
I think that this is a good debate too have and baseball will be front and center now as this debate is not going away. I think the debate about the Hall Of Fame and steroids will lead us into Spring Training and then the season will start to take over. This is a very tough thing to go through with the steroid era, I really don’t know what to make of it. I have been leaning towards the if they deserve to be in by the numbers then they should be in. I have to be honest though I don’t know if I would of put supposed or known PED cheats in on the first ballot. I probably if I had a vote left Clemens and Bonds off and then voted for them later on. I don’t think McGwire and Sosa are worthy steroids or no steroids, they were too one dimensional for me.

Let the debate continue but I don’t think you can really blame the writers for this. Let’s remember the players, the owners they turned a blind eye to steroids and allowed this to happen so the game could take off again and the money gained out of it. They got tough after the fact but we can’t be naïve, we all know that they let this happen, it isn’t the writers fault that they chose to taint the sport. Lets have a healthy debate about who should be in and who should be out but lets not make it like it’s the end of the world. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and to vote how they want to vote, let’s also remember these players have 15 years to get in, it isn’t a one and done proposition.

MLB Winter Meetings Day One

The Winter Meetings have begun and the Yankees are in the news but not for good reasons. Alex Rodriguez will need surgery on his left hip and be out about half of the season. What does this mean for the Yankees?? Will they make a trade for a third baseman, could they sign a third baseman or will they go with what they have. Brian Cashman the general manager has already said Eduardo Nunez is being strictly seen as a shortstop. Eric Chavez is still out there but can he play everyday for half a season?? Chase Headley is a name that has been mentioned but the Padres told writer Joel Sherman they won’t be trading him. Kevin Youkilis is a free agent although I can’t see him landing with the Yankees. There are a couple of other free agents also like Placido Polanco, we will have to wait and see what the Yankees do but they are being patient. I think it is the right thing to not make a panic move and see how it plays out.

The Yankees may be looking for a catcher although that doesn’t seem as much of a priority as right field. It doesn’t look like the Yankees will make any big moves or sign any big names but you never know with them. I still feel that Ichiro Suzuki will end up back with them and be their right fielder but there hasn’t seemed to be any conversations between the two sides.

Jacob Ruppert an old owner of the Yankees has been posthumously been elected to the baseball Hall Of Fame. A lot of people assumed he was already in for all that he did. He presided over the Yankees first six world championships and brought Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

Tuesday is another day and we will see what that brings. The Red Sox did sign Mike Napoli today to a three year deal. He will play first base for them, Angel Pagan resigned with the San Francisco Giants, four years and 40 million. It looks like R.A. Dickey is a name that is getting a ton of attention, the Mets may move him and a lot of teams are interested but the Mets want a good package for the 2012 NL Cy Young award winner.

Roger Clemens returns to Baseball

Roger Clemens made his return to baseball and the pitching rubber on Saturday night.  He wasn't pitching in the major leagues but in an independent league.  He was pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters a team in Texas as part of the Atlantic League.  It was his first outing since 2007 with the New York Yankees in the postseason.

He is now 50 years old and has just recently won a legal battle which cleared his name.  He was never guilty of taking steroids although everyone can pretty much assume that he did, he won his case though against the goverment and his name is somewhat clear because of that. 

Clemens was throwing 87 miles per hour and tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings of one hit ball.  Their was a sellout crowd of 7,500.  He didn't committ past this game but I am sure since he pitched well that he will be pitching again.  He will have to see how his body recovers but I would expect to see him on a mound once again in a few days. 

Jim Crane the owner of the Houston Astros didn't rule out Clemens returning to the major leagues with the Astros.  They are a team that could use a jolt as they are one of the worst teams ever.  He could almost be like a player/coach for them and did pitch for them before and had a personal service contract with them also for after retirement.  The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals were said to have scouts on hand as well as the Astros. 

If he were to make it back to the majors he would be the second oldest pitcher ever. Satchel Paige pitched at the age of 59.  Clemens has 354 career victories and could add to that, he is ninth on the list and trails Greg Maddux by one.  He could also delay his hall of fame candicy which may be the calculated part of all of this.  He could think that if he waits a few more years they may look at him more favorably. 

