GaryMrMets
01-15-2006, 05:49 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/382752p-324963c.html
When Hall freezes over
Big Mac a real long shot in first crack at Fame
http://www.nydailynews.com/images/columnists/madden_b.jpg
The ballots from the latest Hall of Fame election have barely been filed for posterity and already heated debate has started over next year's election when Mark McGwire, the first of the alleged steroids cheats, makes his initial appearance on the ballot.
Judging from several informal conversations among voting members of the Baseball Writers Association, the steroids issue poses a real dilemma - and will continue to do so for years to come - simply because, in the absence of any confessions, there is no concrete proof as to who was cheating his way to Hall of Fame numbers other than Rafael Palmeiro. In McGwire's case, his refusal to answer questions from Congress last summer about his alleged steroid use was tantamount to an admission of guilt and, I suspect, will be reflected in his vote total in next year's election. Prediction: He'll be lucky to get more than 40%. So much for 583 homers.
But, alas, this is what's happened to the record books and why, proof or no proof, watching Barry Bonds pass Babe Ruth en route to closing in on Hank Aaron next summer will be repulsive for most baseball fans outside of San Francisco.
It won't help McGwire either that the other two most prominent first-timers on next year's ballot, Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, were not only sure-thing Hall of Fame players but class acts who epitomized everything that's right about baseball. Here's what one influential Hall of Famer said to me recently about the forthcoming appearances of steroids cheats, proven or suspected, on the ballot: "Being as the (players) union and MLB didn't do anything about this problem, it's now left to you guys (baseball writers) to uphold the integrity of the game."
Who knows? Maybe McGwire's presence on the ballot will prompt those remaining 10% holdout writers to vote for Jim Rice, who may have hit 201 fewer homers than Big Mac but had 826 more hits and a 35-point higher batting average - and did it all legitimately.
Trial and errors
It must have been that full moon last week that accounted for all the wacky developments in baseball. We begin with the lawsuit in Southern California in which the city of Anaheim is claiming Angels owner Arte Moreno cost the city $100 million in tourism revenue and publicity when, for marketing purposes, he changed the name of the team to the admittedly unwieldy Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. From the get-go, the trial reached the height of absurdity when Anaheim city attorney Andrew Guilford announced he would present John Thorn, an expert on 19th century baseball, as a reported $200-an-hour witness to the fact that the Angels' new name is illegal because no major league team ever played with a two-city name.
We would submit that Thorn's biggest claim to fame was running the Total Sports Publishing Co. into bankruptcy and leaving behind a trail of unpaid creditors that included Don Zimmer (coauthored by this writer), noted baseball artist Andy Jurinko and Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. "We will have an expert who says the name of the team reflects the notion of community," Guilford said. "That means this name has another level of absurdity to it."
With Thorn espousing that notion, we couldn't agree more.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the Dodgers announced the completion of their coaching staff, naming, among others, Rick Honeycutt as pitching coach. Honeycutt was a pretty good major league pitcher for 20 seasons, but it should not be lost on the Dodger pitchers that his greatest claim to fame was being caught with a tack taped to the inside of his glove while he was with the Seattle Mariners in 1980.
For that, Honeycutt was suspended for 10 days. This brings to mind one of the best pitching coaches ever, George Bamberger, who nevertheless credited his "Staten Island Sinker" spitball for having prolonged his career. One time, when one of his Baltimore Oriole pitchers was getting really lit up, Bamberger went to the mound and said calmly: "Do you know how to cheat?" When the pitcher replied that he didn't, Bamberger countered: "Well then, I suggest you start learning right now."
And then there was this burgeoning dispute between Jeff Bagwell and the Houston Astros that has the potential of getting really ugly. The 37-year-old Bagwell, who missed 115 games last season because of surgery on his shoulder, admits he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to get back even close to form, but because he's due to make $17 million this season, he won't quit. The Astros face a Jan. 31 deadline for collecting $15.6 million in insurance if Bagwell decides he can't play. Bagwell's had a great career, maybe even a Hall-of-Fame one, but apparently he doesn't care if he's remembered for hanging on as an albatross.
