MLB '09

[ElBirdos]

Pujols will get $22M plus, and if the signing of Holliday prevents that, (or unless Pujols has already told them he wants to play for the Mets), St. Louis fucked up really badly.

 

this is

[The High Heat]

The Hawk is the lone HOF inductee this year.

Blyleven fell 5 votes short, Alomar 8.

[bobbob1313]

The Hawk is the lone HOF inductee this year.

 

Boo.

[Sparky speaks]

Mike who???????

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8IKDeH9SEg

[MrRain422]

Dawson was maybe in the top 5 of guys on the ballot this year. Oh well.

[KevinG]

The Hawk is the lone HOF inductee this year.

Blyleven fell 5 votes short, Alomar 8.

 

The Hawk goes in before Santo. I don't understand.

[The High Heat]

At one of his animal benefits recently Tony LaRussa said he is toying with the idea of activating his new hitting coach Mark McGwire on August 31 and using him as a pinch hitter for the stretch run, but only if the Cardinals are in the playoff chase. I don't know the context of this statement. LaRussa may have been joking, but then again, Tony LaRussa has never been known for his sense of humor.

[cryptique]

"I know Minnie Minoso. Minnie Minoso is a friend of mine. Mr. McGwire, you're no Minnie Minoso."

[Oil Can Boyd]

The Hawk is the lone HOF inductee this year.

Any word on what hat he will wear?

[cryptique]

Any word on what hat he will wear?

I haven't heard anything, but my guess would be Expos.

 

He'd only be the second player in the Hall with an Expos cap. Gold star if you can guess the first without looking it up.

[Lodestar]

I haven't heard anything, but my guess would be Expos.

 

He'd only be the second player in the Hall with an Expos cap. Gold star if you can guess the first without looking it up.

 

Gary Carter!

 

(?)

[cryptique]

Yup.

 

I always hated that guy, but if he'd wound up in Chicago I know I'd have loved him.

[Duck-Billed Catechist]

Could McGwire hit the ball out of the infield at his current weight?

[Lammycat]

Could McGwire hit the ball out of the infield at his current weight?

My lawyers have advised me that I cannot answer this question without jeopardizing my friends, my family and myself.

[The High Heat]

Could McGwire hit the ball out of the infield at his current weight?

Now that he weighs 139 pounds I think he could hit at least half his weight.

If McGwire is in on only one play, his HOF eligibility would be delayed another 5 years.

The man is 47. If he was done at 38, how the fuck could he do anything 9 years later.

[ElBirdos]

McGwire pinch hitting... "is ... is bad."

[The High Heat]

I am listening to a show co-hosted by Kevin Kennedy on XM's baseball channel and they just did an interview with Mets beat writer Marty Noble about his HOF vote, which he has already published on the internet. Kennedy, whose usually a butt-boy, really took Noble to task on his leaving Alomar off the ballot. Most of Noble reasoning had to do with Alomar having once spit in an umpire's face. Noble also went into a diatribe about Alomar's seemingly uncaring attitude with the Mets, citing only other journalists in this matter; no coaches nor player ever backed up this view. He complained Alomar went all out in a series played in Puerto Rico, but went back to not giving a shit when they left his homeland. Kennedy asked Noble if he thought if Alomar was HOF worthy and if he'd vote for Alomar next year, and Noble said yes on both accounts. Kennedy pressed Noble on if he, Noble, was letting his emotions rule over his voting criteria and Noble eventually admitted he felt Alomar should be punished for spitting on John Hirshbeck, despite the fact that Hirshbeck forgave Alomar over ten years ago; and not getting the first year induction was deserved. Alomar and Hirshbeck are friends to this day, in fact have started a charity in honor of Hirshbeck's deceased son, and Hirshbeck endorses Alomar as a HOFer, as well as a person. Noble and others are punishing Alomar on behalf of Hirshbeck, who has no interest in holding back an honor Alomar deserves. As far as the Mets years, his career was winding down and his eyesight had become a problem. His final spring traing lasted all of one inning of the first spring game when he went to camp with the Rays while Lou Piniella was still there. Alomar made an error and swung and missed three times in one at bat before telling Piniella he was done as a ballplayer. The Mets years were just the beginning of the end of a great career from the greatest second baseman ever. He shouldn't have been punished for an act in which the victim has forgiven him for, nor for the fading of his skills.

