Hall of Fame | SABR

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One man’s ballot

But after asking around, I decided to stick with what Bill James advised: Vote for the 10 best players. “I don’t believe in trying to outsmart the system, no matter what the system is,” Bill said. “I think it backfires on you much more often than it works.”

So, here are the 10 players I voted for:

– Bonds

– Bagwell

– Clemens

– Johnson

– Martinez

– Mussina

– Piazza

– Raines

– Schilling

– Smoltz

I offer deep apologies to Craig Biggio, who might really ...

medium.com: MLB Agent Fights For His Clients?—?And His Life

32 years old, 42 surgeries.

Josh Kusnick, a name that may be familiar to longtime brewerfan.net patrons or Baseball Prospectus readers or people who hang out at other spots on the internet where agents rarely chat openly, on living with and working through a major birth defect.

OT: Monthly NBA Thread - January 2015

I estimate only 10-12 Primates care about the NBA, but with our own thread, we won’t detract from what this site is really about: vegetables that look like feet.

Jayson Stark: Explaining my Hall of Fame ballot

Stark votes for: Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and Barry Bonds. He also excoriates the Hall for its 10-player ballot limit:

I didn’t because the Hall of Fame won’t let me. I just want you to know that. And I want those players to know that when the results of the 2015 election are announced Tuesday and they’re wondering why they never came close.

I can’t comprehend why the Hall of Fame allows me—and all of us—to ...

Jon Heyman on his HOF Ballot

On the one hand, this might be Heyman’s best HOF article. On the other, that’s not exactly the highest bar to clear…

Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 1-5-2015

Milwaukee Journal, January 5, 1915:

It is upon his pet “fork ball” that Pete Standridge, one of the [San Francisco] Seals most successful pitchers, will depend to make good with the Chicago Cubs with whom he has contracted to play next season.
...
The “fork ball” is thrown with the pellet wedged between the fingers. Ever since he first saw Bert Hall use it in the Northwestern league four years ago, Pete has worked to master it.

The forkball is most often described as having been invented by ...

Green: Hall of Fame voting is serious business

Jerry Green’s ballot.

All the Record Books Are Wrong « Our Game

In the 1982 launch of The National Pastime, reissued by SABR (http://goo.gl/F8vukv), a previously unpublished writer named Frank J. Williams wrote a groundbreaking article. “A breakthrough,” I called it then: “the ‘Rosetta Stone’ for deciphering won-lost decisions of the dead-ball era.” In the years since, every record-keeping book, website, and organization has been guided by the principles Williams deduced from his awe-inspiring coverage of games from 1876 to 1919. Self-described ...

Hall Vote: It’s Not a Perfect 10 « Write ‘em Cowboy

Tracy Ringolsby’s ballot.

In 2015, Red Sox’ climb out of cellar among storylines to follow - Sports - The Boston Globe

Some interesting tidbits from Nick Cafardo, including some hopeful info for Dan Uggla fans.

Former Orioles GM Hank Peters dies at 90 - Baltimore Sun

The architect of the Orioles teams of the ‘80’s.

Even the worst trade he made — sending promising outfielder Don Baylor and 20-game winner Mike Torrez to Oakland in 1976 for outfielder Reggie Jackson, who skipped town after one season — failed to ruffle Mr. Peters.

“I know I didn’t get smart overnight and I didn’t get dumb overnight, either,” he said.

Colleagues called him even-keeled to a fault.

Big-money James? | FOX Sports

The talk of Shields and $100 million does not mean that he indeed will land such a deal. Third baseman Chase Headley reportedly received a four-year, $65 million offer from an unidentified club early in free agency but wound up re-signing with the Yankees for four years, $52 million.
Some executives, in fact, say they would be surprised if Shields topped $100 million, considering he is 33 and perhaps due for regression coming off eight straight 200-inning seasons.

The Giants must move Tim Lincecum to the bullpen - Beyond the Box Score

Is it time for the Freak to move to the pen?

MLB Hall of Fame 2015: How I filled out my ballot ...

Right off that bat I ruled out five listed players whom I’m 100 percent sure cheated – slugging greats Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Gary Sheffield and Sammy Sosa, and pitcher Roger Clemens, who won a record seven Cy Youngs…

My final cuts, in this order, were Alan Trammell, Carlos Delgado, Edgar Martinez, Larry Walker, Don Mattingly, Jeff Kent, Mike Mussina, Tim Raines and Lee Smith…

Cobb responds to Braves bonds appeal | www.myajc.com

$400 million for a baseball stadium.

Lawyers for Cobb County government say their plan to borrow nearly $400 million for the new Atlanta Braves stadium without a public vote is legal, because the bond issuance isn’t considered “debt within the meaning of the Georgia Constitution.”

Grant: Only thing HOF voters can be sure of is fans will be critical of their ballots | Dallas Morning News

Touchy, touchy.

According to the Internet — and the Internet is never wrong — I am part of one of the most despised official electorates in the country.

Toronto Blue Jays, catchers around MLB left confused, frustrated: Why plate-blocking rule is already ripe for overhaul | National Post

Block THIS!

Trade returns could have Braves sitting pretty | MLB.com

John Hart’s off-season work.

Haren not intending on joining Marlins « The Fish Pond

Dan Haren has informed the Marlins that his preference remains to pitch out West, and for a team that has Spring Training in Arizona. The 34-year-old California native had been weighing his options sinced he was traded to Miami from the Dodgers on Dec. 10.

If Miami cannot work out a trade, it is not clear yet if the 12-year big league veteran will retire.

Haren’s decision does not change the terms of the deal.

Giolito discusses 2014, his future in Q&A

An interview with the next big thing.

Johnson has high potential on and off the field | whitesox.com

Micah Johnson has big plans.

Yankees finally have the prospects to make something happen | FOX Sports

Ken Rosenthal thinks the Yankees are on the upswing.

School of Roch: Rasmus, Aoki and Ethier still among Orioles’ outfield options

Roch Kubatko runs through some Orioles outfield options.

Gray Area: Inside the Mafia-Run World of Baseball Match-Fixing in Taiwan | VICE Sports

Is he worth signing?

Last week, reports surfaced that the Los Angeles Dodgers were close to signing Tsao, now 33, to a minor league contract—a transaction that would hardly be notable if not for the fact that Tsao hasn’t pitched professionally since that 2009 season in Taiwan, a result of having been named in a match-fixing scandal in his home country. Tsao was banned for life from the CPBL despite a Taiwanese court having acquitted him of any charges.

Sunday Notes: Players as Fans, High School or College, Andruw Jones, more | FanGraphs Baseball

David Lauria’s latest.

Jerry Green: Hall of Fame voting is serious business

So Jerry Green didn’t vote for John Smoltz because of (wait for it)...Jack Morris!

Green Ballot: Craig Biggio, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Gary Sheffield and Alan Trammell.

It must be noted that I did not vote for John Smoltz, who is likely to make it.

Again, these votes involve personal opinion. I do not consider any of my votes to be frivolous.

Smoltz won 213 games, mostly as a starting pitcher, and saved 154 as a ...

Schilling, Mussina better than Smoltz

The Schilling and Mussina vs. Smoltz debate has hit mainstream!

Tiger Tales: A Detroit Tigers Blog: Tigers Infield Worst in MLB in Preventing Hits On Ground Balls

Lee Panas looks at the Tigers infield defense.

Sabermetrics: Past, Present and Future « Talkin’ Softball

A somewhat recent and incomplete history of sabermetrics.