Kevin Youkilis is taking his talents to Japan. Signed a deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles.




http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYJjoT-A8C...piven-gtfo.gif

<font color=goldenrod>Grant Balfour fails his physical with the O's and is back on the market.</font>

Rangers win the Shin-Soo Choo sweepstakes.


7-years, $130 mil.

Dodgers signed Chris Perez to a 1 year deal.

Tanaka's going on the auction block.

Let the games begin.

Puig killed in car accident [/in the near future]

never. He is immortal.

<font color=goldenrod>Mark Mulder is back in baseball, having not played the last 5 seasons. 1 year deal with the Angels.</font>

Dodgers expected to sign a contract extension with Don Mattingly keeping him with the team for at least the next 3 seasons.
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/s...ngeles-dodgers


Greg Maddux revealed to have missed out on being a unanimous Hall of Fame selection by at least one known vote.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10...hall-selection

So how does that guy know Morris didn't use? Just because it wasn't widespread doesn't mean it didn't exist. How do we know current Hall of Fame guys didn't use at some point?

Fucking stupid logic, in my opinion.

From what I remember reading in some article last year when this came up according to some players in already, they knew others in there have used but they didn't give names.

Maddux is probably one of, if not, my favorite player of all time, and while I would have loved to see him make it in unanimously just to see him make it in on the first try with the way these writers are treating everyone from his era is pretty awesome.

Still remember his 78 pitch complete game shutout in 1997 with sportscenter showing every pitch.

<font color=goldenrod>Maddux and Glavine are locks to go in. Biggio is a most likely, and I think The Big Hurt will get in first ballot as well but idiots who are unfairly anti-every-steroid-era-hitter will cost him some votes and make it a closer call than it should.

Meanwhile I think those same idiots cause Piazza and Bagwell to miss out again. And I don't think Jack Morris makes it in either.</font>

Fuck Jack Morris. And every person that would vote for him.

So if Bagwell isn't getting in then how can Biggio? How can we be so sure Biggio didn't take steroids?

The whole thing is a joke.

Because he's fucking Craig Biggio. Look at him. He's the size of my cock.

He hit 24 home runs when he was 38 years old, and 26 home runs when he was 39 years old, which are career high. It's not greatly higher any than his normal numbers, but you are going to tell me someone who had as much wear and tear on them as Biggio is going to hit his career highs as a 38 and 39 year old without steroids?

I don't believe it.

Call to the hall in about 10 minutes.

Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas got elected to the hall.

Niceeee

Biggio missed election by .02%. Damn.

Bagwell's % actually went down from last year. God I hate these voters.

This is a completely valid argument.

I dont like Biggio because he is an example of why stat thresholds are enough.

He was a GOOD player for 20 years and amassed stats to make him a Hall of Famer. but he was never once in his career one of the 3 best at his position IMHO. He was never a perennial all start or all time great. Just a damn good solid player that was durable.

Meanwhile Pedro Martinez is one of the most dominant players of all time and is going to have detractors because of his "totals".

next year will be interesting.

Randy Johnson
Pedro Martinez
John Smoltz
gary Sheffield

Those are the only 4 legit candidates.

I think Johnson and Smoltz are first ballot guys. Pedro should be but wont (Remember im a Yankees Fan too).

Sheffield will never make it.

*REVEALED* Frank Drebin's Hall of Fame ballot! LOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!


1. Jacque Jones
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Probably more of him being this year's bad luck candidate since something like that always happens whenever there are multiple "lock" picks. Won't get any better next year but after that he'll probably go back up in percentage.

To my knowledge, he was hitting in a great lineup. It's not like teams were pitching around him. Not with Bagwell behind him.

The baseball hof is a joke. Just terrible.

If he played the majority of his career in say, Boston, he would have been a shoe in

Wrong, Dave. It goes like this:

1. Jacque Jones
2. Jacque Jones
3. Jacque Jones
4. Jacque Jones
5. Jacque Jones
6. Jacque Jones
7. Jacque Jones
8. Jacque Jones
9. Jacque Jones
10. Jacque Jones

And not only that, pulling the ball into the Crawford Boxes.

so apparently the one who turned his Hall of Fame ballot over to Deadspin was Dan LeBatard.

http://deadspin.com/revealed-the-hal...lot-1496558341

http://deadspin.com/dan-le-batards-p...ave-1497366704

The following are Hall of Famers to me:

Bonds - duh
Clemens - duh
Maddux - duh
Biggio - duh
Bagwell - duh
Piazza - duh
Thomas - duh
Glavine - duh
Mussina - actually better than Glavine in many ways, similar, overall, to Schilling.
Schilling - lowest K/BB ratio of all time, a bunch of video game seasons
Raines - One of the best players of the 80s, very similar to Tony Gwynn in many respects
Martinez - Best DH ever (if you don't count Thomas as a DH) and one of the best pure hitters ever.
Trammell - Top 5-10 shortstop
McGwire - duh
Sosa - controversial, but the numbers don't lie (completely)

On the fence on Walker, Kent and Raffy (who's off the ballot now)

<font color=goldenrod>I am encouraged that Piazza actually increased his vote total while so many decreased. I'm not sure he'll get into the HOF next year with 3 "locks" (Johnson, Pedro, Smoltz) set to go in plus Biggio probably going over the hump. But 2016 might be his year. Griffey is the only "lock" that year. Wagner should be a lock for 2016 as well but voters seem to be rather stingy with closers.</font>

I doubt it

Wagner definitely won't get in first ballot, but he has a chance. He is probably the best left-handed reliever of all-time.

According to ESPN, Masahiro Tanaka bidding war already has about 1/3rd of the league involved and might top around the 6 years, $100 million range.

Cubs and White Sox are rumored to be the first teams to negotiate with him.

I'm calling bullshit on the Astros , A's , D-Bags and White Sox. I'm crossing the Mariners out. That's unlikely. I gotta believe the Angels have some limit considering all the money they've squander with shit results. So that list is now..

Phillies
Yanks
Red Sox
Cubs
Dodgers
Rangers

Sort of surprised to not see the Tigers on there. Not counting the Pirates out either. This guy could be the piece that takes the Pirates to the World Series.

Probably sitting on a lot of Prince's money still.

Fallout from the Dan LeBatard HoF vote "scandal"

http://deadspin.com/dan-le-batard-lo...ium=socialflow

http://deadspin.com/costas-no-hof-vo...the-1498180751

http://deadspin.com/the-angry-things...f-f-1497810100

http://deadspin.com/the-pti-guys-sai...-le-1497463504