Banquet feast
The baseball banquet season is upon us with, as they say, plenty of good seats still available. Here's the "baseball fix" dinner schedule and all the particulars: The annual Scouts Award Dinner is Friday at Leonard's of Great Neck at which Orioles scout Jim Howard (who signed Gary DiSarcina and Eric Bedard among others) will be the featured honoree. On Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the Marriott Marquis, the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) will honor the '86 Mets. More than 100 former players will attend, including ex-Mets Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, Lenny Dykstra, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Lee Mazzilli, Cleon Jones, Buddy Harrelson and Ron Hunt. Tickets are $600. The pre-dinner autographs and up-close and in-person camaraderie are free. Call: (212) 931-7821. ... Next up is the New York Baseball Writers dinner, Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Sheraton-New York on Seventh Ave. at which the 2005 MVP, Cy Young, Manager and Rookie of the Year award winners will be on hand to collect their hardware, along with numerous Hall of Famers. Tickets are $200, available at the door or by calling: (201) 871-5924. ... Finally, on Friday, Feb. 10 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, former Yankee pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre will be roasted by Joe Torre, Roger Clemens, Don Zimmer and Whitey Ford, among others, at the 19th annual Connecticut Sports Foundation Against Cancer Dinner. For further info call: (860) 388-0788.
It's A Madd, Madd World…
•During the course of his Hall-of-Fame mediafests last week, Bruce Sutter (who will wear a Cardinals hat on his plaque) thanked the Cubs for originally signing him after he went undrafted. His bonus was $500. It turns out that not only is Sutter the only player elected to the Hall who was never in a starting lineup, he is also the only non-drafted player ever to make it all the way to Cooperstown. (This does not include Latin players who were not eligible for the draft, which was initiated in 1965.)
•Poor Benji Molina, who weeks ago found himself without a chair when the music stopped and still is looking for a team. What were the odds that Alan Embree (Padres), Fernando Vina (Mariners) or, for that matter, Bret Boone would get jobs before Molina, who hit .295 with 15 homers and 69 RBI last year? Molina turned down three years, $21 million from the Mets and will probably wind up with a one-year deal from the Blue Jays. But now that Molina can probably be signed on the cheap, maybe the Yankees should consider signing him and releasing Jorge Posada (who they have to pay anyway next year) in order to save themselves $12 million on the '07 option that kicks in if he starts 81 games in '06? Just a thought, although they would probably have to first consult with Randy Johnson.
Say It Ain't So
"I'm really psyched about the changes Kenny Williams has made. ... I hate to see Aaron (Rowand) go ... but I've always had great respect for Jim Thome.... I'd be lying if I said that didn't factor in my decision to come back to the White Sox."
Paul Konerko in a letter to White Sox fans on team's Web site.
Originally published on January 15, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/156-mcgwire_mark.JPG
Mark McGwire
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/614-ripken_cal.JPG
Cal Ripken
When Hall freezes over
Big Mac a real long shot in first crack at Fame
http://www.nydailynews.com/images/columnists/madden_b.jpg
The ballots from the latest Hall of Fame election have barely been filed for posterity and already heated debate has started over next year's election when Mark McGwire, the first of the alleged steroids cheats, makes his initial appearance on the ballot.
Judging from several informal conversations among voting members of the Baseball Writers Association, the steroids issue poses a real dilemma - and will continue to do so for years to come - simply because, in the absence of any confessions, there is no concrete proof as to who was cheating his way to Hall of Fame numbers other than Rafael Palmeiro. In McGwire's case, his refusal to answer questions from Congress last summer about his alleged steroid use was tantamount to an admission of guilt and, I suspect, will be reflected in his vote total in next year's election. Prediction: He'll be lucky to get more than 40%. So much for 583 homers.
But, alas, this is what's happened to the record books and why, proof or no proof, watching Barry Bonds pass Babe Ruth en route to closing in on Hank Aaron next summer will be repulsive for most baseball fans outside of San Francisco.
It won't help McGwire either that the other two most prominent first-timers on next year's ballot, Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn, were not only sure-thing Hall of Fame players but class acts who epitomized everything that's right about baseball. Here's what one influential Hall of Famer said to me recently about the forthcoming appearances of steroids cheats, proven or suspected, on the ballot: "Being as the (players) union and MLB didn't do anything about this problem, it's now left to you guys (baseball writers) to uphold the integrity of the game."
Who knows? Maybe McGwire's presence on the ballot will prompt those remaining 10% holdout writers to vote for Jim Rice, who may have hit 201 fewer homers than Big Mac but had 826 more hits and a 35-point higher batting average - and did it all legitimately.
Trial and errors
It must have been that full moon last week that accounted for all the wacky developments in baseball. We begin with the lawsuit in Southern California in which the city of Anaheim is claiming Angels owner Arte Moreno cost the city $100 million in tourism revenue and publicity when, for marketing purposes, he changed the name of the team to the admittedly unwieldy Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. From the get-go, the trial reached the height of absurdity when Anaheim city attorney Andrew Guilford announced he would present John Thorn, an expert on 19th century baseball, as a reported $200-an-hour witness to the fact that the Angels' new name is illegal because no major league team ever played with a two-city name.
