The BBWAA has elected Bruce Sutter, and Bruce Sutter only, to the Hall of Fame. Goose Gossage gets snubbed once again. You can find the vote totals here.
Oh, and the top 11 names appear in the same order as on last year's ballot. That implies that Goose won't get in 'til Rice does, Blyleven won't get in until Rice, Goose and Dawson do, and Trammell won't get in until Rice, Goose, Hawk, "Be Home," Lee Smith, Jack Morris, TJ, and Father Garvey do.
Finally, Belle and Hershiser are the only first-year guys who will remain on the ballot next year.
I say - and I'm only partially kidding about this - that in cases such as Sutter's where there's no clear-cut right answer on the cap question they should just give it to the highest bidder.
Or better yet, have the competing franchises and their fan bases see who can raise more money for charity between the announcement and the induction, and whichever group does the most good for the planet gets to have Bruce Sutter wearing their club's chapeau.
I think this is encouraging because each year a few players who I think should get elected (Rice, Gossage, Dawson) get closer.
Here are the 2005 totals for Sutter and 2006 totals for those who got close (+/- 15%)
2005 Bruce Sutter 66.7
2006 Jim Rice 64.8%
2006 Rich Gossage 64.6%
2006 Andre Dawson 61.0%
And Blyleven is just shy of that at 53.3%. So I think all of the above (including Blyleven) will creep ever closer until they are finally elected. It's almost a better tribute to have their names come up year after year and their records recounted then to be elected and then forgotten. Nobody debates Rollie Fingers too much these days but Gossage has a moment in the sun every year.
Gil Hodges got 50% or more of the vote 11 times and never got in. All but one of those years came after he passed away. Hodges peaked in his last year of eligibility in 1983 at 63.37% But that was only good for seventh place in that election. Brooks Robinson and Juan Marichal were elected that year and Harmon Killebrew, Luis Aparicio, Hoyt Wilhelm and Don Drysdale were ahead of Hodges.
1983 was also Jim Wynn's first year of eligibility.
For my money, Sutter is a Cub. We used to go to a lot of Cub/Dodger games in LA when I was a kid. At the time, he was kind of a larger than life baseball figure to me. Probably related to the fact that I was smaller than life.
I also remember a pretty classic Sutter Topps baseball card from around 1977. Powder blue pinstripe roadie and giant beard. A bullpen mountain man wearing pajamas.
I was leaning Cardinals because of the then-record 45-save season and the WS appearance, but then I looked at his All-Star appearances, most of which came as a Cub, and his Cy Young (which I don't think I even realized he had won) in '79 and the fact that he was more consistantly excellent as a Cub, and for one extra year, and I think he should go in as a Cub as well.
I still have issues with his selection. He pitched just twelve years, all in relief, and was bad in four of the last five, two of which were injury shortened.
Check his comparable players:
Doug Jones, Tom Henke, Jeff Montgomery, Roberto Hernandez, Robb Nen, John Wetteland, Jeff Reardon, Todd Worrell, Dave Smith, Armando Benitez.
All with scored above 910. Not a Hall-of-Famer (present or future) among them.
Now check Gossage's:
The only guy above 890 is Rollie Fingers, and the next guy on the list is Hoyt Wilhelm. The '70s answer to the '80s/'90s relievers on Sutter's list follows, but only Lindy McDaniel ranks above the 850 cutoff for "essentially similar," where as all of Sutter's comps rank above the 900 cutoff for "truly similar." Uniqueness + those players who are most similar all being in the Hall = Hall of Famer. Gossage in, Sutter out.
The more I think about this the angrier I get. I sure hope Buck O'Neil gets in a steals the show.
And who the heck voted for Walt Weiss?
However, why 64 voters thought Sutter was a Hall of Famer, but Gossage wasn't, is a distinction I don't wish to learn about.
Ozzie Guillen won't make it into the HOF as a player now either.
Two other observations:
1) Blyleven is above 50% for the first time
2) Alan Trammell picked up just five votes from last year. Awful.
Finally, Belle and Hershiser are the only first-year guys who will remain on the ballot next year.
And they were teammates to boot!
Cubs cap?
Cardinals cap?
Braves cap?
Blank cap?
Or better yet, have the competing franchises and their fan bases see who can raise more money for charity between the announcement and the induction, and whichever group does the most good for the planet gets to have Bruce Sutter wearing their club's chapeau.
Chicago - 105
St. Louis - 155
Atlanta - 40
Here are the 2005 totals for Sutter and 2006 totals for those who got close (+/- 15%)
2005 Bruce Sutter 66.7
2006 Jim Rice 64.8%
2006 Rich Gossage 64.6%
2006 Andre Dawson 61.0%
And Blyleven is just shy of that at 53.3%. So I think all of the above (including Blyleven) will creep ever closer until they are finally elected. It's almost a better tribute to have their names come up year after year and their records recounted then to be elected and then forgotten. Nobody debates Rollie Fingers too much these days but Gossage has a moment in the sun every year.
Sutter is now a Saint.
Rice and Gossage are now called "Blessed"
Those over 50% are "Venerable"
Also, I think they should let the players pick the caps again.
1983 was also Jim Wynn's first year of eligibility.
He received zero votes.
For my money, Sutter is a Cub. We used to go to a lot of Cub/Dodger games in LA when I was a kid. At the time, he was kind of a larger than life baseball figure to me. Probably related to the fact that I was smaller than life.
I also remember a pretty classic Sutter Topps baseball card from around 1977. Powder blue pinstripe roadie and giant beard. A bullpen mountain man wearing pajamas.
I still have issues with his selection. He pitched just twelve years, all in relief, and was bad in four of the last five, two of which were injury shortened.
Check his comparable players:
Doug Jones, Tom Henke, Jeff Montgomery, Roberto Hernandez, Robb Nen, John Wetteland, Jeff Reardon, Todd Worrell, Dave Smith, Armando Benitez.
All with scored above 910. Not a Hall-of-Famer (present or future) among them.
Now check Gossage's:
The only guy above 890 is Rollie Fingers, and the next guy on the list is Hoyt Wilhelm. The '70s answer to the '80s/'90s relievers on Sutter's list follows, but only Lindy McDaniel ranks above the 850 cutoff for "essentially similar," where as all of Sutter's comps rank above the 900 cutoff for "truly similar." Uniqueness + those players who are most similar all being in the Hall = Hall of Famer. Gossage in, Sutter out.
The more I think about this the angrier I get. I sure hope Buck O'Neil gets in a steals the show.
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