Hall of Fame

I am a little late to the party, but I must comment on the newest member of the hallway of really well known people; Goose Gossage. I have no problem with his induction. Sure there are more than a handful of better players eligible but not yet enshrined, but Gossage was demonstrably on par or better than than other relievers currently in the Hall such as Sutter and Fingers.

Goose: ERA+ 126 in 1809 1/3 innings

Fingers: ERA+ 119 in 1701 1/3 innings

Sutter: ERA+ 136 in 1042 1/3 innings

I think the standard for relievers should be really high and Gossage increases that standard.


I admit I don't know much about the newspaper business. But I assume if you are a writer for a major news paper you generally have to report the facts as they exist and you know .... like not make stuff up. Seems rational to me, however Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe must have fallen asleep in Journalism Ethics 101 ....

Rice hit for power in a day when power numbers were legit. He was the dominant slugger of his time, a man capable of inducing an intentional walkwhen the bases were loaded

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Jim Rice amassed 9,058 plate appearances in the majors leagues. During those 9,058 plate appearances he was intentionally walked 77 times. That is fewer IBB than Ichiro with 115 (career high in homers of 15). Fewer than the immortal Ron Cey (117). That's fewer IBB than Bill Mazeroski (110)and his 84 OPS+. In fact Jim Rice's 77 IBB place him in a tie for 176th all time. It seems rather odd to me to mention IBB as an example of Rice's Hall worthiness. It's just not much to hang your hat on.

But it gets even better. Of Rice's 77 IBB, how many of those were induced with the bases loaded, because he was so "feared" ?


0


That's right folks. ZERO, ZILCH, NOT A SINGLE ONE.

Did I mention the Boston Globe is a fine newspaper?