We would submit that Thorn's biggest claim to fame was running the Total Sports Publishing Co. into bankruptcy and leaving behind a trail of unpaid creditors that included Don Zimmer (coauthored by this writer), noted baseball artist Andy Jurinko and Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly. "We will have an expert who says the name of the team reflects the notion of community," Guilford said. "That means this name has another level of absurdity to it."
With Thorn espousing that notion, we couldn't agree more.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, the Dodgers announced the completion of their coaching staff, naming, among others, Rick Honeycutt as pitching coach. Honeycutt was a pretty good major league pitcher for 20 seasons, but it should not be lost on the Dodger pitchers that his greatest claim to fame was being caught with a tack taped to the inside of his glove while he was with the Seattle Mariners in 1980.
For that, Honeycutt was suspended for 10 days. This brings to mind one of the best pitching coaches ever, George Bamberger, who nevertheless credited his "Staten Island Sinker" spitball for having prolonged his career. One time, when one of his Baltimore Oriole pitchers was getting really lit up, Bamberger went to the mound and said calmly: "Do you know how to cheat?" When the pitcher replied that he didn't, Bamberger countered: "Well then, I suggest you start learning right now."
And then there was this burgeoning dispute between Jeff Bagwell and the Houston Astros that has the potential of getting really ugly. The 37-year-old Bagwell, who missed 115 games last season because of surgery on his shoulder, admits he doesn't know if he'll ever be able to get back even close to form, but because he's due to make $17 million this season, he won't quit. The Astros face a Jan. 31 deadline for collecting $15.6 million in insurance if Bagwell decides he can't play. Bagwell's had a great career, maybe even a Hall-of-Fame one, but apparently he doesn't care if he's remembered for hanging on as an albatross.
Banquet feast
The baseball banquet season is upon us with, as they say, plenty of good seats still available. Here's the "baseball fix" dinner schedule and all the particulars: The annual Scouts Award Dinner is Friday at Leonard's of Great Neck at which Orioles scout Jim Howard (who signed Gary DiSarcina and Eric Bedard among others) will be the featured honoree. On Tuesday, Jan. 24 at the Marriott Marquis, the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) will honor the '86 Mets. More than 100 former players will attend, including ex-Mets Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, Lenny Dykstra, Keith Hernandez, Ron Darling, Lee Mazzilli, Cleon Jones, Buddy Harrelson and Ron Hunt. Tickets are $600. The pre-dinner autographs and up-close and in-person camaraderie are free. Call: (212) 931-7821. ... Next up is the New York Baseball Writers dinner, Sunday, Jan. 29, at the Sheraton-New York on Seventh Ave. at which the 2005 MVP, Cy Young, Manager and Rookie of the Year award winners will be on hand to collect their hardware, along with numerous Hall of Famers. Tickets are $200, available at the door or by calling: (201) 871-5924. ... Finally, on Friday, Feb. 10 at the Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort, former Yankee pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre will be roasted by Joe Torre, Roger Clemens, Don Zimmer and Whitey Ford, among others, at the 19th annual Connecticut Sports Foundation Against Cancer Dinner. For further info call: (860) 388-0788.
It's A Madd, Madd World…
•During the course of his Hall-of-Fame mediafests last week, Bruce Sutter (who will wear a Cardinals hat on his plaque) thanked the Cubs for originally signing him after he went undrafted. His bonus was $500. It turns out that not only is Sutter the only player elected to the Hall who was never in a starting lineup, he is also the only non-drafted player ever to make it all the way to Cooperstown. (This does not include Latin players who were not eligible for the draft, which was initiated in 1965.)
•Poor Benji Molina, who weeks ago found himself without a chair when the music stopped and still is looking for a team. What were the odds that Alan Embree (Padres), Fernando Vina (Mariners) or, for that matter, Bret Boone would get jobs before Molina, who hit .295 with 15 homers and 69 RBI last year? Molina turned down three years, $21 million from the Mets and will probably wind up with a one-year deal from the Blue Jays. But now that Molina can probably be signed on the cheap, maybe the Yankees should consider signing him and releasing Jorge Posada (who they have to pay anyway next year) in order to save themselves $12 million on the '07 option that kicks in if he starts 81 games in '06? Just a thought, although they would probably have to first consult with Randy Johnson.
Say It Ain't So
"I'm really psyched about the changes Kenny Williams has made. ... I hate to see Aaron (Rowand) go ... but I've always had great respect for Jim Thome.... I'd be lying if I said that didn't factor in my decision to come back to the White Sox."
Paul Konerko in a letter to White Sox fans on team's Web site.
Originally published on January 15, 2006
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/156-mcgwire_mark.JPG
Mark McGwire
http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/614-ripken_cal.JPG
Cal Ripken