Jay Buhner - Rightfielder
New York Yankees 1987-1988
Seattle Mariners 1988-2001
Awards
1996 AL Gold Glove - OF
All-Star Selections: 1 (1996)
League Leader
None of note
Career Ranks
AB per HR: 31st
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 31 (733) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 25.8 (436) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 34.5 (502) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Hank Sauer, Jeromy Burnitz, Roger Maris, Cecil Fielder, Darryl Strawberry, Bob Allison, Danny Tartabull, Eric Davis, Dean Palmer, Jesse Barfield
Year-by-Year Win Shars & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1987: 0/0.0
1988: 7/3.4
1989: 8/2.0
1990: 6/1.7
1991: 13/7.0
1992: 16/6.8
1993: 22/7.7
1994: 13/7.7
1995: 16/5.0
1996: 22/6.3
1997: 19/8.0
1998: 8/2.4
1999: 8/1.8
2000: 16/4.3
2001: 0/0.3
Career Win Shares: 174
Career WARP3: 64.6
Would he get my vote?
No. Buhner's trade for Ken Phelps is a part of pop culture thanks to Seinfeld but he certainly won't be part of the HOF. Very consistent peformer when he was a line-up but he had several injuries at various parts of his career and only played more than 100 games once during the final four years of his career. Even if he had been healthy it's unlikely he would have kept up a level of performance high enough to warrant HOF consideration. His Gold Glove in 1996 was a complete joke even by the very low standards of the Gold Glove awards.
Finally after nine months I've completed the three World Series DVD boxsets that were released last year, concluding with maybe the two most forgotten games in World Series history.
1975 World Series Game 7 - Reds 4, Red Sox 3 (boxscore and play account)
-They have some cancer kid throw out the first pitch, or at least they say "represents kids with cancer" so I don't know if the kid actually had cancer or if it was just someone's kid from the Red Sox front office and they needed an excuse to let him throw the first pitch. If he actually did have cancer all I could think of was that was pretty fucked up to make the cancer kid wait until a possible Game 7 to throw the first pitch.
-Some guy named Ned Martin calls the first half of the game and he was a longtime announcer for the Red Sox but I've never heard of him. He seemed like a bit of a homer or at least more so than Dick Stockton or Marty Brennaman.
-Don Gullet had zero control in this one, walking in two runs with the bases loaded in the 3rd.
-Bill Lee shockingly almost comes up with a huge bases loaded hit with two outs in the 5th as he crushed one to center, catching the slick fielding Cesar Geronimo a bit off guard as he was obvioulsy playing shallow but recovers to get the final out and prevent the Red Sox from potentially blowing the game open.
-Lee made a fatal mistake in the 6th against Tony Perez. Lee would occasionally throw a slow moving, eephus type, curveball. In Perez's first at bat Lee would freeze him for a called strike with this pitch. It was the only time in the game he'd throw this pitch yet he throws it a second time to Perez in the 6th, who of course seeing it once had the timing down and launched it over the Green Monster to cut the Sox lead to one.
-It's amazing that a Game 7 that was decided in the 9th inning would be completely forgotten but because of Game 6 that's what happened. Joe Morgan hit a little bloop, similar to Luis Gonzalez's hit in Game 7 of 2001, off of Jim Burton to score Pete Rose with the winning run. Rose led off the inning with a walk, Geronimo sacraficed him to 2nd, pinch hitter Dan Driessen grounded one to the right side to advance Rose to 3rd, and then came Morgan's winning hit. I think it is this sequence that created the "manufacturing runs" monster that Joe Morgan is today.
-Nothing too interesting in the extras on this disk with no additional, original game clips like the other two sets. Only thing of note would be Carlton Fisk's postgame interview after Game 6 but not sure why they didn't just tack it on to the Game 6 disk. Here's a list of the extras:
1. Championship Rally
2. Pre-Game Introductions of the Reds (before Game 3)
3. Pre-Game 1: Pete Rose, Carl Yastrzemski
4. Pre-Game 3: Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk
5. Pre-Game 7: Sparky Anderson, Darrell Johnson
6. Postgame 6: Carlton Fisk
7. Johnny Bench: The Big Red Machine
8. Pete Rose: Game 6
9. Pete Rose: Thrill of Game 7
10. Carlton Fisk: Homerun in Game 6
11. Carlton Fisk: Red Sox Beat Reds 3 Game to 4
12. Luis Tiant: Fisk's Homerun
13. Fred Lynn: Fisk's Homerun
14. Fred Lynn: Impact on Major League Baseball
15. Marty Brenneman: Game 6 the Best Ever
16. Joe Morgan: Game 6
17. Tony Perez: Reds Dominance
18. Tony Perez: Unmatchable World Series
19. Tony Perez: Game 7 Comeback
20. Tony Perez: Great Cincinnati Fans
21. Tony Perez: The Big Red Machine
1986 World Series Game 7 - Mets 8, Red Sox 5 (boxscore and play account)
-Game was delayed by rain for one day which appeared to be a big break for the Red Sox as it allowed them to bring back Bruce Hurst and skip over Oil Can Boyd.
-First time on the set the vid quality was some what poor for the first two innings but it is fine after that.
-Bill Buckner gets a loud ovation when he comes up for his first at bat. Now that's just mean.
-This was the postseason for homeruns off of outfielder's mits as Darryl Strawberry becomes the 3rd when a Rich Gedman shot in the 2nd goes off of his mit although it would have been a great catch by Strawberry if he had come up with it. Ron Darling hadn't allowed an earned run in his first two starts but was roughed up here as the Gedman homerun came right after a Dwight Evans homer.
-Back in Game 5 Gedman had seen six pitches from Sid Fernandez and swung and miss at all six. Here in the 5th inning against Fernandez again he swings and misses at his first and then takes strike three.
-Vin Scully mentions that Bruce Hurst had been named World Series MVP before the Mets miracle comeback in Game 6. This was kind of surprising to me as I figured Dave Henderson or Marty Barrett would gave won it although it would have been hard to argue with Hurst. It was just about after this conversation about Hurst that things come unraveled for him and the Red Sox in the 6th.
-Calvin Schiraldi was the real goat of this series as he follows up his awful performance in Game 6 with another one here. He pitches the 7th giving up a lead off homerun to Ray Knight to give the Mets the lead, a single to Lenny Dykstra, a wild pitch on a pitch out, which then would allow Dykstra to score on a hit by Rafael Santana.
-Red Sox stormed back in the 8th with two runs and had the tying run on 2nd with none out but Jesse Orosco, who was only about 51 at this time, saved the day to get the Mets out of the inning. Orosco would then have an rbi single in the bottom of the inning.
-Some idiot threw a smoke bomb on the field with two out in the 9th, delaying the final out for several minutes.
-All the extras were on a seperate bonus disk that I went over back in June.
That's it. Again it is good to see MLB actually doing something better than the NFL for once by releasing these sets. Although the two selections that have been announced so far for release this year (1987 & 1977) have been dissapointing choices, I'll definitely still be picking them up. Next up I'll try to start watching the Notre Dame set I picked up a couple of months ago but not sure yet how many writes up I'll do for that one, if any.
Mark McGwire - First Baseman
Oakland Athletics 1986-1997
St. Louis Cardinals 1997-2001
Awards
1987 AL Rookie of the Year
1990 AL Gold Glove - 1B
1992 AL Silver Slugger - 1B
1996 AL Silver Slugger - 1B
1998 NL Silver Slugger - 1B
All-Star Selections: 12 (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
League Leader
1987: Homeruns, Slugging %, HR/AB
1989: HR/AB
1990: Walks
1992: Slugging %, HR/AB, OPS+
1995: HR/AB
1996: Homeruns, OBP, Slugging %, HR/AB, OPS, OPS+
1998: Homeruns, Walks, OBP, Slugging %, HR/AB, Runs Created, OPS, OPS+
1999: Homeruns, RBI, HR/AB, OPS+
Career Ranks
HR: 7th
RBI: 60th
BB: 34th
OBP: 78th
SLG: 10th
HR/AB: 1st
RC: 82nd
OPS: 13th
OPS+: 11th
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 36 (41) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 110 (189) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 42.0 (126) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 169.5 (60) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: 2 (Harmon Killewbrew, Willie McCovey)
Other Similar Batters: Jim Thome, Jose Canseco, Carlos Delgado, Manny Ramirez, Juan Gonzalez, Norm Cash, Jason Giambi, Dave Kingman
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 1/-0.1
1987: 30/8.9
1988: 28/7.6
1989: 21/7.0
1990: 27/10.0
1991: 18/6.1
1992: 29/10.1
1993: 6/2.5
1994: 6/2.5
1995: 23/7.8
1996: 29/9.8
1997: 25/9.4
1998: 41/11.6
1999: 30/8.6
2000: 20/6.0
2001: 8/1.5
Career Win Shares: 342
Career WARP3: 109.5
Would he get my vote?
Yes. I thought about doing a very long rant about the entire issue regarding if McGwire should go into the HOF or not but we all know that when the results are announced Tuesday he will not have been elected so this issue is going to last for at least one more year so I'm not going to waste my time for now. What I will say when it comes to considering a player for the HOF who has either been proven to have used steroids or have likely used steroids I feel that if a player is a true borderline candidate that use of steroids can tip the scales against a player as being a deserving HOF. Mark McGwire is not a borderline candidate. 7th all-time in homeruns, 10th all-time in Slugging, 11th all-time OPS+, a .394 career OBP, and he averaged 50 homeruns for every 162 games played. Whether or not he will ever get in, it is too early to tell. The projection seems to be he'll get only 25-30% of the vote on this first ballot and this percentage should increase substantially next year as several voters are using an arbitrary one-year boycott for likely steroid users. What is revealed or not revealed in the following years about his use of steroids and the use of others during his playing days will determine if he ever gets in. No one should feel sorry for McGwire if he never gets in but I think it'd be a real shame if he didn't.
