2016 Baseball HoF Ballot

[MetalDog]

Not an O's fan, but I would like to see the Nats more often.  It's too bad they are dysfunctional, with a douche superstar and a new manager that is going to pitch the arms off his staff.

@Bison: AM baseball is one of my favorites, too.  The Braves are on both AM and FM here and unless the signal is better on the FM, it's AM all the way!

[Marty Ward]

Not an O's fan, but I would like to see the Nats more often.  It's too bad they are dysfunctional, with a douche superstar and a new manager that is going to pitch the arms off his staff.

@Bison: AM baseball is one of my favorites, too.  The Braves are on both AM and FM here and unless the signal is better on the FM, it's AM all the way!

The only thing I don't like are the Nats announcers. They are really bad. I like watching the NL for a change of pace.

The O's have about 6 announcers who rotate in throughout the year. Most are pretty good except for Palmer who just rambles and Hunter who is just to much of a cliche 'homer' guy for me.

[bayonetbrant]

Some interesting facts/figures from SI.com

http://www.si.com/mlb/2016/01/05/hall-fame-ballot-preview

Mike Mussina: Rare sustained Hall of Fame greatness. Mussina won more AL games in the designated hitter era than any pitcher except Roger Clemens. He is one of only a dozen pitchers in history with 10 seasons with an ERA+ of 125 or better. Clemens, kept out of the Hall because of his association with PEDs, is one. The others: first-ballot Hall of Famers Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Jim Palmer, Bob Gibson, Tom Seaver, Greg Maddux and Randy Johnson, plus fellow Hall of Famers Pete Alexander, Lefty Grove and Bert Blyleven.

Curt Schilling: One of the most precise big-game pitchers ever, Schilling owns the greatest strikeout-to-walk ratio since the pitching distance was set at 60'6" in 1889. He started five games when his team faced postseason elimination, and his team won every one of them, with Schilling posting a 1.47 ERA in those win-or-go-home crucibles (and a 2.23 mark in 19 postseason games overall).

That second piece - about 5 elimination games - is pretty damned cool.  I don't know that it makes you a HOF'er by itself, but...  wow  :o

[Bison]

Schilling is a HoF in my opinion without a doubt.

[MetalDog]

My hate for Schilling is based on his screwing the Yankees twice.  Once in the World Series and once as a Red Sox.  That he was big time in big games, there is no doubt.  A shoe in?  I'm not so sure.

[Bison]

His sock is already in the hall and it's time to let the man whose blood is on it in too.

[MetalDog]

What?  He can't buy a ticket like the rest of us?

[MetalDog]

Here's an article containing arguments for 5 potential HoF'ers:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/5-forgotten-baseball-hall-of-fame-candidates/ar-AAgo9Y8?li=BBnba9I&ocid=mailsignout

[airboy]

There is considerable discussion that Curt Shilling's politics (conservative Republican and against terrorists) is hurting his Hall of Fame nomination. 

See: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-01-05/are-curt-schilling-s-gop-politics-keeping-him-out-of-the-hall-of-fame-
for an analysis of HOF voting patterns.

[Bison]

Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are in the HoF.

I'm fine with the selections, but I remained completely disgruntled by the selection process.

[MetalDog]

I would love to see a Sabremetric approach to balloting.  That way, you can produce the numbers to back up the numbers you used to elect the new inductees.

[Bison]

I'm pretty sure the voters get a sabermetric breakdown along with the ballot.  I think personal bias plays a large role in the voting.  There is no fucking way Piazza is a HoFer and Raines isn't.

[MetalDog]

I think Piazza deserves in.  Raines, too.  Here's one for you, talking to the local sports radio guy and I told him you could put together a starting 9 of HoF'ers that didn't win a World Series.  This is what I came up with:

C Piazza (Fisk if you prefer)
1B Mattingly
2B Biggio
3B Santo
SS Yount
OF Dawson
OF Griffey
OF Gwynn
P Sutton

Whadda ya' think?

[Bison]

I'm thinking Mattingly isn't in the hall of fame.  Not a bad team but Fisk is a better catcher than Piazza.

[MetalDog]

You are absolutely correct.  Wishful thinking on my part I guess ;)  Then I offer Rod Carew.  Or Frank Thomas.