Congrats to Edgar Martinez for finally making it to the hall of fame. Well deserved & long over due. As a Mariners fan, that's the season for me. The rest of you can do your worst now.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTMXteZokXs[/youtube]

Solid class. I’m still hanging onto the hopenthat the voters will do the right thing and put Bonds and Clemens in

4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

Right?

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

I'm glad someone finally did. The ridiculous pomposity of writers who "never vote people in first ballot" needs to end

As for what WAR is good at showing value of...

career WAR, 2019 HOF ballot:

1. 1st half of Bonds' career: 83.6
2. Mussina: 83.0
3. Schilling: 79.6
4. 2nd half of Bonds: 79.2
5. 1st half of Clemens: 73.3
6. Walker: 72.7
7. Rolen 70.2
8. Manny: 69.4
9. Edgar: 68.4
10. 2nd half of Clemens: 65.7
11. Halladay: 64.3

Not a huge complaint but I just don’t see Halladay as first ballot. And I don’t for a second believe that his death wasn’t a factor in the vote. No issue with him getting in eventually but not first ballot

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

I have seen more than one person suggest that writers made Rivera the first unanimous pick so that they could deny Jeter the opportunity of being the first

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Not a huge complaint but I just don’t see Halladay as first ballot. And I don’t for a second believe that his death wasn’t a factor in the vote. No issue with him getting in eventually but not first ballot

With all due respect, the idea of "first ballot hall of famer" is incredibly stupid.

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

I have seen more than one person suggest that writers made Rivera the first unanimous pick so that they could deny Jeter the opportunity of being the first

Even by the low standards of the BBWA (or whatever they're called now), that's particularly ridiculous and very unfortunate if true.

Of course in parochial Boston, one of the main themes from the HOF election coverage was that Edgar's election makes Ortiz's election more likely (but see Bonds & Clemens).

I always liked Harold Baines when he played and while I didn't give it a lot of thought, I was pleased when he was selected for the HOF by some special committee. But now that his name is back in the spotlight as part of this class, I'm thinking Baines is exactly the type of guy who should not be in the HOF because he is the kind of very good player whose non-admission would help keep the HOF as the preserve of the truly great, not merely the very good. There are always going to be questions at the margins and sentimental favorites and all that but erring on the side of admission is a bad big picture strategy.

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

I have seen more than one person suggest that writers made Rivera the first unanimous pick so that they could deny Jeter the opportunity of being the first

Jeter isn't going to be unanimous. His defensive shortcomings are enough to keep him from that. Writers look for any holes they can and that is one. The fascinating one, and one I likely won't be alive to see, will be Mike Trout. Despite zero evidence against him being the best player in the game, and in a very select group of guys who could be the greatest ever, there are people even now who doubt him. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, asshole that he is, doesn't believe he's a top ten player in the game.

Sounds like a super hot take from a guy who has made his living making super hot takes. *snore*

Zip City wrote:Sounds like a super hot take from a guy who has made his living making super hot takes. *snore*

Russo is insufferable but his Trout position has been consistent for years now so I'm guessing he really believes it. My point was that there are always contrarians. I was amazed Rivera was unanimous.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:

Sterling Bigmouth wrote:4 solid additions to the Hall, can’t complain about any of them. Found it interesting though that Mariano Rivera, a reliever of all players, became the first player to ever be unanimously elected.

I have seen more than one person suggest that writers made Rivera the first unanimous pick so that they could deny Jeter the opportunity of being the first

Jeter isn't going to be unanimous. His defensive shortcomings are enough to keep him from that. Writers look for any holes they can and that is one. The fascinating one, and one I likely won't be alive to see, will be Mike Trout. Despite zero evidence against him being the best player in the game, and in a very select group of guys who could be the greatest ever, there are people even now who doubt him. Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, asshole that he is, doesn't believe he's a top ten player in the game.

I have no idea who this guy Russo is but how does a guy who claims that Trout's not a top 10 player still have a platform from which to spout? At some point contrarianism leaks over into flat out wrong. And who would listen to a guy who has opinions like that?

beantownbubba wrote: I have no idea who this guy Russo is but how does a guy who claims that Trout's not a top 10 player still have a platform from which to spout? At some point contrarianism leaks over into flat out wrong. And who would listen to a guy who has opinions like that?