So we're now down to just eight teams and no World Champions as the '80 Yankees smacked the '83 Orioles around in four games, outscoring the O's 37-15. The '87 Blue Jays blew the division title the last weekend of the 1987 season but they aren't blowing it here as they took care of the '88 Red Sox in five games. In the West both series ended in thrilling Game 6's. The '88 Twins eliminated the '86 Angels on a Kent Hrbek homerun in the top of the 10th off of Doug Corbett. Then in the most improbable moment of the tournament, Jerry Dybzinski (3 homeruns in 909 career at bats) of the '83 White Sox hit a walkoff homerun against Dan Quisenberry in the 13th inning to eliminate the '84 Royals. With the elimination of the '83 Orioles, the '85 Cardinals are now the only World Series team to still be alive in the tournament.
Stats are for all three rounds.
A.L. West Semi-Finals
(12) 1988 Minnesota Twins def. (9) 1986 California Angels 4-2
Game 1: Angels 3, Twins 0
Game 2: Twins 5, Angels 2
Game 3: Angels 14, Twins 3
Game 4: Twins 9, Angels 4
Game 5: Twins 6, Angels 1
Game 6: Twins 5, Angels 2 10 innings
Gary Gaetti: .364/.395/.649, 77 AB, 15 R, 28 H, 2 3B, 5 HR, 19 RBI
Tom Herr: .333/.402/.469, 81 AB, 15 R, 27 H, 5 2B, 10 BB, 4 SB
(6) 1983 Chicago White Sox def. (10) 1984 Kansas City Royals 4-2
Game 1: White Sox 4, Royals 2
Game 2: Royals 6, White Sox 0
Game 3: White Sox 6, Royals 3
Game 4: White Sox 15, Royals 2
Game 5: Royals 4, White Sox 3 10 innings
Game 6: White Sox 5, Royals 4 13 innings
Rudy Law: .361/.411/.542, 83 AB, 20 R, 30 H, 5 2B, 5 3B, 11 RBI, 14 SB
Harold Baines: .363/.386/.550, 80 AB, 12 R, 29 H, 4 HR, 21 RBI
A.L. East Semi-Finals
(13) 1987 Toronto Blue Jays def. (9) 1988 Boston Red Sox 4-1
Game 1: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 5
Game 2: Blue Jays 3, Red Sox 1
Game 3: Blue Jays 9, Red Sox 1
Game 4: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 5
Game 5: Blue Jays 5, Red Sox 4
Lloyd Moseby: .270/.353/.514, 74 AB, 14 R, 20 H, 5 HR, 15 RBI
Jimmy Key: 5-1, 2.73 ERA, 3 CG, 56 IP, 50 H, 17 ER, 12 BB, 32 SO
(6) 1980 New York Yankees def. (2) 1983 Baltimore Orioles 4-0
Game 1: Yankees 13, Orioles 10
Game 2: Yankees 10, Orioles 4
Game 3: Yankees 5, Orioles 1
Game 4: Yankees 9, Orioles 0
Reggie Jackson: .339/.413/.857, 56 AB, 15 R, 19 H, 9 HR, 14 RBI
Willie Randolph: .396/.500/.642, 53 AB, 15 R, 21 H, 6 2B, 12 RBI, 11 BB, 4 SB
A.L. West Finals
(12) '88 Twins vs. (6) '83 White Sox
A.L. East Finals
(13) '87 Blue Jays vs. (6) '80 Yankees
Up Next: N.L. Elite Eight
We're down to the wire and a lot of movement still going on. Big story this week was the Browns scoring 24 points in the 4th quarter to come from behind to beat the Oilers 30-21. The Steelers won their game to once again move into a tie for 1st. I was slightly less lazy this time around, figuring out some of the easier tiebreaks, and the Steelers control their own destiny for the division as if they beat the Browns in Week 17 they'll end up with a better division record than the Oilers. In the AFC West, both Chargers and Raiders won to remain dead locked on top the division but the Chargers control their own destiny by virtue of having a better conference record than the Raiders. In the NFC, the Giants lost to the Redskins and the Eagles won so after looking at the tiebreaks as it turns out the Giants really haven't won the division yet. If the Eagles win next week and the Giants lose, the Eagles win the divsion by having a better divisional record. In the race for the last wild card spot in the conference, the Bears control their own destiny as they would end up with a better conference record than the Rams if they win next week although they will have to beat the 49ers to do so. As for a potential three-way ties in both conference for the final wild card spots, you can forget me trying to figure them out.
AFC
1. Bills 12-3
2. Chargers 10-5
3. Steelers 9-6
4t. Dolphins 10-5
4t. Raiders 10-5
6. Oilers 9-6
Still Alive: Browns 8-7, Chiefs 8-7
NFC
1. Vikings 12-3
2. 49ers 12-3
3. Giants 11-4
4. Eagles 10-5
5. Redskins 9-6
6. Bears 8-7
Still Alive: Rams 8-7, Saints 7-8
Week 16 Scores
Phoenix 28, Denver 20
PHX: 4-11, DEN: 7-8
-Timm Rosenbach: 312 yards passing
L.A. Raiders 24, New Orleans 21
RAI: 10-5, NO: 7-8
-Bo Jackson: 111 yards rushing
New England 28, N.Y. Jets 24
NE: 4-11, NYJ: 3-12
-Steve Grogan: 243 yards passing
Indianapolis 21, Buffalo 17
IND: 6-9, BUF: 12-3
-Jessie Hester: 4 rec, 153 yards
Cleveland 30, Houston 21
CLE: 8-7, HOU: 9-6
-Eric Metcalf: 96 yards receiving
Browns 24 point 4th quarter
Washington 24, N.Y. Giants 23
WAS: 9-6, NYG: 11-4
-Art Monk: 5 rec, 94 yards
San Francisco 28, Kansas City 17
SF: 12-3, KC: 8-7
-Jerry Rice: 7 rec, 162 yards
Philadelphia 34, Dallas 7
PHI: 10-5, DAL: 5-10
-Randall Cunnigham: 238 yards passing
Seattle 16, Atlanta 14
SEA: 6-9, ATL: 2-13
-Dave Krieg: 165 yards passing
Chicago 27, Tampa Bay 17
CHI: 8-7, TB: 6-9
-Neal Anderson: 98 yards rushing
Detroit 42, Green Bay 14
DET: 4-11, GB: 5-10
-Richard Johnson: 5 rec, 126 yards
Pittsburgh 24, Cincinnati 13
PIT: 9-6, CIN: 5-10
-Warren Williams: 85 yards rushing
San Diego 31, Miami 21
SD: 10-5, MIA: 10-5
Minnesota 34, L.A. Rams 14
MIN: 12-3, RAM: 8-7
-Hassan Jones: 8 rec, 232 yards
Leaders thru Week 16
PASSING LEADERS
Rating
1. Phil Simms, 191.1
2. Randall Cunningham, 178.5
3. Dan Marino, 177.2
Yards
1. Warren Moon, 3729
2. Joe Montana, 3633
3. Jim Everett, 3405
Touchdowns
1. Montana, 40
2. Marino, 38
3. Everett, 35
RECEIVING LEADERS
Receptions
1. Jerry Rice, 73
2. Andre Rison, 51
3. Anthony Miller, 50
Yards
1. Rice, 1891
2. Rison, 1343
3. Henry Ellard, 1308
Touchdowns
1. Rice, 20
2. Miller, 14
3t. Many tied with 13
RUSHING LEADERS
Yards
1. Thurman Thomas, 1539
2. Neal Anderson, 1434
3. Bo Jackson, 1348
Touchdowns
1. Tom Rathman, 15
2t. Anderson, 14
2t. Johnny Johnson, 14
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Interceptions
1. Kevin Ross, 10
2t. Mark Carrier, 9
2t. Erik McMillan, 9
Sacks
1. Lawrence Taylor, 21
2. Reggie White, 20
3t. Many tied with 18
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
Field Goals: Jeff Jaeger, 17
Punting Avg: Rohn Stark, 51.0
Punt Return Avg: Ellard, 12.8
Kick Return Avg: Tim Brown, 21.8
The season ends with plenty of drama. The best game of the week was the Oilers/Giants with the Oilers prevailing 30-24 in overtime and to go along with the Steelers getting crushed by the Browns, the Oilers win the AFC Central. Steelers though ended up beating out the Browns for the final playoffs spot by tiebreak, or at least that's what the game says as I'm not sure it properly does tiebreaks. In the AFC West, the Raiders beat the Chiefs while the Chargers lost to the Broncos thus handing the division to the Raiders. Over in the NFC, the Eagles could have taken the East with the Giants dropping their third straight but the Eagles lost to the Redskins and those two will now meet again in the Wild Card round. For the final spot in playoffs the Rams took care of business by slaughtering the Seahawks but the Bears couldn't beat the red hot 49ers so the Rams clinched the final playoff spot.
