EVIL~! alkeiper

Nope. Belle had a HOF peak, but his career was too short.

Probably not. Like Smoltz, he needs to put together a few more good years to merit serious consideration. He needs about 55-60 more career victories.

Mussina yes. He's got 211 wins now. With his winning percentage, I would induct him if he reaches 235 wins. Chipper Jones is a wait and see candidate. If he can keep his OBP over .400 and put together a good five year stretch, I'd put him in.

Doesn't have to be retired. With Smoltz, I can't endorse a candidate with 163 wins. Smoltz's argument rests on a comparison to Dennis Eckersley, but Eckersley had over a decade of work as a closer. Smoltz has just 3 1/2 years under his belt. I don't see Smoltz as a HOFer at this point, but he could reach that level with maybe another 3-4 years.

Continuing on a theme from last night's chat. Name a baseball player, and I'll review his HOF prospects.

-The Oakland Athletics declined Jermaine Dye's $14 Million option. Apparently Nick Swisher is a better option, and will cost $13.7 Million less. No surprise there at all. The Athletics also cut loose Chris Hammond. Hammond pitched well last year, and as a lefty he'll be a hot commodity. -The Minnesota Twins declined Christian Guzman's $5.25 million contract, making him a free agent. The Twins will likely go with Nick Punto next season, depending on what's on the market. Guzman adds another shortstop to an already crowded position this offseason.

Except that the Cleveland Indians had the designated hitter. The Indians scored 5.86 runs per game when the league average was 5.30. The Cards scored 5.28 runs per game when the league average was 4.64. The Cardinals' offense, in context, performed better than the Indians in 2000.

Cleveland picked up Aaron Boone, so they probably wouldn't need Counsell. I think Counsell would fit in well with the Yankees, actually. There are a few other teams who could use him. Vizquel would make a good one year solution for a team without an obvious player in that spot, or a weakness there. The Marlins could use Vizquel, actually. There are alot of shortstops out there, so it'll be interesting to see how it shakes out. I was pleased. He's got a good track record, he pitched well in Philly. He's a fairly good pitcher.

While the Playoffs continue, teams out of contention must decide whether to exercise options on players for next season. Several players have "team options" on their deals, and its up to the team to decide. Here are some of the notables so far... -The Cleveland Indians declined to exercise Omar Vizquel's option, making him a free agent. This is not a surprise, as the Indians have a 22 year old shortstop who also happened to win the International League MVP Award. Vizquel has been a nice player for the Indians, but their money is best spent elsewhere. -The Milwaukee Brewers declined the option on Craig Counsell. I wasn't sure where the Brewers would go with the option, but given Counsell's weak .315 slugging percentage, it is hardly a surprise. Counsell does post decent OBPs, has some speed, and is a capable defender. He could make a very useful utility infielder. He'd certainly be better than "Super" Joe McEwing. -The Philadelphia Phillies exercised their option on Billy Wagner. Easy decision there. Wagner's injury woes nonwithstanding, he post a nearly 10:1 K/BB ratio this season. Only one year has Wagner posted an ERA less than 40% better than the league average. Wagner gives the Phillies one of the best closers in baseball. -Felix Rodriguez exercised his player option with the Phillies. Rodriguez makes $5 million next year. I think that is high, but it is not an unreasonable burden, and he is certainly a useful reliever. Wagner and Rodriguez give the Phillies a good foundation for their bullpen next season.

Two reasons the curse does not exist... 1. The Red Sox have never had a year which they were clearly the best team, since 1918. 2. For all the times the Red Sox have supposively choked, they've also pulled miracles out of the asses. The 1967 Pennant Race. Game six of the 1975 World Series. Game Five of the 1986 ALCS. By all rights, the Red Sox shouldn't have even been to the World Series that year.

Here's something I just noticed. Kevin McReynolds held the NL record for most steals in a season without getting caught, stealing 21 bases in 1988. In half a season, Carlos Beltran broke that record, stealing 28 bases without getting caught. At this point in his career, Beltran is easily the greatest percentage basestealer in baseball history.

Fool. Mere bullets can not stop Bobby Abreu.

DAMN STRAIGHT! Fucking recognize, bitches. Bow to your right fielding overlord!!

I was gonna take him next round, actually.

We do have the chat going tonight, for those interested... aim:gochat?roomname=tsmbaseballchat

This thread made me laugh. Thanks guys.

A little bit of both.

Live baseball chat tonight... aim:gochat?roomname=tsmbaseballchat

I do as well. But when al gets so desperate to prove that Jeter sucks that he starts nitpicking his every move, it overtakes anything I say. I think its pretty clear my posts are in jest. Jeter is a very good player. He's just overhyped. Come on al. We all know that there's no joking when it comes to the Yanks. In fact, we should all be wearing suits right now to celebrate their win. Joking about the Yankees is tantamount to joking in the WWE Folder... DON'T DO IT, PEOPLE! And along with the suits, you need to have proper haircuts and be clean shaven, because lord knows you can't be a good person if you have long hair and a beard it's amazing that acting one's age has now become a bad thing. I think it all goes to illustrate that there is more than one way to run a winning team. I think it adds a little bit of personality to the rivalry myself. Nothing wrong with either club's approach.

Fear the CHECKLIST~! selects Desmond Mason.

That was me. Chris Reitsma's ability, or lack thereof, is not a reflection upon the true quality of his character. There are superstars out there who are jackasses, and there are poor players who are genuinely nice players. If you really feel the need to harass Reitsma for his play, go ahead. But I am not facilitating it.

My problem with college football is that the talent is so spread out. Most weeks the matchups are flat out mismatches. The only reason there are great college games is that because there are so many of them, there are bound to be gems around somewhere.

I do as well. But when al gets so desperate to prove that Jeter sucks that he starts nitpicking his every move, it overtakes anything I say. I think its pretty clear my posts are in jest. Jeter is a very good player. He's just overhyped.

Clutch fielding by Jeter. I guess team leaders can't dive for baseballs.

Whatever happened to smallball anyway?