Which will come as soon as the U.S. Patent Office gets off the line with Elisha Gray.
“The best thing that happened to me is Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage, guys like that were on the ballot for 10 or 11 years (before getting into the Hall of Fame),” said Smith, who was at Parkview Field Monday as part of the Principal Financial Dreams Tour. “ … You look at how many teams have quality closers and you look at where those teams are without a good closer.”
Smith played 18 years in the majors. The former all-time saves leader, Smith finished his career with 478 saves.
He received 50.6 percent of the voting this year. He has been on the ballot since 2003. Players need 75 percent to enter the Hall.
“They are finally starting to understand that relief pitcher thing, the closer role,” Smith said. “And seeing how important it is to a ballclub now.”
...“Lee was one of the best closers in the game,” said Fort Wayne manager Jose Valentin, who said he faced Smith a couple of times. “He was one of the slowest guys I every saw, not only working, but coming to the mound. But when he got to the mound, the game was over.”
Repoz
Posted: August 01, 2012 at 01:57 AM |
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1. GregD Posted: August 01, 2012 at 09:05 AM (#4197868)Lou Whitaker awaits Hall of Fame call.
Disco Dan Ford awaits Hall of Fame call.
Cue the "does 'a couple' strictly mean 'two' or something more akin to 'a few'" in three, two, one...
Well, this is certainly true... like game 4 in 1984, for example. It took a few batters, but yes - soon, the game was over.
I won't have any great gnashing of teeth if/when Lee gets in, but even as a big hall guy that would probably go to up 10 every ballot if I had one, I don't think Smith would make mine.
There's the 84 Cubs series which has been mentioned. His other one was the 88 Red Sox who got swept by the A's. Smith came into the 9th inning of game 2, tied at 3, and gave up the losing run. Then he pitched in game 4, his team down 2-1, and gave up 2 more. Though that game was already out of reach since the A's had Eckersley.
1988 Eckersley would never give up a one-run lead in a postseason game.
Nor did they have 10 dogs to unleash.
http://www.xkcd.com/1070/
Only in a ######-up world where Bruce Sutter is a goddamned Hall of Famer.
Agreed, in the sense that I would also substantially rather have tuberculosis than lung cancer.
No such animal exists (well, unless Mariano gets caught juicing between now and his first year on the ballot).
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