Here are the playoff match-ups:
Week 17 Scores
Phoenix 26, New Orleans 14
PHX: 5-11, NO: 7-9
-Ricky Proehl: 99 yards receiving
Tampa Bay 24, Indianapolis 21
TB: 7-9, IND: 6-10
-Gary Anderson: 197 total yards
L.A. Rams 44, Seattle 17
RAM: 9-7, SEA: 6-10
-Henry Ellard: 5 rec, 172 yards
Cincinnati 31, New England 14
CIN: 6-10, NE: 4-12
-Tim McGee: 4 rec, 100 yards
Miami 16, N.Y. Jets 7
MIA: 11-5, NYJ: 3-13
-Mark Clayton: 6 rec, 152 yards
Houston 30, N.Y. Giants 24 OT
HOU: 10-6, NYG: 11-5
-Warren Moon: 230 yards passing
Denver 27, San Diego 21
DEN: 8-8, SD: 10-6
-Bobby Humphrey: 104 yards rushing
Buffalo 33, Detroit 20
BUF: 13-3, DET: 4-12
-Thurman Thomas: 194 yards rushing
Minnesota 29, Green Bay 27
MIN: 13-3, GB: 5-11
-Wade Wilson: 219 yards passing
Cleveland 41, Pittsburgh 14
CLE: 9-7, PIT: 9-7
-Eric Metcalf: 4 rec, 148 yards
San Francisco 21, Chicago 10
SF: 13-3, CHI: 8-8
-Joe Montana: 177 yards passing
Dallas 26, Atlanta 10
DAL: 6-10, ATL: 2-14
-Jay Novacek: 5 rec, 138 yards
L.A. Raiders 35, Kansas City 24
RAI: 11-5, KC: 8-8
-Jay Schroeder: 253 yards passing
Washington 28, Philadelphia 17
WAS: 10-6, PHI: 10-6
-Earnest Byner: 136 yard rushing
NFL Team Leaders
Total Offense
1. Buffalo 5298
2. San Francisco 5163
3. Houston 4961
Passing Offense
1. Houston 3959
2. San Francisco 3810
3. L.A. Rams 3716
Rushing Offense
1. L.A. Raiders 2420
2. Kansas City 2180
3. Buffalo 2162
Team Defense
1. Pittsburgh 3669
2. Buffalo 3959
3. Chicago 4015
Passing Defense
1. Pittsburgh 2219
2. Cleveland 2537
3. Buffalo 2565
Rushing Defense
1. Green Bay 1299
2. New Orleans 1321
3. San Francisco 1322
AFC Individual Leaders
Passing Leaders
Rating: Dan Marino, 168.7
Comp %: Warren Moon, 67.6
Attempts: Bernie Kosar, 269
Comp: Moon, 153
Yards: Moon, 3959
Yards/Att: Moon, 17.5
TD: Marino, 40
Lst Int %: Marino, 5.3
Receiving Leaders
Receptions: Anthony Miller, 53
Yards: Stephone Paige, 1228
Yards/Rct: Mark Jackson, 33.4
TD: Miller, 15
Rushing Leaders
Yards: Thurman Thomas, 1733
Attempts: Marion Butts, 172
Yards/Att: Bo Jackson, 11.9
TD: Butts; Thomas, 15
Scoring Leaders
Points: Thurman Thomas, 132
TD: Thomas, 22
Extra Pts: Scott Norwood, 58
FG: Jeff Jaeger, 17
Punting Leaders
Average: Rohn Stark, 51.0
Punts: Joe Prokop, 27
Interception Leaders
INT: Kevin Ross; Erik McMillan, 10
Yards: McMillan, 127
TD: Many with 1
Sack Leader: Derrick Thomas; Simon Fletcher, 18
Punt Return Leaders
Average: Reggie Langhorne, 10.6
Yards: Langhorne, 159
Returns: Tony Martin, 22
TD: None
Kick Return Leaders
Average: Tim Brown, 21.1
Yards: Terrance Mathis, 1542
Returns: Mathis, 84
TD: None
NFC Individual Leaders
Passing Leaders
Rating: Phil Simms, 186.7
Comp %: Randall Cunnigham, 73.0
Attempts: Don Majkowski, 243
Comp: Joe Montana, 150
Yards: Montana, 3810
Yards/Att: Cunnigham; Simms, 17.5
TD: Montana, 41
Lst Int %: Wade Wilson, 3.7
Receiving Leaders
Receptions: Jerry Rice, 75
Yards: Rice, 1955
Yards/Rct: Mark Ingram, 29.0
TD: Rice, 21
Rushing Leaders
Yards: Neal Anderson, 1508
Attempts: Anderson, 177
Yards/Att: Barry Sanders, 10.2
TD: Tom Rathman, 16
Scoring Leaders
Points: Keith Byars, 138
TD: Byars, 23
Extra Pts: Mike Cofer, 58
FG: Morten Andersen; Steve Christie, 16
Punting Leaders
Average: Rich Camarillo, 48.9
Punts: Mike Saxson, 25
Interception Leaders
INT: Mark Carrier, 9
Yards: Wes Hopkins, 154
TD: Many with 1
Sack Leader: Lawrence Taylor, 21
Punt Return Leaders
Average: Henry Ellard, 12.8
Yards: Leo Lewis, 246
Returns: Lewis, 22
TD: None
Kick Return Leaders
Average: David Meggett, 20.9
Yards: Meggett, 1381
Returns: Charles Wilson, 78
TD: None
Even with the baseball season over I'm always looking for an excuse to do a redo and resident Astros fan vivalaultra gave me one while lamenting over the end of Jeff Bagwell's career in Houston:
Well god dammit I have to solve this quandry!
Jeff Bagwell finished second in the 1999 N.L. MVP voting but he wasn't even close to winning it. Chipper Jones had the best year of his career hitting .319 with 45 homeruns while helping the Braves to a league best 103 wins and would receive 29 of the 32 first place votes. The tightest competition was for the second place spot as Bagwell finished with only seven points more than the 3rd place Matt Williams. Bagwell had better numbers than Williams almost across the board (including 30 stolen bases which is a ton for a first baseman) except in one category. Guess which one? If you said RBI then you know your baseball writer voting tendencies very well. Williams actually received two first place votes to Bagwell's one I suppose because he was a "gritty veteran" who was the "heart and soul" of the Diamondbacks who shocked the baseball world with a 100 win season in just their 2nd year of exsistence. After those three no other player received any real consideration for the award with Greg Vaughn leading the pack but he was a dubious choice for 4th. Of note in 1999 was also the McGwire/Sosa Homerun Chase II but like most blockbuster sequels it was just more of the same and kind of took away from the memories of the original.
Actual Results
1) Chipper Jones 2) Jeff Bagwell 3) Matt Williams 4) Greg Vaughn 5) Mark McGwire 6) Robin Ventura 7) Mike Piazza 8) Edgardo Alfonzo 9) Sammy Sosa 10) Larry Walker 11) Vladimir Guerrero 12) Craig Biggio 13) Jay Bell 14) Sean Casey 15) Randy Johnson 16) Billy Wagner 17) Carl Everett 18) Luis Gonzalez 19t) Brian Giles 19t) Brain Jordan 21) Mike Hampton 22) Barry Larkin 23) Bobby Abreu 24t) Barry Bonds 24t) Matt Mantei 26t) Jeff Kent 26t) Kevin Millwood 28) Trevor Hoffman
#10
.379/.458/.710, 140 RC, 162 OPS+, .334 EQA, 68.1 VORP, 24 Win Shares
#9
.294/.386/.457, 111 RC, 118 OPS+, .286 EQA, 48.3 VORP, 31 Win Shares
#8
.335/.446/.549, 134 RC, 149 OPS+, .326 EQA, 64.3 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#7
.301/.379/.529, 118 RC, 132 OPS+, .300 EQA, 53.4 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#6
150 ERA+, 1.75 K/BB, 1.29 WHIP, 76.2 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#5
.315/.418/.614, 135 RC, 157 OPS+, .328 EQA, 74.6 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#4
.278/.424/.697, 154 RC, 178 OPS+, .344 EQA, 81.2 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#3
178 ERA+, 5.20 K/BB, 1.02 WHIP, 99.3 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#2
.304/.454/.591, 149 RC, 169 OPS+, .341 EQA, 84.9 VORP, 37 Win Shares
#1
.319/.441/.633, 159 RC, 175 OPS+, .344 EQA, 104.3 VORP, 32 Win Shares
Bobby Abreu a gamer? HA!
So I agreed with the writers here even though Win Shares overwhelming loved Bagwell. I feel real good about the Top 5 but after that I could have gone about 20 different directions with 6 thru 10. Along those five I also could easily put Luis Gonzalez, Edgardo Alfonzo, Sammy Sosa, Andruw Jones (who didn't receive a single vote), and Vladimir Guerrero in the Top 10 as well.
Nearing the midway point of the season and the Bills and Raiders still can't be beat. Bills had a lackluster effort against the lowly Colts but still prevailed 31-23 while the Raiders beat the Seahawks 24-14 to now take a commanding three game lead in the AFC West. Even with their dominance the Bills aren't running away with their division as the Dolphins are right on their heels, improving to 6-1 after a 27-24 win over the Chiefs. Earnest Byner returned to action for the Redskins and nearly returned to the top of the league's leading rushers but it wasn't enough to beat Byner's former team the Browns as they downed the Skins 17-16.
Week 7 Scores
San Francisco 31, Atlanta 14
SF: 3-3, ATL: 1-5
-Joe Montana: 232 yards passing
L.A. Rams 24, San Diego 6
RAM: 4-2, SD: 4-3
-Willie Anderson: 6 rec, 178 yards
L.A. Raiders 24, Seattle 14
RAI: 7-0, SEA: 4-3
-Marcus Allen: 85 yards rushing
Minnesota 20, Phoenix 14
MIN: 5-2, PHX: 1-6
-Herschel Walker: 116 yards rushing
Philadelphia 28, New Orleans 14
PHI: 5-2, NO: 2-4
-Randall Cunningham: 225 yards passing
N.Y. Giants 21, Pittsburgh 6
NYG: 6-1, PIT: 3-3
-Giants: Win despite only 165 yards of offense
Miami 27, Kansas City 24
MIA: 6-1, KC: 2-5
-Mark Clayton: 6 rec, 153 yards
Cleveland 17, Washington 16
CLE: 4-2, WAS: 4-3
-Reggie Langhorne: 3 rec, 92 yards
Cincinnati 21, Dallas 14
CIN: 2-4, DAL: 3-4
-Troy Aikman: 35% comp pct, 2 int
Houston 30, N.Y. Jets 24 OT
HOU: 4-2, NYJ: 1-6
-Warren Moon: 270 yards passing
Buffalo 31, Indianapolis 23
BUF: 7-0, IND: 2-5
-Thurman Thomas: 109 yards rushing
Bye Weeks: Chicago (2-4), Denver (3-3), Detroit (2-4), Green Bay (1-5), New England (1-5), Tampa Bay (1-5)
Leaders thru Week 7
PASSING LEADERS
Rating
1. Phil Simms, 210.6
2. Dan Marino, 201.6
3. Jim Kelly, 171.5
Yards
1. Marino, 1727
2. Kelly, 1600
3. Joe Montana, 1486
Touchdowns
1. Marino, 21
2t. Simms, 16
2t. Kelly, 16
RECEIVING LEADERS
Receptions
1. Jerry Rice, 29
2t. Anthony Miller, 24
2t. Mark Duper, 24
Yards
1. Rice, 790
2. Duper, 657
3. Jay Novacek, 584
Touchdowns
1. Rice, 8
2t. Henry Ellard, 7
2t. James Lofton, 7
RUSHING LEADERS
Yards
1. Christian Okoye, 574
2. Earnest Byner, 572
3. Thurman Thomas, 570
Touchdowns
1. Marcus Allen, 10
2t. Many with 7
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Interceptions
1. Eddie Anderson, 6
2t. Many with 5
Sacks
1. Lawrence Taylor, 13
2. Chris Doleman, 11
3t. Many with 10
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
Field Goals: Steve Christie, 9
Punting Avg: Mark Saxon, 51.1
Punt Return Avg: Henry Ellard, 12.8
Kick Return Avg: Chris Warren, 20.2
And then there was one. The Raiders suffered their first loss of the season in the Battle of Los Angeles to the Rams 35-31. Rams now improve to a surprising 5-2 and maintain their one game lead on the 49ers in the NFC West. The Bills hit the halfway point and their bye week undefeated as they cruised to another win over the Bengals. The Vikings blew out the Patriots 37-10 and continue their large lead the NFC Central.
