i think Goose SHOULD be in the Hall, but i mostly want him to get in just so he’ll finally STFU.

the Rice thing has been beaten to death.  he wouldn’t be the worst player in the Hall, but my issue is that there are MANY MANY more players that need to get in before he does.  i don’t see how Rice was better than Will Clark.  or Raines. or even George Foster.  etc. etc.

i mostly want him to get in just so he’ll finally STFU

A-freakin’-men!  It’s pretty sad to see one of the favorite players of my youth turn into such an obnoxious, bitter old fart.  Of course, I’m pretty sure that I’ve turned into a fairly obnoxious, bitter old fart myself.  Maybe Goose finally getting in will mellow us both a little bit.

I’m afraid that Raines is going to get royally screwed, however, which will largely offset my happiness for Gossage.

I don’t think Rice is a HOFer, either, but I’m not sure I’d put Foster ahead of him.  Rice’s problem is the same one that guys like Clark and Mattingly have—not enough sustained success to complement their excellent peaks.  Foster suffers even more from this issue—his peak lasted a bit longer, but he had 1200 fewer PAs than Rice for his career.

yeah, i don’t know if i should have said Foster should go in BEFORE Rice, but my point was really that they were basically the same player.  yet one guy has been all but forgotten, but the other has a month long PR campaign every year.  and if they switched uniforms, it would be the other way around.

same thing with clark.  he fell off the ballot in his first year.  Rice couldn’t hold Clark’s jockstrap.

what about John Olerud?  are you going to put John Olerud in the Hall of Fame?  he was a much better player than Jim Rice.  Trammell? Bernie Williams? Albert Belle?

I rather have both Rice and Goose get in instead of neither getting in. Though, obviously, I want Goose to get in and Rice to stay out.

Then again, if Rice gets in, it makes the argument for Bernie Williams a lot better.

I’m a little upset that all of this Hall of Fame talk is upstaging the drama of the dissolution of the Clemens-McNamee relationship.

True that if Rice gets in, Williams has to get in.

The Return of A. Phil!  He’s tanned, rested, and ready to talk up Yankees prospects.

GOOSE! GOOSE! GOOSE!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hof08/news/story?id=3186626

Congrats to the Goose. 

Raines: only 24.3 %.  I suspect a backlash against the sabermetrically inclined columnists and bloggers who have been supporting him.  I’ll bet that 10 years ago he would have made it on the basis on the being 3rd all-time in SBs.  I remember sitting in Yankee Stadium in 1998 or so and my father, who knows nothing of OBP/SLG/OPS, not to mention win shares, etc., was saying that Raines was the only surefire HOFer on the team.  But now not even a quarter of the lunkheads give hm the nod.

Mind you, I’m not a huge Raines supporter myself; I just think there has to be something going on there for there to be such a low vote total.

Or maybe the votes were counted in Ohio.

The Goose is loose.  Congrats to him.

I can’t believe Todd Stottlemyre got a sympathy vote and Brady Anderson didn’t.  Who did he kill in the Baltimore press?

I can’t believe Todd Stottlemyre got a sympathy vote and Brady Anderson didn’t.  Who did he kill in the Baltimore press?

I think he was probably lumped in with the juicers. Is it fair? Dunno…

Do any of these articles specify whether or not he’s going in as a NYY?

Congrats to Goose!

I think he was a better player than Sutter, so I’m glad to see him make it in (although, if NEITHER made it, I could have lived with that, too).

And yeah, it is quite irritating to see the voters who vote basically out of spite.

Raines did get jobbed by the voters, but his BB-ref page does have just about the coolest sponsorship around:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/raineti01.shtml

Congrats Goose!

I do find it really odd that Goose got in on such a high percentage. I mean, that percentage was higher than Yogi’s ...

Not complaining, just saying that this voiting system is out of whack

And sooooo gld Rice didn’t get in

that percentage was higher than Yogi’s ...

Yeah, 85.8% vs 85.6%.  And on his second try instead of his ninth.

I have no gripe against Rice except for the hideous ties he wears on NESN.
He was no Brett or Murray and thats the argument I use to shut his supporters up, here in CT.
Yaz and even Dwight Evans scared me more in clutch situations back in the day and as crazy as it sounds Manny is a better leftfielder. Gator and Rice had incredible seasons in 78 but niether of them are going to The Hall for excactly the same reasons Dale Murphy and some other guys mentioned here this eve are throwing baseball cards in fireplace.
Goose I loved ya. I’m still waiting for you toget Brett out inna a big spot. Rare happening. Congrats anyway. As mentioned earlier STFU about how great you were.
Imagine Yogi talking about how much better he was than Bill Dickey.
Nice photo conkles. I sent it to a gay friend who hates baseball and already got a positive response.

Thats the fireplace. I’m not from Russia.

I like this sponsorship better than Raines:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/chambjo03.shtml

I like this sponsorship better than Raines:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/c/chambjo03.shtml

But should any of you wish to beg for mercy, the great Joba will now listen to your pleas.

His high exaltedness, the Great Joba, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately

Thats the fireplace. I’m not from Russia.

In Russia, fireplace throw baseball cards at you.

That 1192 ERA+ still warms my heart.