Posada ready to hang them up

Jorge Posada is part of the Core Four which will now be down to two members.  Andy Pettitte was the first to retire before last season and now Jorge Posada is ready to make his announcement in the next two weeks according to reports.  Sweeny Murti was the first one to report this story as it broke on Saturday afternoon.  At first glance Posada doesn't seem like a Hall Of Famer but when you look deeper at the numbers he may have a case and I would say he is a borderline Hall of Famer much like Pettitte.  Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter are the two remaining members of the core four and they soon too will be leaving the field and going into the next portion of their life. 

Posada had a chance to sign with another team this year but I think he made the right choice.  He decided instead of hanging on for another year of diminished playing time he would retire a career Yankee.  This will also look better to the Hall Of Fame voting committee.  Posada had a lot of attributes mainly being the catcher on four World Championship teams.  He was considered a clutch player and the vocal leader of the team.  Jeter is the captain but Posada was always considered the fiery leader, the guy who would get in your face.  He wore his emotions on his sleeves and sometimes it boiled over. 

There are famous stories of him and El Duque Hernandez going at it.  It was mainly for Posada to motivate Hernandez though when the Yankees needed him most and it almost always worked.  Posada didn't always get along with pitchers, Randy Johnson didn't want anything to do with him and he wasn't the only one.  Posada though always worked hard and for a guy who came to the Yankees as a 28th round pick and a second baseman he made it work behind the plate. 

Posada was a very good switch hitting catcher and that was his strength.  He was never a strong defensive catcher but he did get better at it over time.  Posada for all of his defensive shortcomings didn't cost the Yankees as he was part of the four titles and an integral part as the catcher.  Posada got much better later in his career at throwing guys out trying to steal and blocking balls in the dirt.  Calling games I didn't have a huge problem with, it depended on the pitcher in that way, some had a problem and some worked well with him. 

Posada was born August 17, 1971 in Santurce, Puerto Rico.  He made his major league debut on September 4, 1995 in a 13-3 win over the Mariners at home.  Ironically the Yankees would take on those same Mariners in the playoffs that year and he would be along for the ride.  Posada played in nien games between 1995-96 and then in 1997 he became the full-time backup catcher to ironically again Joe Girardi who would become his manager in 2008.  He won his titles in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009.  He also appeared in the World Series in 2001 and 2003.  He was a five time all-star(2000-2003, 2007).  He was a five time Silver Slugger Award winner(2000-2003, 2007). 

Here are his career stats, he played in 1,829 games.  He had 1, 664 hits, 275 home runs, 1,065 RBI, 273 batting average.  In the postseason he played in 125 games, had 103 hits, 11 home runs, 42 RBI and a 248 batting average.  His fielding stats were he played 1, 574 games as a catcher and had 12, 877 innings.  He had 984 stolen bases against him, was caught stealing 387 times, had 696 assists and 90 errors.  His fielding percentage was 992. 

He will always be welcome back to Yankee stadium and as time goes on and eventually Jeter and Rivera retire these four, the Core Four will be recognized and celebrated for years to come.  I am sure Jorge won't be a stranger and he is very active in the Jorge Posada Foundation which supports and educates on Craniosynostosis which his son Jorge Jr. has.  I am sure Posada will be busy at home with his family who he has missed a lot of while playing and being on the road often.  It will be interesting to see how he is viewed in five years when he is first put on the ballot for the Hall of Fame.  He is worth putting in the discussion but if nothing else he will be remembered for being a great Yankee and a vocal leader of the latest dynasty. 

Mark McGwire finally admits to Steroids

I don't think there are too many people suprised but Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids today. He is the new hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and has been mostly in hiding for the past decade until taking this job. I don't know why it took him so long to admit this but he probably felt it was just easier to hide and not have to worry about it. He is now the hitting coach for the team he used to play for and knew that it would keep coming up if he didn't address it. I will add the links to the story later and have some comments up from him and possibly others. I would like to hear what you guys think about this, care/don't care?? Did you think this all along or didn't?? Do you think this will help his case for the Hall of Fame or hurt it?? I would love to hear what you guys think and I will jump in on these topics later.