Week 8 Scores
Buffalo 31, Cincinnati 14
BUF: 8-0, CIN: 2-5
-Thurman Thomas: 127 yards rushing
Indianapolis 28, N.Y. Jets 21
IND: 3-5, NYJ: 1-7
-Jeff George: 254 yards passing
Minnesota 37, New England 10
MIN: 6-2, NE: 1-6
-Anthony Carter: 6 rec, 158 yards
New Orleans 27, Tampa Bay 0
NO: 3-4, TB: 1-6
-Buccaneers: 78 yards of offense
Houston 35, Miami 14
HOU: 5-2, MIA: 6-2
-Warren Moon: 291 yards passing
Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 10
PIT: 4-3, SEA: 4-4
-Dave Krieg: 36% comp pct, 86 yards
Kansas City 31, Denver 20
KC: 3-5, DEN: 3-4
-Stephone Paige: 6 rec, 170 yards
L.A. Rams 35, L.A. Raiders 31
RAM: 5-2, RAI: 7-1
-Jim Everett: 309 yards passing
Phoenix 31, Atlanta 24
PHX: 2-6, ATL: 1-6
-Timm Rosenbach: 266 yards passing
San Francisco 28, Detroit 3
SF: 4-3, DET: 2-5
-Joe Montana: 252 yards passing
Cleveland 23, San Diego 20
CLE: 5-2, SD: 4-4
-Eric Metcalf: 5 rec, 115 yards
Chicago 28, Green Bay 17
CHI: 3-4, GB: 1-6
-Neal Anderson: 122 yards rushing
Bye Weeks: Dallas (3-4), N.Y. Giants (6-1), Philadelphia (5-2), Washington (4-3)
Leaders thru Week 8
PASSING LEADERS
Rating
1. Phil Simms, 210.6
2. Dan Marino, 197.5
3. Jim Kelly, 176.9
Yards
1. Marino, 1954
2. Kelly, 1771
3. Joe Montana, 1738
Touchdowns
1. Marino, 23
2t. Jim Everett, 18
2t. Kelly, 18
RECEIVING LEADERS
Receptions
1. Jerry Rice, 33
2. Anthony Miller, 27
3. Many tied with 26
Yards
1. Rice, 881
2. Duper, 709
3. James Lofton, 635
Touchdowns
1. Rice, 9
2t. Henry Ellard, 8
2t. James Lofton, 8
RUSHING LEADERS
Yards
1. Thurman Thomas, 697
2. Neal Anderson, 685
3. Christian Okoye, 657
Touchdowns
1. Marcus Allen, 10
2. Neal Anderson, 9
3t. Many tied with 8
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Interceptions
1. Joey Browner, 7
2t. Many with 6
Sacks
1t. Lawrence Taylor, 13
1t. Bruce Smith, 13
3t. Many tied with 12
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
Field Goals: Steve Christie, 9
Punting Avg: Mark Saxon, 51.1
Punt Return Avg: Henry Ellard, 12.8
Kick Return Avg: Tim Brown; Danny Peebles, 19.2
This was actually relatively uneventful Saturday and after all the chaos in the previous weeks I get the feeling we may have a boring November. We're down to only 10 BCS conference teams with one loss or less compared to 18 at this time last year so I think law of averages this past week might be a sign of things to come. Even now in the era of a 12 game regular season and conference championships I still don't see us having the first two loss, post-bowls national champion. Believe me though I would love a two loss champion as it would even further kill the argument that the regular season is one big playoff.
Almost made it through October without ranking any three loss teams but as the SEC continues to cannibalize itself I have no other choice.
1. Ohio State
2. Arizona State
3. Boston College
4. Kansas
5. LSU
6. West Virginia
7. Oklahoma
8. Oregon
9. Missouri
10. Georgia
11. Connecticut
12. Alabama
13. Virginia Tech
14. South Florida
15. Wake Forest
16. Auburn
17. Florida
18. Michigan
19. Tennessee
20. Wisconsin
21. South Carolina
22. USC
23. Kentucky
24. Hawaii
25. Boise State
Here's a quick revision to the Bowl Bubble entry after yesterday's results.
ACC
Bowls: BCS/Orange, Chick-Fil-A, Gator, Champs Sports, Music City, Meineke Car Care, Emerald, Humanitarian
Locks: Boston College, Clemson, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Near Locks: Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest
On the Bubble: Maryland, Miami, N.C. State
Maryland's upset of Boston College has increased the chances of possibly ten bowl eligible teams in the conference which means getting win #7 is even more important now. I still don't see FSU getting passed over at 6-6 as at worst they'll get grabbed by the Humanitarian Bowl. Miami looks finished after last night's debacle against UVA as they show no signs that they can pull off a road upset of Virginia Tech or Boston College.
Big XII
Bowls: BCS/Fiesta, Cotton, Holiday, Gator or Sun, Alamo, Insight, Independence, Texas
Locks: Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Colorado, Kansas State, Nebraska
Colorado gets bumped down to the bubble after their loss to Iowa State, who's suddenly become a bit of a pest in the conference. Their game against Nebraska in two weeks will now be for a bowl bid for the winner. Because of the Colorado and Kansas State losses, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have locked up bids. The conference will definitely get two teams in BCS bowls which gives them nine potential bids and that will be the maximum number of bowl eligible teams the conference can get at this point. The Texas Bowl can become an open bid of K-State fails to become bowl eligible.
Big East
Bowls: BCS, Gator or Sun, Meineke Car Care, International, PapaJohns.com
Locks: Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, West Virginia
Near Locks: Rutgers
On the Bubble: Louisville, Pittsburgh
Only change here is USF locking up a bid as expected. Rutgers locks up a bid if they take care of Pitt at home next week.
Big Ten
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Capital One, Outback, Alamo, Champs Sports, Insight, Motor City
Locks: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Ohio State
Near Locks: Iowa, Purdue
On the Bubble: Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern
Big Ten is the one conference that wraps up it's season next week so we will probably have a pretty good idea of who is going where after Saturday. The losses of Ohio State and Michigan have crippled the odds that the conference gets two BCS bids although there is still a slim chance if Michigan wins their game as OSU still could end up in the Top 14 if enough things go their way the final two weeks. Michigan winning would also be great news for the WAC, which I'll get to. If they don't get two in the BCS that means as many as three teams from the conference could be eligible but end up staying home so win #7 is an absolute must. Iowa has the easiest game with Western Michigan at home while Northwestern has the longest odds with a trip to Illinois.
Edit: I bumped Purdue down to near lock as if they lose to Indiana they drop to 7-5 and there might not be a bid available if enough of the six win teams get that seventh win.
Conference USA
Bowls: Liberty, GMAC, Texas, PapaJohns.com, Hawaii, New Orleans
Locks: Houston, Tulsa, UCF
Near Locks: East Carolina, Memphis, Southern Miss
On the Bubble: UTEP
Memphis' surprising win over Southern Miss almost assures the conference will get a very undeserving 6th bid as the Tigers finish with UAB and SMU at home. I dropped ECU to near lock after their shocking loss to pitiful Marshall but they should beat Tulane at home to get win #7.
MAC
Bowls: Motor City, GMAC, International
Locks: None
Near Locks: Bowling Green, Central Michigan
On the Bubble: Ball State, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, Toledo
Only change is Ohio's bubble bursting. Buffalo is 4-6 but I think they are still mathematically alive to win the East division and I'm too lazy to look up the MAC tiebreaks so I'll just leave them there.
Mountain West
Bowls: Las Vegas, Poinsettia, Armed Forces, New Mexico
Locks: Air Force, BYU
Near Locks: New Mexico, Utah
On the Bubble: San Diego State, TCU, Wyoming
Somebody should force Conference USA to give up one of their bids to the Mountain West. There's a potentially odd situation setting up in this conference which is why I'm not locking up Utah and New Mexico just yet. TCU still has a realistic chance at seven wins which means Utah or New Mexico need to get to eight wins to breathe easy. They play each other next week and for Utah it is much more important that they win because they finish at BYU. New Mexico on the other hand finishes with UNLV at home.
Pac-10
Bowls: BCS/Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald, Armed Forces
Locks: Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, USC
Near Locks: None
On the Bubble: Arizona, UCLA, Washington State
Oregon State locked up a bid while Stanford and Washington's slim hopes ended. Already went over UCLA's plight last week and they almost beat ASU but that might have been their last hope. If Wazzu upsets the Beavers at home next week then they still would have a shot in the Apple Cup and UW might have lost Jake Locker for the season last night to a neck injury.
