January 2009 - Posts
The Hall of Fame has been on my mind a lot this week. Part of this focus is because I am reading the names Barry Bonds, Greg Anderson, Brian McNamee, Kirk Radomski and Bobby Estalella.
One perjury trial (Bonds) is imminent and another (Clemens) is in the works. Neither player is relevant so I just don’t care. Not about the legal process. I prefer to never see either man on the field again and, despite Bonds’ Rickey Henderson fantasy, I don’t have worry. It’s just that my head hurts when I read about the ongoing nonsense surrounding the aforementioned people.
What bothers me is that this could be the enduring legacy of BALCO era- baseball being dragged through endless mud by a subset of humans that deserve no attention and the ravenous lawyers always ready to pounce on a case. The government’s dogged pursuit of Bonds is a factor as well and anyone who dabbles in this stuff after all of this deserves their fate.
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As we swing into February and the last stages of the offseason, here’s a look at teams which have done well this winter and also those clubs who still have work to do before the new season starts:
CUBS: Keeping Ryan Dempster and adding Milton Bradley make the Cubs the team to beat again in the NL Central. If Bradley stays healthy, their lineup has balance and the potential to lead the league.
If Carlos Marmol can close, the loss of Kerry Wood will barely be felt. Adding Aaron Heilman -- a longtime favorite of Cubs general manager Jim Hendry – bolsters the bullpen. Now the Cubs have two pitchers who can start or relieve -- Heilman and Jeff Samardizija.
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FIVE SWINGS:
1. MULTIPLE PUBLICATIONS AND WEB SITES…have outlined the All-Star caliber team of unsigned free agents. Watch "Meet the Press" Sunday morning and listen to the tales of economic doom we face as a country then read various accounts of the slow free agent signings featuring the word collusion and it's impossible to keep from laughing.
The gall of agents has no limit. Neither does the sense of entitlement wired into players. And the owners are also to blame. But every time over the 30-plus years of free agency that anyone has tried to exercise any caution/restraint/thought on free agents, collusion is tossed into the conversation.
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Jeff Kent has retired after 17 seasons and he is a Hall of Famer. This is not to predict he will be elected to baseball’s shrine (regular readers of this blog know my feeling about the composition of the Hall of Fame electorate so one of my last acts would be to presume anything about their voting).
But simply put my view is that Kent meets the measure to make it to Cooperstown.
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Cubs manager Lou Piniella has learned that not all is fair in baseball. Now he’s not complaining nor should he be with his annual salary. But it doesn’t change the reality that winning 56 percent of regular season games and division titles in his two seasons in Chicago is thoroughly negated by the Cubs’ 0-6 postseason record.
Baseball is designed as a marathon and decided by a sprint. Piniella’s Cubs have showed a champion’s endurance but no burst for the October sprint. And now Piniella is talking about change. He says he’s not a Zen guy but he’s ready to read Phil Jackson’s books. Piniella is going to read about John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. He is even willing to tackle some sports psychology.
Piniella admits he is “searching” for a “little different approach” to bring to his team, which is trying to end a 101-year championship drought.
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FIVE SWINGS AFTER A QUIET BASEBALL WEEKEND:
1. THE DODGERS…officially parted ways with Andruw Jones at the end of last week. The move frees money for the team to spend on others (Manny Ramirez?) and it frees Jones to escape a situation where Dodgers fans would have buried him in boos.
The logical next step is to assume Atlanta would have interest in bringing Jones back to fill its hole in centerfield. Braves general manager Frank Wren says he wants to discuss it further "internally."
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The drums beat for a salary cap in baseball. They beat slowly at first, with a brave owner or two carrying the flag in opening public statements. Next the talking heads and blogger universe run with the idea. A populist movement is afoot -- who wouldn’t want the Royals to have a chance at signing CC Sabathia? Why should the Yankees get whomever they want?
