Gossage Gets Call; McGwire Treads Water

First, some notes: Thanks to Larry over at Viva El Birdos for posting a plug and link to my GM question article. His note is here if you hadn't read it. I'm looking forward to reading the questions I get. Also, here's the link to the San Diego SABR site announcing the meeting, so you don't think I'm just full of shit.

Second, you may have noticed I've been posting every day of late. This is something I'm trying to do this year (call it a resolution, if you like). We'll see how long I'm able to stay with it. My intentions are to do short posts every day but Tuesday and Friday; on those days the posts should be a bit longer.

Third, the Post Dispatch article today discussed the three Cardinals going to arbitration shortly: Ankiel, Yadi, and Wellemeyer. Of the $6M the team freed up by trading Edmonds to the Cardinals, figure $1.4 was spent on Miles; how much of the remainder will be used on these 3 players? I would expect (hope) Yadi gets the lion's share of the remaining money. I don't care if he hits in the 240s (220s?) and drives in less than 50 runs a year; the fact that no one will run on him means the double play is always in order - a vital defensive piece for a team that stresses pitch to contact. He probably prevents as many runs as he drives in.

Finally, the HOF results are in: Goose Gossage gets voted in this year. A lot of observers saw his selection as a near certainty after Bruce Sutter made the cut last year. Sutter was a tremendous reliever, and brought a pitch to the ML level (the split-finger fastball) that revolutionized pitching (too strong? perhaps), but Gossage was the most feared reliever in the game in the late 70s/early 80s. Congratulations to the Goose and that most excellent mustache of his, which I hope is prominently displayed on his plaque.

Mark McGwire? Got exactly as many votes this year as last year. Obviously it means he didn't get in, and will be on next year's ballot. More ominously it means those who didn't vote for him last year (and this year) probably never will. If Roger Clemens has really thrown his last pitch, it will be veeerrry interesting to see the balloting in 5 years, since I expect McGwire to still be on the ballot.

Keep the questions coming.....