SEC
Bowls: BCS/Sugar, Capital One, Cotton, Outback, Chick-Fil-A, Music City, Liberty, Independence
Locks: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee
Near Locks: Mississippi State
On the Bubble: Arkansas, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
Kentucky locked up a bid while South Carolina might find itself in some serious trouble now due to Mississippi State's win over Alabama. Even with the loss the Tide will pick up win #7 against UL Monroe next week so they are still a lock. I've moved the Bulldogs up to a near lock as win #7 should be a given in two weeks against Ole Miss. Arkansas is now on the bubble as if they don't beat the Bulldogs at home next week they will have to upset LSU to lock up a bid. South Carolina's bowl hopes may now rest on beating red hot Clemson at home in two weeks. Vanderbilt will have to beat Tennessee and Wake Forest to have any hope as there is no chance they grab a bid at 6-6 over any of the other teams.
Sun Belt
Bowls: New Orleans
Locks: None
Near Locks: Troy
On the Bubble: Florida Atlantic
MTSU and Arkansas State were eliminated this week so the conference title will come down to the Troy/FAU game on December 1st. Troy is at seven wins now so they would have a shot at an open bid now if they were upset.
WAC
Bowls: BCS?, Humanitarian, Hawaii, New Mexico
Locks: Boise State, Hawaii
Near Locks: Fresno State
On the Bubble: Louisiana Tech, Nevada, San Jose State
Only change is New Mexico State's bubble bursting. As I alluded to in the Big Ten entry, everyone in the conference should be rooting for Michigan to beat Ohio State. If that happens it will all but guarantee a BCS bid for the winner of the Boise State/Hawaii game as there is a rule in the BCS that if a non-BCS conference champ finishes in the Top 16 and is ranked higher than any other BCS conference champ they get an automatic bid. Now of course either still has a shot at finishing in the Top 14 if they win out which also give them a BCS bid. All that being said the status of Colt Brennan could throw a lot of things in flux as he has to be doubtful for their game at Nevada on Friday. If he's out and they lose that game, then say Brennan comes back for the Boise State game and the Warriors win, then the WAC will screw itself out a BCS bid.
I've finished watching Game 2 of all three series so here are some of my notes.
1975 World Series Game 2 - Reds 3, Red Sox 2 (boxscore and play account)
-This game is incomplete on the disk. Apparantly the top of the 2nd is missing from the film archives. Thankfully it was just a 1-2-3 inning for the Reds.
-OBP gets it's first notice I think in all three of the series here although it's referred to as "on base average" as they have a graphic when Joe Morgan is up mentioning that he led the league in that category although the announcers don't mention it.
-They hype several times during the game a feature Sunday Night special NFL game between the Raiders and Chiefs that was following the game. Chiefs beat the Raiders 42-10 that night.
-Morgan continues his whining from Game 1 here and even tries to fake getting hit by a pitch in the 6th by claiming the ball grazed his jersey and then pitched a fit when they wouldn't give him the base. Replays show it didn't hit him. Two games of watching him and I'm already hating him as a player. I took joy in him getting thrown out trying to steal in the 7th right after Tony Kubek said he probably shouldn't be stealing with Johnny Bench up. SMARTBALL~!
-Speaking of SMARTBALL~ this game ended up being decided on what Joe would refer to as "manufacturing runs" but was really more luck than anything. With the Red Sox up 2-1 going into the 9th, Bench led off with a double. Tony Perez would hit a soft ground ball to short which allowed Bench to move to 3rd which I'm sure Perez was trying to do. George Foster would pop up to left, which was not deep enough to score Bench. Then with two outs Dave Concepcion hits a slow chopper up the middle that Red Sox second baseman Denny Doyle has to eat and allows Bench to score the tying run. Ken Griffey would double next to give the Reds the lead. Just think if Concepcion hits a line drive right at Doyle, the Red Sox would have been up 2-0, maybe won the series, and saved the world from being subjected to Fever Pitch.
1979 World Series Game 2 - Pirates 3, Orioles 2 (boxscore and play account)
-The graphics are missing from the footage of this game.
-I forgot to mention this in the Game 1 notes but sitting right directly behind home plate in both games is that John 3:16 guy who wore a rainbow colored wig. Never holds up any John 3:16 sign here though. What's funny here is that ABC puts a camerman right directly in front of him during this game to try obstruct the view of him. You never once see a shot from the behind homeplate so clearly the camera wasn't turned on.
-ABC thankfully cut back on the number of player's wive shots in this game but they do show Ken Singleton's wife for the first time and she knocks out Doug DeCinces' wife for the hottest wife of the series.
-Several Pirates have stars on their caps that were given by Willie Stargell during the season which were called "Stargell's Stars." Bert Blyleven, who started this game, had none. Man fuck Willie. Even by his peers Blyleven was undervalued. They'd play an interview with Blyleven before the game and it's brought up how baseball writers didn't think he could win a big game.
-The announce during the game that J.R. Richard had signed a four-year contract to stay in Houston rather than test the free agent market. It would be that following year when he'd have his stroke.
-Sorta like game Game 2 of '75 this game ends up being won on some fortunate bounces. Game was tied 2-2 going into the 9th, with two out Pirates catcher Ed Ott hit a groundball to 2nd which takes a bad hop right before Billy Smith can field it and it bounces away from him. Phil Garner would walk and then Manny Sanguillen hit a pinch hit single that would be the game winner.
1986 World Series Game 2 - Red Sox 9, Mets 3 (boxscore and play account)
-I can't even imagine the hype that when into this game as it was a match-up of Roger Clemens vs. Dwight Gooden which was about as epic of a pitching match-up you could get in 1986. As you can tell just looking by the score it didn't live up to the hype although they did have to follow up a 1-0 game. Neither pitcher had much of anything going for them in this one.
-Howard Johnson started at 3rd for this game in place of a slumping Ray Knight which ironically enough Dickhead Knight would end up being the World Series MVP.
-The Mets were just crushing Clemens but every deep flyball they hit seemed to die at the track. You knew it wasn't their night by what happened in the 4th and 5th. Dave Henderson led off the 4th with a homerun for the Sox. Then in the bottom of the inning Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson both hit balls that looked like and sounded like homeruns when they left at the bat but both barely stayed in the park. Davey Johnson then decideds not to pinch hit in the inning for Gooden, who was already looking bad at that point, and then top of the 5th he gives up a two run shot to Dwight Evans.
-It's kind of tough to tell in the screencap but in the bottom of the 6th some fan threw a ball at Jim Rice while he was catching a flyball.
-Strawberry struck out twice in each of the first eight postseason games.
-Everytime I here Scully say "a little roller up along first" I expect the next words to be "BEHIND THE BAG! IT GETS THROUGH BUCKNER!"
-Interesting to note that in this series and the '75 Series not once has the word "curse" come up yet. I really wonder if the "curse" nonsense didn't really pick up steam until after this series. Forgetting what happened in Game 6 it's amazing when you think about that the previous year the Royals became the first team ever to lose the first two games in the World Seires at home and comeback to win the series. What were the odds that the same thing would happen two years in a row after never happening before? The Red Sox had to feel good about themselves at this point and this particular game wasn't even as close as the score indicated.
Well I'm going to use the blog for venting my frustrations about the A's right now rather than subject the TWiB thread to it. Hey fine give the Angels credit for not laying down this weekend after an emotional 12 inning game on Friday. BUT YOU DO NOT BLOW A SIX RUN LEAD TO THE FUCKING MARINERS YOU CHOKING DOGS!!!!! Fuck, all I wanted you assholes to do is not make those last four games count and you are really fucking close to fucking this all up. Don't think for a second the Angels can't sweep you in four in Anaheim if you don't take care of your fucking shit right now in Seattle. Win these next two god dammit because you ain't getting any help from the Rangers.
See the worst thing about this is that the longer this goes on the longer Ken Macha continues to run this team into the ground. He's on pretty much a no day off policy for this month until they clinch and there are some guys, including Frank Thomas, who are really dragging out there right now and could use some rest before the playoffs. After tonight that feeling that this was all over on Friday is gone. This is still a race and I'm hating every second of it.
Ya, ya I'd hate to be Cardinals fan right now more and this post could look silly 24 hours from now but fuck it this loss tonight was unacceptable.
Okay back to the redos. In the last two redos I took away an MVP from a closer, Willie Hernandez and Dennis Eckersley. Since I've established that closers should not receive serious consideration for the MVP award and now to turn the focus to starting pitchers. In the last three redos a starting pitcher cracked the Top 10 but I didn't give any of them serious thought for the #1 spot. In today's game with five man rotations and relaitvely stricter pitch counts a pitcher it is difficult for a starting pitcher to rack up the innings to match the value of an everyday player. You have to go back to 1980 to find the last starting pitcher to throw over 300 innings in a single season, Steve Carlton. Since that year three closers have won the MVP award but only one starting pitcher, Roger Clemens in 1986. It seems very odd that closers now seemingly have a better shot to win an MVP than starting pitchers.
Now this brings me to a year that a starting pitcher received serious consideration for the MVP and deservedly so, 1995. Remember 1995? The strike was still going on by Spring Training and we came very close to seeing replacement/scab players fielding Major League teams in games that counted but it ended right before Opening Day. I can even remember an exhibition game at the Coliseum with scab players right before the strike ended. The start of the season was pushed back to late April and the season shrunk to 144 games.
That year Greg Maddux had probably the best season a starting pitcher has had in my lifetime. He went 19-2 with 1.63 ERA, which was actually slightly higher than his previous year but he had better peripherals. He would win the Cy Young unanimously and finish 3rd in the MVP voting with seven first place votes. 2nd place went to Dante Bichette who benefitted from Coors Field and the Rockies surprise run to the Wild Card in the third year of exsistence. The winner would be Barry Larkin. Larkin's win has been perceived as possibly not deserving since '95 as he followed up that year with an even better season in '96 and I'd count myself as one of the doubters to this point. One interesting result in the '95 voting was the complete lack of support for Barry Bonds who finished 12th overall as the Giants floundered at the bottom of the N.L. West.
So was 1995 finally a year a starting pitcher should have won an MVP? Was Barry Larkin's win undeserving? Did Dante Bichette really have a better year than Barry Bonds?
