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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

ESPN: Caple: Bert Blyleven: Hall of Famer or not?

And nothing like MLB.comeagain? with Hal Badley showing a clip of Jeff Reardon instead of Bert Blyleven. Fine job.

UPDATE: MLB.competent? just pulled the Bodley Reardon/Blyleven clip. (As the interns scramble to find tape of Blyleven in action..."What team did he play for?")

THE VERDICT

For a number of years I didn’t vote for Blyleven. He isn’t a slam dunk candidate but the Hall of Fame isn’t reserved only for 300-win, multiple Cy Young slam dunks. There is room for pitchers other than Tom Seaver. Blyleven was a very good pitcher for a very long time and I always second-guessed myself for not voting for him. I now vote for him and feel very confident with that vote. He belongs in the Hall.

Repoz Posted: January 07, 2009 at 01:29 PM | 22 comment(s)
Related News: General, History, Hall of Fame

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1. Barry`s_Lazy_Boy Posted: January 07, 2009 at 01:53 PM (#3045520)

no.

2. Van Lingle Mungo Jerry Posted: January 07, 2009 at 01:59 PM (#3045526)

Speaking of ESPN, am I alone in finding their new webpage design to be just shy of the BBWAA's in terms of annoyingness? It's an eyesore and has led me to opt for CNN-SI for basic sports news the past few days.

3. Yankee_Redneck Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:01 PM (#3045529)

Of course Bert belongs. You kids today; I remember when having more strikeouts than Walter Johnson meant something, dagnabbit!

4. Greg Maddux School of Reflexive Profanity Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:01 PM (#3045531)

Are you talking about the design that debuted a couple days ago?

5. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:14 PM (#3045548)

You kids today; I remember when having more strikeouts than Walter Johnson meant something, dagnabbit!

Dag Nabbit supports Blyleven's HOF campaign.

6. Harold Reynolds: An Erotic Life (AG#1F) Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:30 PM (#3045571)

7. Padgett Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:42 PM (#3045589)

The local sports talk radio guy here in KC has been ranting about this. It is epic fail.

How is it any worse than before?

8. Nathan Kunkel Posted: January 07, 2009 at 02:55 PM (#3045606)

they're sure putting a lot of stock in their two designated web attractions. this has zero appeal for me.

9. Repoz Posted: January 07, 2009 at 03:05 PM (#3045621)

The new ESPN layout is much better. The old busy one was a blitzy ####### mess...I half expected Stephanie Courtney to leap out and crash-splatter my face with a reddish loaf of Katherine Von Drachenberg's Sepwhora plotz at any given moment!

10. Van Lingle Mungo Jerry Posted: January 07, 2009 at 03:08 PM (#3045627)

Well, sure, Repoz. We ALL feel that way. I just assumed it was too obvious to bother pointing out.

11. Non-Youkilidian Geometry Posted: January 07, 2009 at 03:11 PM (#3045629)

Speaking of ESPN, am I alone in finding their new webpage design to be just shy of the BBWAA's in terms of annoyingness? It's an eyesore and has led me to opt for CNN-SI for basic sports news the past few days.

I'm not crazy about it, but I don't think it even begins to approach the annoyingness of the BBWAA site, which is really in a class of its own. If there was a Hall of Fame for annoying websites, the BBWAA would be an elite inner-circle member, but I don't think ESPN would get past the first ballot.

12. Walt Davis Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:01 PM (#3045785)

Oh, I think this one wins ... wait a few seconds for it to get past the front page which is annoying enough.

13. galaxieboi Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:12 PM (#3045802)

Jebus, Blyleven gets no respect. We can't even discuss him on his own thread.

14. JJ1986 Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:20 PM (#3045808)

The ESPN website always starts playing videos, which is far more annoying than any ugliness or slowness. I still use the website out of habit to look up scores, schedules and rosters for football/college football/basketball, but there's no reason to since I don't read any of their original content.

15. AJMacaroni Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:23 PM (#3045810)

The ESPN website always starts playing videos

I ####### hate that. Do they still have those pop ups that take up half the screen and won't go away?

16. Harold Reynolds: An Erotic Life (AG#1F) Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:27 PM (#3045813)

Jebus, Blyleven gets no respect. We can't even discuss him on his own thread.

Bert Blyleven's website is better than ESPN.com's site, but I hate arguments that "such and such is a better site than ESPN means that this site is HOF worthy." Just because ESPN.com sets low standards and Bert can surpass them, doesn't mean his site is HOF worthy.

I just never got the impression while I was browsing his site, that it was one of the best on the internet. So my vote is his site should be in the Hall of Very Good, but it is not HOF worthy.

17. galaxieboi Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:28 PM (#3045817)

I just never got the impression while I was browsing his site, that it was one of the best on the internet. So my vote is his site should be in the Hall of Very Good, but it is not HOF worthy.

HoM worthy?

18. galaxieboi Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:33 PM (#3045825)

To add: If ESPN were inducted into the website HoF, would it be the Bruce Sutter of websites?? Afterwards everyone is like, 'WTF were we thinking? Now do we have to let foxnews.com in?'.

19. Mike Green Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:35 PM (#3045829)

"Jebus, Blyleven gets no respect. We can't even discuss him on his own thread."

What's to discuss that hasn't been thoroughly gone over? As far as I can recall, everyone who posts here, save Mike Emeigh, is of the view that Blyleven belongs in the Hall of Fame/Hall of Merit. Mike E has given his reasons at great length, and others have responded. Am I missing something? Does Blyleven have a secret fondness for Air Supply or Barry Manilow?

Perhaps it is his definition of "normal" that should come under close scrutiny. In Holland, a police union complained last year about harassment of their members who use "soft" drugs and asked that their members be treated as "normal citizens". I wonder how Bert feels about this important issue in the land of his birth; mind you he was born in Zeist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeist)where this may not be the hottest issue.

20. Repoz Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:37 PM (#3045830)

Does Blyleven have a secret fondness for Air Supply or Barry Manilow?

Take it to the Baseball Analysts/I Love Elton John thread.

21. JRVJ (formerly Delta Socrates) Posted: January 07, 2009 at 05:40 PM (#3045834)

What surprised me the most about this thread is Caple's speculation that Mussina would not stay retired?

What's up with that?

22. Walt Davis Posted: January 07, 2009 at 06:06 PM (#3045854)

I just never got the impression while I was browsing his site, that it was one of the best on the internet. So my vote is his site should be in the Hall of Very Good, but it is not HOF worthy.

I dunno. Ever since the veterans committee let in all those gopher sites, the standard has been set pretty low.

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

ESPN: Caple: Bert Blyleven: Hall of Famer or not?

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