One man's carefully considered Hall of Fame ballot

[GaryMrMets]

One man's carefully considered Hall of Fame ballot
http://www.sportsline.com/u/partners/aol/index.html?http://www.sportsline.com/mlb/story/6093938

[PopTop]

I can agree with a lot of what Miller says, except this:

"First, no disrespect intended to Smith, who obviously was one of the better closers of his generation, but ... Smith was pitching in the era of the cheap save, when managers began using their closers only for one inning. "

The cheap save? ... They're all cheap in my book, the second-most worthless stat behind hanging W's and L's next to starting pitchers these days ... Is a 3-out save any cheaper than some starting pitcher chunking 6 innings, giving up 5 runs, and still getting a win because his offense went off that day? ... I dare say not.

Also, the way Smith was used, his short working stints so to speak, was decided by his managers or coaches, not Smith ... The players didn't change the way the game is played or managed; the front offices and dugout commanders did.