Actually Results
1) Barry Larkin 2) Dante Bichette 3) Greg Maddux 4) Mike Piazza 5) Eric Karros 6) Reggie Sanders 7) Larry Walker 8) Sammy Sosa 9) Tony Gwynn 10) Craig Biggio 11) Ron Gant 12) Barry Bonds 13) Mark Grace 14) Derek Bell 15) Jeff Bagwell 16t) Andres Galarraga 16t) Charlie Hayes 18t) Vinny Castilla 18t) Chipper Jones 20t) Fred McGriff 20t) Pete Schourek 22t) Jeff Conine 22t) Tom Henke
#10
.340/.364/.620, 131 RC, 130 OPS+, .286 EQA, 54.7 VORP, 23 Win Shares
#9
.326/.395/.516, 113 RC, 143 OPS+, .309 EQA, 56.3 VORP, 23 Win Shares
#8
.368/.404/.484, 105 RC, 138 OPS+, .312 EQA, 56.5 VORP, 23 Win Shares
#7
.298/.369/.535, 108 RC, 145 OPS+, .309 EQA, 50.4 VORP, 25 Win Shares
#6
.306/.397/.579, 110 RC, 155 OPS+, .320 EQA, 61.5 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#5
.302/.406/.483, 104 RC, 141 OPS+, .317 EQA, 71.7 VORP, 29 Win Shares
#4
.346/.400/.606, 105 RC, 172 OPS+, .338 EQA, 72.0 VORP, 27 Win Shares
#3
.319/.394/.492, 96 RC, 134 OPS+, .311 EQA, 77.1 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#2
.294/.431/.577, 125 RC, 168 OPS+, .339 EQA, 77.0 VORP, 36 Win Shares
#1
259 ERA+, 7.87 K/BB, 0.81 WHIP, 94.0 VORP, 30 Win Shares
I'm starting to remember why I stopped collecting baseball cards, too damn many of them by the mid-90s.
So there you have it, Greg Maddux should have been the first N.L. pitcher to win the MVP since Bob Gibson in 1968. But in retrospect Barry Larkin was hardly a bad choice and was a deserving candidate as again with most years there always a few good candidates. There is a very good case to be made for Mike Piazza as well. As it turns out beyond Bichette's 2nd place finish and Bonds lack of support the '95 voting wasn't too bad. Okay there was one bizarre result with Charlie Hayes getting four voting points. Even his baseball writer friendly numbers were nothing special (.276 AVG, 11 HR, 85 RBI) and he played on a losing team.
Tony Fernandez - Shortstop
Toronto Blue Jays 1983-1990, 1993, 1998-1999, 2001
San Diego Padres 1991-1992
New York Mets 1993
Cincinnati Reds 1994
New York Yankees 1995
Cleveland Indians 1997
Milwaukee Brewers 2001
Awards
1986 AL Gold Glove - SS
1987 AL Gold Glove - SS
1988 AL Gold Glove - SS
1989 AL Gold Glove - SS
All-Star Selections: 5 (1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1999)
League Leader
1990: Triples
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 3 (499) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 51 (477) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 31.5 (254) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 74.0 (225) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: 3 (Red Schoendienst, Billy Herman, Pee Wee Reese)
Other Similar Batters: Dick Bartell, Alvin Dark, Dave Concepcion, Jimmie Dykes, Alan Trammell, Garry Templeton, Omar Vizquel
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1983: 1/0.3
1984: 6/2.7
1985: 21/8.9
1986: 24/9.1
1987: 24/10.1
1988: 25/8.6
1989: 20/8.2
1990: 25/10.6
1991: 21/7.5
1992: 15/6.1
1993: 20/8.1
1994: 14/6.0
1995: 9/2.9
1997: 11/3.6
1998: 19/6.6
1999: 20/5.6
2001: 1/0.5
Career Win Shares: 280
Career WARP3: 105.4
Would he get my vote?
No. Not a HOF but I think a much better player than most people remember, including myself, and I think I'd rate him slightly better than Dave Concepcion. An excellent fielder during his prime and almost always a good hitter for a shortstop, only once finishing with an OPS+ of under 90 in a full season, and finished with a career OPS+ of 101. Overlooked I think for several factors as he brokeout when Cal Ripken and Alan Trammell were already established with his power numbers paling in comparison to those two. Then in his 30's he bounced around from a different team almost every year including missing one season due to injury and spending another in Japan. A knock against him is that even though he had 246 career steals he was a poor base stealer being thrown out 36% of the time.
Well Jose Reyes will not repeat Albert Pujols' feat last season of leading the race wire to wire, then losing the real MVP, but he's not far from the now much fatter top spot. To no surprise at all J.J Hardy's fast start has come crashing down to earth and he is no where to be seen this time around after competing for the top spot last time. Barry Bonds has also cooled off but his rate stats are still way too good to leave out of the Top 10. Russell Martin might be this year's Joe Mauer and I can only hope all around spaz Eric Byrnes' numbers fall off a cliff like they normally do. Also of note the Marlins lead the way in both leagues with three players in the Top 10 but mediocre pitching from both their rotation and bullpen have done them in so far.
10. Josh Willingham, Marlins
.267/.373/.475, 52 RC, 131 OPS+, .305 EQA, 15.6 VORP, 12.2 Win Shares
9. Barry Bonds, Giants
.282/.488/.564, 43 RC, 181 OPS+, .365 EQA, 24.5 VORP, 10.3 Win Shares
8. Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks
.313/.375/.512, 40 RC, 129 OPS+, .302 EQA, 21.8 VORP, 12.1 Win Shares
7. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
.321/.391/.496, 45 RC, 141 OPS+, .312 EQA, 27.9. VORP, 10.5 Win Shares
6. Chase Utley, Phillies
.302/.383/.551, 41 RC, 144 OPS+, .314 EQA, 25.3 VORP, 11.3 Win Shares
5. Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
.296/.358/.514, 51 RC, 138 OPS+, .308 EQA, 17.6 VORP, 12.6 Win Shares
4. Russell Martin, Dodgers
.297/.367/.474, 40 RC, 122 OPS+, .299 EQA, 20.6 VORP, 12.9 Win Shares
3. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.330/.398/.590, 49 RC, 167 OPS+, .329 EQA, 27.6 VORP, 12.0 Win Shares
2. Jose Reyes, Mets
.308/.394/.453, 50 RC, 132 OPS+, .304 EQA, 27.1 VORP, 14.0 Win Shares
1. Prince Fielder, Brewers
.294/.381/.645, 52 RC, 169 OPS+, .332 EQA, 29.4 VORP, 13.5 Win Shares
Magglio Ordonez still holds down the top spot in the A.L. but Vladimir Guerrero is right on his tail and A-Rod isn't too behind as well. There's a big drop off those three with the rest of the pack featuring Ichiro Suzuki making a potential MVP run just in time for free agency. Only thing else of note is that I will have all of Dan Haren's babies if he continues to pitch this way all season.
10. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
.338/.426/.529, 48 RC, 151 OPS+, .314 EQA, 27.0 VORP, 10.9 Win Shares
9. David Ortiz, Red Sox
.330/.444/.599, 50 RC, 173 OPS+, .336 EQA, 34.0 VORP, 11.0 Win Shares
8. Victor Martinez, Indians
.322/.382/.551, 48 RC, 148 OPS+. .308 EQA, 24.4 VORP, 13.6 Win Shares
7. Dan Haren, A's
272 ERA+, 3.62 K/BB, 0.86 WHIP, 36.0 VORP, 12.0 Win Shares
6. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
.333/.379/.449, 43 RC, 125 OPS+, .286 EQA, 23.0 VORP, 14.6 Win Shares
5. Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
.336/.388/.449, 52 RC, 128 OPS+, .298 EQA, 25.9 VORP, 13.2 Win Shares
4. Grady Sizemore, Indians
.283/.400/.485, 52 RC, 138 OPS+, .302 EQA, 25.2 VORP, 13.8 Win Shares
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
.300/.400/.648, 58 RC, 179 OPS+, .330 EQA, 35.2 VORP, 13.2 Win Shares
2. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
.341/.444/.589, 57 RC, 178 OPS+, .342 EQA, 37.2 VORP, 16.0 Win Shares
1. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
.367/.439/.668, 61 RC, 191 OPS+, .349 EQA, 41.9 VORP, 14.4 Win Shares
Bobby Bonilla - Third Baseman/Rightfielder
Chicago White Sox 1986
Pittsburgh Pirates 1986-1991
New York Mets 1992-1995, 1999
Baltimore Orioles 1995-1996
Florida Marlins 1997-1998
Los Angeles Dodgers 1998
Atlanta Braves 2000
St. Louis Cardinals 2001
Awards
1988 NL Silver Slugger - 3B
1990 NL Silver Slugger - OF
1991 NL Silver Slugger - OF
All-Star Selections: 6 (1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995)
League Leader
1991: Doubles, Runs Created
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 3 (499) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 96 (229) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 32.0 (239) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 64.5 (278) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Fred Lynn, Paul O'Neill, Dal Ennis, Reggie Smith, Ken Boyer, Robin Ventura, George Hendrick, Todd Zeile, Gary Matthews, Bob Johnson
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 10/3.5
1987: 16/4.4
1988: 31/8.5
1989: 29/11.7
1990: 23/7.4
1991: 31/10.5
1992: 18/5.8
1993: 16/5.7
1994: 19/7.0
1995: 22/9.3
1996: 19/5.2
1997: 21/5.4
1998: 5/0.7
1999: 0/-0.1
2000: 6/-0.1
2001: 1/0.1
Career Win Shares: 267
Career WARP3: 85.1
Would he get my vote?
No. Solid four year peak from 1988-1991 but for me personally I consider his 1991 season to be the only year where he was among the elite players in the game. Of course cashed in on that season but could never live up to the hype coming into New York and fell far below it. Good hitter but not the cornerstone of a lineup that he was paid to be. Poor defensively regardless of the position he played.
Two weeks in, two injured star running backs. In 35-3 blowout win over the Steelers, the Bills last their superstar Thurman Thomas to injury. The Lions so far have survived without Barry Sanders getting off to a 2-0 start after nipping the Packers 14-13. The big game of the week was the Rams upsetting the defending Super Bowl champion Giants 23-20 in overtime, and the Rams are now 2-0.