Finally, enough owners believe to create a faction -- one that must be heard within the meeting room. The last play in this scenario is to target the next labor negotiation as the time to make a fundamental change in the “partnership” (and that’s what it is) between owners and players.
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Five questions still to be answered as we hit mid January and notable free agents are still unsigned:
1. WHEN DOES MANNY RAMIREZ MAKE A DEAL? The longer certain Scott Boras clients wait, the more they will be rewarded (see Oliver Perez below). That appears to be the Ramirez strategy.
There is already a screaming need for Ramirez with the Dodgers. The Giants perplex me -- there is a need and a faction of ownership is obsessed with the "marquee factor." Ramirez gives the Giants a name, provides value to those ticket holders who remain after four consecutive losing seasons and attracts new customers. But at what cost?
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Hall of Fame vote has never been on my wish list. I feel neither worthy nor proper in determining an honor that has rewards both emotional and material. For the same reason, I have declined invitations to vote for the Heisman Trophy and in the Harris Poll.
But I acknowledge that to hold this space, I must have a “take.” Thus in that spirit, here goes: Mark McGwire is a Hall of Famer. Today, tomorrow, forever.
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Here's what the news of John Smoltz to the Red Sox triggers in my mind:
I've seen this movie before…Tom Glavine was a lifelong Brave with compelling family reasons to stay in Atlanta. He was comfortable, successful and the Braves would support his quest for 300 wins. Until it came time to negotiate. The Braves held firm. Too firm for Glavine, who found a suitor in the Mets. Make no mistake- Glavine was hurt by the Braves' stance, a rift that was not repaired for years. And when Glavine went to New York, he was fueled by the desire to prove the Braves wrong.
Well, doesn't that sound like Smoltz 2009? Of the "Big Three", Smoltz was the one who stayed, the one who WILLINGLY moved to the bullpen for the team. Name any other pitchers who did that – Cy Young Award winner as a starter and you accept a move to closer: Dennis Eckersley went to the closer’s role flailing and wailing. Smoltz was the one who seemed destined to finish a Brave.
Until it came time to negotiate.
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There are 23 candidates on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot with the election results to be announced on Monday. In my previous blog, I wrote on the top three returning vote-getters from last year: Jim Rice (72.2 percent), Andre Dawson (65.9) and Bert Blyleven (61.9) and whether I thought they deserve to get the 75 percent of the vote needed to be inducted.
Understand that every candidate has friends and former teammates, managers and coaches who will vouch for his brilliance. The mission of the voters is to place the praise alongside the numbers and the visceral reaction to a player's career.
The late Leonard Koppett -- one of the great gems of the sports writing profession --always talked of his litmus test for Cooperstown. If Koppett had to pause and think about a player's worthiness, then he was not a Hall of Famer.
With that in mind some thoughts on this year’s candidates:
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The Hall of Fame results will be announced Monday. Rickey Henderson is on the ballot for the first time. He’ll get in, but what about the top three returning vote-getters from last year: Jim Rice (72.2 percent), Andre Dawson (65.9) and Bert Blyleven (61.9). Is this the year they get 75 percent of the vote to gain election?
JIM RICE: Sixteen voters need to add Rice to their ballot. Some may have to change their minds while others may simply need a nudge to push the former Red Sox star over the top in his 15th and final chance for election.
Beyond the obvious question of why some voters view players differently over the years when their stats don't change, there seems to be a trend towards greater appreciation of Rice's achievements.
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Yesterday I watched the debut of the MLB Network and realized that this venture was long overdue. Even though late to the party, the good news is MLB got this right.
Beautiful sets, full high definition, an impressive roster of analysts and top-flight management led by MLB Network President Tony Petitti, a sharp hire, are essentials and all are present.
But nothing matters without carriage on cable systems throughout the country. And MLB learned from the NFL’s mistakes. The last negotiation for MLB’s Extra Innings package was contentious but MLB emerged with guaranteed carriage for its start-up network in over 50 million homes, a number the NFL Network has yet to reach.
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