[Winston Legthigh]

He shouldn't have been punished for an act in which the victim has forgiven him for, nor for the fading of his skills.

Meh, not getting into the HOF on your first ballot is not a punishment. He'll get in.

 

Christ, Joe DiMaggio was kept out in his first year of eligibility.

[MrRain422]

So ridiculous that Blyleven still isn't in. I mean, it's insane.

 

And Tim Raines is more worthy than Dawson, but I think I've accepted that that will never happen.

[The High Heat]

And Tim Raines is more worthy than Dawson

I thought he was more worthy in 1987, too.

[bjorn_skurj]

Gary Carter!

 

(?)

STILL not happy about that.

[bjorn_skurj]

I am listening to a show co-hosted by Kevin Kennedy on XM's baseball channel and they just did an interview with Mets beat writer Marty Noble about his HOF vote, which he has already published on the internet. Kennedy, whose usually a butt-boy, really took Noble to task on his leaving Alomar off the ballot. Most of Noble reasoning had to do with Alomar having once spit in an umpire's face. Noble also went into a diatribe about Alomar's seemingly uncaring attitude with the Mets, citing only other journalists in this matter; no coaches nor player ever backed up this view. He complained Alomar went all out in a series played in Puerto Rico, but went back to not giving a shit when they left his homeland. Kennedy asked Noble if he thought if Alomar was HOF worthy and if he'd vote for Alomar next year, and Noble said yes on both accounts. Kennedy pressed Noble on if he, Noble, was letting his emotions rule over his voting criteria and Noble eventually admitted he felt Alomar should be punished for spitting on John Hirshbeck, despite the fact that Hirshbeck forgave Alomar over ten years ago; and not getting the first year induction was deserved. Alomar and Hirshbeck are friends to this day, in fact have started a charity in honor of Hirshbeck's deceased son, and Hirshbeck endorses Alomar as a HOFer, as well as a person. Noble and others are punishing Alomar on behalf of Hirshbeck, who has no interest in holding back an honor Alomar deserves. As far as the Mets years, his career was winding down and his eyesight had become a problem. His final spring traing lasted all of one inning of the first spring game when he went to camp with the Rays while Lou Piniella was still there. Alomar made an error and swung and missed three times in one at bat before telling Piniella he was done as a ballplayer. The Mets years were just the beginning of the end of a great career from the greatest second baseman ever. He shouldn't have been punished for an act in which the victim has forgiven him for, nor for the fading of his skills.

I hear ya, but as a Mets fan, it is hard to get that bucket-of-shit taste out of my mouth vis-a-vis that particular Alomar.

[bjorn_skurj]

And I might say that whatever punishment that particular Alomar is getting vis-a-vis the Hall of Fame MIGHT be about upholding the general principle that players must not spit on umpires. Hirschbeck's forgiveness is a credit to him, but the general principle remains violated.

[MattZ]

Yeah, fuck Alomar.

[Oil Can Boyd]

Any word on what hat he will wear?

To answer my own question, this was in today's Globe (although I can't imagine he feels the same way 17 years later):

 

But . . . we dug this up in the Globe archives today. It's from a Red Sox notebook I wrote on July 20, 1993. Check out Dawson's comments about the Hall of Fame then:

 

TORONTO -- Andre Dawson, who has hit more than 400 home runs and is closing in on 1,500 RBIs, is a likely Hall of Fame candidate, and when asked what cap he would wear if he makes it, Dawson said, "Probably the Red Sox.

"I've respected the way they've treated me and stuck with me. They've shown me a certain respect that I never felt in Montreal and Chicago. Just the way they pursued me in the offseason was an indication of that.

 

"I'm just sorry I haven't been able to produce for them so far. I think things are coming along. Adjusting to the American League has been difficult, and with my knee problem, it's been hard for me to push off and generate power."

 

The Expos recently retired the No. 10 Dawson wore in Montreal -- but it was in honor of Rusty Staub.