Hall of Fame

If I had a ballot, my selections would be as follows:

1. Bert Blyleven
2. Jeff Bagwell
3. Barry Larkin
4. Alan Trammel
5. Tim Raines

I'm on the fence about Edgar Martinez.  I'm not on the fence about Jack Morris -- unless I  see some compelling analysis to the contrary, he just doesn't make it.  And as far as comparing him to Blyleven:

Blyleven:  90.1 WAR, 118 ERA+, 60 shutouts, 2.80 K/BB
Morris:  39.3 WAR, 105 ERA+, 28 shutouts, 1.78 K/BB

But what about Game 7 in 1991?

That's all well and good, but Bert's postseason record is 5-1, 2.47 ERA.
Morris in the postseason was 7-4, 3.80 ERA.

Wally Berger

I wanted to name this blog after a baseball player, and my initial choice was Wally Berger. Why Wally?  Well, he 1) played the majority of his career with a Boston team, and 2) he was a legitimately great player who 3) has been almost completely forgotten.  That's Wally on the left with Hack Wilson, another favorite of mine. 

When a name like Van Lingle Mungo is available, however, you grab it. Especially if you still consider yourself a pitcher -- age, shoulder damage and physical limitations notwithstanding.  So, I leave it to some other blogger to grab the Wally Berger banner and fly it high. 

There's the expression "Million Dollar Arm and Ten Cent Head."  That might have been Van, but I think that sells him both long and short.  "Half Million Dollar Arm and Two Dollar Liver" might be more apt.  There are a couple of great stories about Van in Leo Durocher's autobiography, Nice Guys Finish Last. And of course, the wonderful Dave Frishberg song.   

131 days to Opening Day.  18 weeks.  Not the MLB Opening Day, of course, but the Boston Men's Baseball League Opening Day.  I have the shoulder program and am going to start this week.

I will pitch this year, and I will pitch well.