The greater New York Metro area

Zip City wrote:

beantownbubba wrote: I have no idea who this guy Russo is but how does a guy who claims that Trout's not a top 10 player still have a platform from which to spout? At some point contrarianism leaks over into flat out wrong. And who would listen to a guy who has opinions like that?

The greater New York Metro area

He has his own SiriusXM channel and has daily shows on a handful of others. He screams a lot. He's also a regular contributor to MLB Network on TV. He's a complete moron but most sports fans are complete morons so it works.

beantownbubba wrote: I have no idea who this guy Russo is but how does a guy who claims that Trout's not a top 10 player still have a platform from which to spout? At some point contrarianism leaks over into flat out wrong. And who would listen to a guy who has opinions like that?

I'm very envious of you that you don't know who he is. I don't have any idea how this is possible. He had the number one sports radio show in NY for 20 years "Mike & the Mad Dog" with Mike Francesa. I get exposure to him because i listen to MLB Network Radio daily and usually go to walk at lunch at 12:30 or so and unfortunately catch some of his show. I wish I didn't

Oh. Yeah. I"ve heard of "Mike & the Mad Dog" but have never listened to it. Channel surfing past it once or 2x back in the day was enough of a warning.

I have spent way too much time today wondering how somebody who thinks Mike Trout is not a top 10 current baseball player can have a popular sports talk show. In some ways this is more astounding than the 40% of the population who apparently believe that Trump is either more truthful or no less truthful than other presidents, which has been the other thing dragging down my mind for the past couple of days. Bless the optimists out there, I don't know how you do it.

beantownbubba wrote:Oh. Yeah. I"ve heard of "Mike & the Mad Dog" but have never listened to it. Channel surfing past it once or 2x back in the day was enough of a warning.

I have spent way too much time today wondering how somebody who thinks Mike Trout is not a top 10 current baseball player can have a popular sports talk show. In some ways this is more astounding than the 40% of the population who apparently believe that Trump is either more truthful or no less truthful than other presidents, which has been the other thing dragging down my mind for the past couple of days. Bless the optimists out there, I don't know how you do it.

if my glass wasn't half empty before learning of Russo's thoughts (about a year ago) then it certainly is now. Loud and stupid is no way to go through life, Russo.

Well, Ricketts gonna Rickett it seems. As soon as someone says "I deeply regret", if that isn't followed by, "getting caught" you're words are instantly dismissed. Why this should come as some kind of shock is the hardest part to believe.

njMark wrote:Well, Ricketts gonna Rickett it seems. As soon as someone says "I deeply regret", if that isn't followed by, "getting caught" you're words are instantly dismissed. Why this should come as some kind of shock is the hardest part to believe.

Sunlight and exposure is, I’ve heard, a cure for Ricketts

RIP Frank Robinson

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:RIP Frank Robinson

Very sad. One of the greats.

Tequila Cowboy wrote:

whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:RIP Frank Robinson

Very sad. One of the greats.

Amen.

Obviously one of the all time greats as a player, but I have vivid memories of going to Braves games and seeing Frank Robinson manage the last couple Montreal Expos teams before they moved to Washington. My grandfather and dad (a huge Reds fan in the 60s/70s) spoke glowingly of him. RIP

RIP Frank Robinson. His greatness as a player is obvious but what distinguishes him in my mind (and this is totally subjective) is that he was the first black baseball player I remember who made very clear that he wasn't putting up w/ racial bullshit/stereotypes or conforming his behavior to "house Negro" standards. As a young white boy that "edge of danger" was both a little thrilling and very, very admirable.

beantownbubba wrote:RIP Frank Robinson. His greatness as a player is obvious but what distinguishes him in my mind (and this is totally subjective) is that he was the first black baseball player I remember who made very clear that he wasn't putting up w/ racial bullshit/stereotypes or conforming his behavior to "house Negro" standards. As a young white boy that "edge of danger" was both a little thrilling and very, very admirable.

Exactly. I was telling Jen last night that his entire bearing very clearly said, “this is a man who will not suffer fools gladly and who is not to be fucked with”

Harper to the Phillies for 13/$330 mil, no opt outs. Get your tickets Clams!

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Harper to the Phillies for 13/$330 mil, no opt outs. Get your tickets Clams!

Our long Nationals nightmare is over

Tequila Cowboy wrote:Harper to the Phillies for 13/$330 mil, no opt outs. Get your tickets Clams!

13 years. What are odds that NL gets DH well before his contract is over?