Week 2 Results
Seattle 20, N.Y. Jets 14
SEA: 2-0, NJY: 1-1
-Tommy Kane: 4 rec, 131 yards
Detroit 14, Green Bay 13
DET: 2-0, GB: 0-2
-Rodney Peete: 167 yards passing
L.A. Raiders 28, Denver 24
RAI: 2-0, DEN: 1-1
-Bo Jackson: 117 yards rushing
Minnesota 28, Atlanta 24
MIN: 2-0, ATL: 0-2
-Steve Jordan: 4 rec, 106 yards
Houston 23, Cincinnati 21
HOU: 1-1, CIN: 0-2
-Curtis Duncan: 5 rec, 117 yards
Cleveland 31, New England 14
CLE: 1-1, NE: 0-2
-Bernie Kosar: 313 yards passing
New Orleans 27, Kansas City 24
NO: 1-1, KC: 1-1
-Steve Walsh: 220 yards passing
Miami 28, Indianapolis 21
MIA: 1-1, IND: 1-1
-Dan Marino: 193 yards passing
San Francisco 34, San Diego 14
SF: 1-1, SD: 1-1
-Jerry Rice: 7 rec, 144 yards
L.A. Rams 23, N.Y. Giants 20 OT
RAM: 2-0, NYG: 1-1
-Jim Everett: 176 yards passing
Buffalo 35, Pittsburgh 3
BUF: 2-0, PIT: 0-2
-Thurman Thomas injured
Philadelphia 23, Phoenix 17
PHI: 2-0, PHX: 0-2
-Heath Sherman: 4 rushes, 73 yards
Chicago 20, Tampa Bay 19
CHI: 1-1, TB: 0-2
-Neal Anderson: 96 yards rushing
Washington 31, Dallas 14
WAS: 1-1, DAL: 1-1
-Earnest Byner: 130 yards rushing
Leaders thru Week 2
Passing Leaders
Rating: Randall Cunnigham, 235.0
Yards: Bernie Kosar, 519
TD: Cunnigham, 7
Receiving Leaders
Rec: Jerry Rice, 10
Yards: Rice, 248
TD: Many with 3
Rushing Leaders
Yards: Earnest Byner, 199
TD: Many with 3
Defensive Leaders
INT: Many with 2
Sacks: Michael Cofer; Al Baker, 5
Without Bo Jackson the Raiders still remained undefeated after beating the surprisingly mediocre 49ers 21-14. The Bills also are still unscathed as they slaughtered the Bears 38-7. The Cardinals, Bucs, and Falcons all picked up their first wins of the season and now every team in the league has at least one win. The big performance of the week came from Mark Duper who scorched the Jets secondary for 217 yards receiving in the Dolphins' 31-21 win.
Week 5 Scores
L.A. Raiders 21, San Francisco 14
RAI: 5-0, SF: 2-3
-Marcus Allen: 88 yards rushing
Seattle 30, Indianapolis 14
SEA: 3-2, IND: 2-3
John L Williams: 236 total yards
Miami 31, N.Y. Jets 21
MIA: 4-1, NYJ: 1-4
-Mark Duper: 6 rec, 217 yards
Phoenix 28, New England 10
PHX: 1-4, NE: 1-4
-Johnny Johnson: 210 total yards
Denver 17, Minnesota 14 OT
DEN: 3-2, MIN: 3-2
-John Elway: 196 yards passing
San Diego 28, Kansas City 7
SD: 4-1, KC: 2-3
-Marion Butts: 137 yards rushing
Atlanta 28, New Orleans 27
ATL: 1-4, NO: 2-3
-Chris Miller: 237 yards passing
Washington 21, Philadelphia 14
WAS: 3-2, PHI: 3-2
-Art Monk: 5 rec, 143 yards
Buffalo 38, Chicago 7
BUF: 5-0, CHI: 2-3
-Jim Kelly: 285 yards passing
Tampa Bay 20, Detroit 17
TB: 1-4, DET: 2-3
-Vinny Testaverde: 216 yards passing
L.A. Rams 24, Green Bay 16
RAM: 3-2, GB: 1-4
Jim Everett: 179 yards passing
N.Y. Giants 24, Dallas 16
NYG: 4-1, DAL: 2-3
-Phil Simms: 210 yards passing
Bye Weeks: Cincinnati (1-3), Cleveland (2-2), Houston (2-2), Pittsburgh (2-2)
Leaders thru Week 5
PASSING LEADERS
Rating
1. Dan Marino, 219.1
2. Phil Simms, 205.6
3. Steve Walsh, 165.4
Yards
1. Marino, 1262
2. Joe Montana, 1254
3. Walsh, 1154
Touchdowns
1. Marino, 18
2t. Many with 12
RECEIVING LEADERS
Receptions
1. Jerry Rice, 26
2. Mark Duper, 19
3t. Many with 18
Yards
1. Rice, 680
2. Duper, 546
3. Art Monk, 480
Touchdowns
1. Rice, 7
2t. Many with 6
RUSHING LEADERS
Yards
1. Earnest Byner, 449
2. Thurman Thomas, 399
3. Bobby Humphrey, 392
Touchdowns
1t. Dalton Hilliard, 6
1t. Marcus Allen, 6
3t. Many with 5
DEFENSIVE LEADERS
Interceptions
1t. Many with 4
Sacks
1. Lawrence Taylor, 13
2. Simon Fletcher, 8
3t. Many with 7
SPECIAL TEAMS LEADERS
Field Goals: Steve Christie, 7
Punting Avg: Mark Saxon, 53.1
Punt Return Avg: Henry Ellard; Johnny Bailey, 13.0
Kick Return Avg: Chris Warren, 23.0
My Week 2 Useless Comments on Games I Watched for More than Two Seconds
Texas Tech 49, SMU 9. Given this result and their struggle to beat North Texas maybe the Ponies won't break their post-Death Penalty bowl drought after all.
Clemson 24, Florida State 18. When will the Bobby Bowden Retirement Tour begin already?
Louisville 58, Middle Tennessee State 42. If you give up 42 points at home to a Sun Belt team you're probably not Top 10 material.
Cincinnati 34, Oregon State 3. Thank God I forgot to mention last week that Yvenson Bernard was my super sleeper Heisman candidate.
Rutgers 41, Navy 24. I had no idea Ray Rice's mom was retarded.
West Virignia 48, Marshall 23. HEY REMEMBER 37 YEARS AGO THE WHOLE MARSHALL TEAM DIED IN A PLANE CRASH AND THEY MADE A DISNEY MOVIE ABOUT IT STARING MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY AND IT'S NOW ON DVD. WAIT IS THERE A GAME GOING ON?
Nebraska 20, Wake Forest 17. For anyone who thinks USC might be running into a buzzsaw next week in Lincoln always remember Bill Callahan is their head coach.
Oklahoma 51, Miami 13. Nothing good can ever come from the Sooners being dominate again.
California 34, Colorado State 28. My insanely biased, bold prediction: Cal will only be the 5th best team in the Pac-10 by the end of the year.
Boston College 37, N.C. State 17. Now why exactly did Tom O'Brien leave BC again? Anyone?
Texas A&M 47, Fresno State 45. Game of the day. The Coaches' Poll inexplicably moved A&M up five spots for this win so I'll just assume Dennis Franchione gives great head.
Washington 24, Boise State 10. This wasn't an upset, Boise just isn't that good.
Oregon 39, Michigan 7. The scary thing for Michigan fans' is that Oregon probably will only end up going like 8-4 this year. And yes we can officially all start redoing our "Greatest Upsets Ever" list as the Appalachian State game suddenly doesn't seem like that big of a deal.
South Carolina 16, Georgia 12. And who says SEC Football is boring? Zzzzzzzz.
Penn State 31, Notre Dame 10. Jimmy Clausen getting his ass kicked in front of his family is fine entertainment.
East Carolina 34, North Carolina 31. Seriously CSTV needs to have their top scoreline and their bottom line take up less of the screen. It's like trying to watch a game in letterbox format except without the widescreen enhancement.
UCLA 27, BYU 17. I'm not quite sold on UCLA being a near Top 10 team.
Texas 34, TCU 13. Yup there ain't going to be a Boise State story this year. Sorry I don't buy into the "Look how shitty their schedule is!" argument for Hawaii especially after almost losing to Louisiana Tech.
South Florida 26, Auburn 23. For the second straight year it looks the Big East will be better than the ACC yet they'll be stuck with by far the worst bowl tie ins of any BCS conference.
LSU 48, Virginia Tech 7. THANK YOU GOD! Now just need LSU to lose because LSU playing for the national title in New Orleans will still get way too many pants full in Bristol, CT.
Wisconsin 20, UNLV 13. I'll say it right now, even if they go undefeated the Big Ten champ should not be in the BCS Championship Game.
Arizona State 33, Colorado 14. Never underestimate Dennis Erickson's ability at the college level. His teams have zero discipline but they simply don't give a fuck and they will kill you if given the opportunity.
Bored's Poll
1. LSU
2. Oklahoma
3. USC
4. Everyone else
For middle relievers, the first two years I took the top 60 in games pitched and then last year I did the top 60 in Holds. This time around I tried to get a combination of both and put an arbitrary number of at least 70 games pitched or at least 15 Holds to work with at first and purely by accident I ended up with exactly 60 relievers. This of course excludes those who will appear on the Closers list.
I take into account six statistical categories: Component ERA, K/BB Ratio, WHIP, VORP, Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP), and Pitching Runs Created.
