A littany of things to blog about today..

January 6th, 2010 is a day that may finally get the juices flowing with my blogging in 2010. So let's get it started:
How is Roberto Alomar not in the Hall of fame on the first ballot? If the reason is he spit on that umpire and some of the media feels that he should be punished for that then they should have their ability to vote revoked. If he is not in the Hall of fame because he is not such a big name player like say, Randy Johnson or Tony Gwynn, then the people who voted should have their privilege to vote revoke. If he is not in because his last years as a Met were forgettable then the people voting should have their privileges taken away. Why do sportswriters want attention? They criticize every athlete for every crime or act that they commit and when it comes time for a writer to show his or her intelligence they make up some stupid reason for their actions. What second baseman is better? Joe Morgan, Rogers Hornsby played in different era and I would not argue against them. Ryne Sandberg? Jeff Kent? Don't make me laugh!!! Both Kent and Sandberg did win league M.V.P's and are more known for hitting home runs. Sandberg is a Cub "legend". Kent is a journey man player who had a ton of great moments but got swallowed up in the Barry Bonds menagerie. Nothing that either Sandberg or Kent could top Robbie Alomar. He was the gold ' hell platinum standard for his position. He had range, arm strength and ask the A's and the Phillies what kind of player he was. Ask the Red Sox and Yankees about his prowess. A player with 2700 plus hits, 12 all star appearances, 10 gold gloves, two time world champion and the main reason they won both titles is not a first ballot hall of famer is a blatant misuse of privilege that millions of people would love to have. For five voters not to vote for anyone shows me that these writers just want attention and to be on every sports show explaining their foolish position. This notion that keeping players out of the hall on the first ballot is soooooo juvenile and someone should ask the hall to rid itself of these morons. Can you believe that there have never been a player voted in on 100 percent of the ballots? Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Reggie Jackson, Cy Young. Cy freaking young has 511 victories!!!! Hank Aaron and Willie Mays were 20 plus time all stars. Whitey Ford was the star pitcher for all of the Yankee teams.
Randy Johnson retired yesterday. He is the most imposing pitcher in the history of the game. He is probably the best left handed pitcher ever to play. Sandy Koufax usually gets that title but he did not play very long. Johnson had every award that a pitcher wants. He won 5 Cy young awards won a championship with Arizona in 2001. He threw a perfect game in his forties and a no hitter early in his career. He battled back injuries his entire career or he really could have put up better numbers. He is second all time in strike outs. He will be a first ballot Hall of fame guy and should have 100% approval. He dominated in the Steroid era. Although, Manny, Barry, and Big Mac hit some serious prodigious home runs off of him. I remember McGwire hit one in Seattle that I swear is still traveling. Johnson was known for his passion and his wicked slider that absolutely ate up right handed hitters. The All star game in 1992 when John Kruk freaked out when Johnson threw one over his head is still a classic baseball moment. The only place where he did not live up to his potential was when he played in New York. He was always facing the opposing teams best pitcher in post season games so his post season record is not too impressive. Although against the Yankees he pitched very well in world series in 2001 and with Seattle in 1996. He was the "big Unit" and should be showered today with praise for all that he went through in his career. He is clearly the prime example of why baseball is the hardest sport to win a title in. Think about how many 2-1, 1-0, 3-2 games that he pitched in and lost. He once pitched against a pitcher from the Cardinals who threw a no-hitter against him 1-0. Johnson only allowed a few hits. The pitcher Jimenez had a career losing record and became a closer later on that season. Remember when he hit that bird with a pitch and the bird exploded?
Congrats to the Hawk. Is he a Hall of Fame player? Maybe. He got injured a lot and we will never know what kind of player he could have been. He is one of three players with 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases (Bonds and Mays). He was a league M.V.P. once and definitely had he stayed healthy would have been a automatic hall of fame guy. 9 years waiting though makes me think that other people may have better than he. He is in and that is all that matters.
Bert Blyeleven was 5 votes short of getting in today. He should be in based on his stats alone. was he a dominant pitcher . NO. He was just consistent. 288 wins and over 3000 strike outs is automatic in for me.