2004
1. Tom Gordon
30. Jim Mecir
60. John Rielding
2005
1. Justin Duchscherer
30. Duaner Sanchez
60. Dan Kolb
2006
1. Cla Meredith
30. Francisco Rodney
60. Ray King
2007
1. Rafael Betancourt, Indians
2. Heath Bell, Padres
3. Hideki Okajima, Red Sox
4. Russ Springer, Cardinals
5. Carlos Marmol, Cubs
6. Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers
7. Joaquin Benoit, Rangers
8. Matt Guerrier, Twins
9. George Sherrill, Mariners
10. Peter Moylan, Braves
11. Ryan Franklin, Cardinals
12. Rafael Soriano, Braves
13. Bob Howry, Cubs
14. Pat Neshek, Twins
15. Jon Rauch, Nationals
16. Scott Downs, Blue Jays
17. Justin Speier, Angels
18. Damaso Marte, Pirates
19. Aaron Heilman, Mets
20. Casey Janssen, Blue Jays
21. Chad Qualls, Astros
22. Brandon Lyon, Diamondbacks
23. Tony Pena, Diamondbacks
24. Matt Lindstrom, Marlins
25. Justin Miller, Marlins
26. C.J. Wilson, Rangers
27. Pedro Feliciano, Mets
28. David Riske, Royals
29. Brian Shouse, Brewers
30. Saul Rivera, Nationals
31. Scot Shields, Angels
32. Michael Wuertz, Cubs
33. Cla Meredith, Padres
34. Jamie Walker, Orioles
35. Joe Beimel, Dodgers
36. Carlos Villanueva, Brewers
37. J.C. Romero, Red Sox/Phillies
38. Rudy Seanez, Dodgers
39. Derrick Turnbow, Brewers
40. Dan Wheeler, Astros/Devil Rays
41. Jeremy Affeldt, Rockies
42. Chad Bradford, Orioles
43. Randy Flores, Cardinals
44. Matt Thornton, White Sox
45. Tyler Yates, Braves
46. Scott Linebrink, Padres/Brewers
47. Scott Proctor, Yankees/Dodgers
48. Jimmy Gobble, Royals
49. Renyel Pinto, Marlins
50. Luis Vizcaino, Yankees
51. Brandon Morrow, Mariners
52. Taylor Tankersley, Marlins
53. Trever Miller, Astros
54. Frank Francisco, Rangers
55. Kyle Farnsworth, Yankees
56. Jorge Julio, Marlins/Rockies
57. Scott Schoenweis, Mets
58. Mike Myers, Yankees/White Sox
59. Antonio Alfonseco, Phillies
60. Mike MacDougal, White Sox
Albert Belle - Leftfielder
Cleveland Indians 1989-1996
Chicago White Sox 1997-1998
Baltimore Orioles 1999-2000
2nd year on the ballot
Past HOF Voting Results
2006: 7.7%
Awards
1993 AL Silver Slugger - OF
1994 AL Silver Slugger - OF
1995 ML Sporting News Player of the Year
1995 AL Silver Slugger - OF
1996 AL Silver Slugger - OF
1998 AL Silver Slugger - OF
All-Star Selections: 5 (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997)
League Leader
1993: RBI
1994: Total Bases
1995: Runs, Doubles, Homeruns, Total Bases, Slugging Pct.
1996: RBI
1998: Total Bases, Slugging Pct., OPS, OPS+, Runs Created
Career Ranks
HR: 54th
SLG%: 19th
OPS: 35th
OPS+: 58th
AB/HR: 22nd
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Batting - 28 (62) (Average HOFer ≈ 27)
Gray Ink: Batting - 137 (117) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 36.1 (187) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 134.5 (94) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: 1 (Hank Greenberg)
Other Similar Batters: Juan Gonzalez, Carlos Delgado, Jim Edmonds, Jason Giambi, Moises Alou, Vladimir Guerrero, Dick Allen, Rocky Colavito, Tim Salmon
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacmenet Level (WARP3)
1989: 6/0.9
1990: 0/-0.1
1991: 15/4.9
1992: 16/5.3
1993: 27/10.5
1994: 24/11.4
1995: 30/13.7
1996: 31/11.3
1997: 18/5.6
1998: 37/12.3
1999: 24/9.9
2000: 15/4.2
Career Win Shares: 243
Career WARP3: 90.0
Would he get my vote?
No. From a peak standpoint, Belle has a serious case. He was one the most feared and best hitters of the 90's. Four times he posted an OPS+ of better than 150, six times in the Top 10 in the league in slugging, eight times in total bases, nine times in RBI, and nine times in homeruns. Although he isn't listed as one of Belle's comps you can bring up Ralph Kiner who is in the HOF, who like Belle had a very short career and was a dominating power hitter while he was active. But I personally don't view Kiner as a HOF and even though I weigh peak a little more than a player's career I just don't think Belle lasted quite long enough to be a HOF. If his hip had held up just for a couple of more good years I think it would have pushed him over the top. I may also had given him my imaginary vote if he had been a good defensive outfielder but he was below average at best. It was actually a mild surprise he got enough votes last year to stay on the ballot given his on the field and off the field persona but with a much deeper ballot this year I doubt he makes it to 2008.
Tommy John - Starting Pitcher
Cleveland Indians 1963-1964
Chicago White Sox 1965-1971
Los Angeles Dodgers 1972-1978
New York Yankees 1979-1982, 1986-1989
California Angels 1982-1985
Oakland Athletics 1985
13th year on the ballot
Past HOF Voting Results
1995: 21.30%
1996: 21.70%
1997: 20.51%
1998: 27.27%
1999: 18.71%
2000: 27.05%
2001: 28.35%
2002: 26.91%
2003: 23.39%
2004: 21.94%
2005: 23.84%
2006: 29.61%
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 4 (1968, 1978, 1979, 1980)
League Leader
1966: Shutouts
1967: Shutouts
1974: Win/Loss %
1980: Shutouts
1982: BB/9
Career Ranks
Wins: 25th
Games: 45th
Innings: 19th
Strikeouts: 47th
Shutouts: 26th
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Pitching - 8 (281) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 137 (116) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 44.0 (53) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 111.0 (76) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: 6 (Robin Roberts, Fergie Jenkins, Early Wynn, Burleigh Grimes, Don Sutton, Eppa Rixey)
Other Similar Pitchers: Jim Kaat, Bert Byleven, Tom Glavine, Tony Mullane
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1963: 1/0.1
1964: 2/1.3
1965: 12/4.5
1966: 15/5.7
1967: 11/4.9
1968: 15/6.6
1969: 17/6.4
1970: 17/7.3
1971: 10/4.0
1972: 11/3.9
1973: 15/4.5
1974: 11/4.1
1976: 13/3.7
1977: 19/6.5
1978: 12/3.4
1979: 23/8.4
1980: 19/6.3
1981: 10/5.3
1982: 12/5.7
1983: 10/3.8
1984: 7/2.7
1985: 1/0.1
1986: 6/2.2
1987: 13/4.0
1988: 7/3.0
1989: 0/0.0
Career Win Shares: 289
Career WARP3: 108.7
Would he get my vote?
No. John's entire case is based on his career counting numbers as he pitched for a very, very long time and usually at an above average to good performance level. But as I've mentioned before I favor peak over career and John's peak is seriously lacking. One knock against Win Shares is that it can underrate pitchers but it is hard to view someone who had only one season in 26 years where he had 20+ Win Shares as a HOF. Besides he already has his place in history by having a surgery named after him so he should be content with that.
Just got a home a little while ago from my first A's game of the year against the Rangers. There's that old cheesy saying that everytime you watch a baseball game you might see something you've never seen before and today was that day for me. Was really looking forward to seeing Rich Harden pitch since he came pretty damn close to throwing a no hitter against the Rangers last season and seeing Baseball Tonight's favortie pitcher Vincente Padilla. The weather was miserable early as we've had about six weeks straight of rain in the Bay Area and it although it never really poured today there was non-stop drizzle for about the first three innings.
It was evident early on that Harden wasn't on today as he had trouble finding the strike zone and would end up walking five on the day. In the 4th Mark Teixeira lead off with a double to right, missing a homerun by about two feet. Phil Nevin came up next and I saw something I'm not sure I've seen before or at least something you don't see very often. He grounded to ball to right to Marco Scutaro for Buster Olney's favorite thing a productive out. Atlhough it didn't turn out that way as Scutaro from 2nd threw to 3rd to get Teixeira. You'll often see that play made by a shortstop but I don't know if I've a second baseman make that play. Of course there's a fine line in baseball between a head's up play and a stupid play and I'm not sure Teixeira didn't beat the throw to 3rd, I was on the first base side so I didn't have a good view of the play, but they got the out and probably saved a run that inning. Now a fielder's choice isn't exactly something I'm gonna remember or worth a blog entry over but I did have something to remember in the 6th.
In the 5th, Nick Swisher made a nice leaping grab against the wall to rob Gerald Laird of extra bases and then with two out in the bottom of the inning crushed a towering homerun to right to give the A's a 2-1 lead. Harden seemed to be settling in by then but with two out in the 6th he competely lost the strike zone again, walking Michael Young and Teixeira. Next batter, Nevin, homerun, 4-2 Rangers, and the A's staring at a 5th straight loss. But then it happeend in the bottom of the inning.
Eric Chavez. First pitch. Homerun.
Frank Thomas. First pitch. Homerun.
Milton Bradley. First pitch. Homerun.
Three pitches, three homeruns, and that's it for Padilla. Absolutely amazing stuff. I've never seen back-to-back-to-back homeruns live in person and I don't think I've ever seen it happen on three straight pitches, let alone the first three pitches of an inning. Very cool to see a first ballot Hall of Famer in Thomas mixed in there as well. The rest of the game was fairly uneventful but that was a moment I'll never forget.
Since this blog is about nostalgia for the most part and since I'm talking about the A's and three homeruns might as well bring up the times I've seen three homeruns by one player in person. First one came on May 7, 1991 against Baltimore as Harold Banies hit three homeruns. Hit a two run homerun off of Ben McDonald in the 1st, a three run homerun off of Dave Johnson in the 4th, and a solo homerun off of Jeff Robinson it the 6th. He had a chance for a four homeruns in the 8th but they Orioles walked him. Second time I saw it happen was June 11, 1999 against Los Angeles as Miguel Tejada pulled off the feat. Two run homer against Carlos Perez in the 1st, two run homer against Onan Masaoka in the 3rd, and solo homerun against Doug Bochtler in the 7th.
