Official MLB Discussion Thread

[Remianen]

Originally Posted by The Final Countdown

I don't see any way Nomar is getting in the hall.

As for Jeter, he's an obvious lock, but I don't know or care whether he's a "first ballot" inductee. I find the whole "first ballot" thing to be contrived and stupid. You're either a Hall of Famer, or you're not. The whole point of the HOF is to recognize the best of the best, and I don't see the point of adding another layer of separation. It's not like a guy's numbers get any better in his 2nd year of eligibility.

That would be you. Tell me something, when you played pickup sports as a kid, who always got picked first? If it was you, there was prestige in that. You were considered a 'lock' to make the team capable of winning. You might think it's contrived but then so are draft picks, by that logic.

A first ballot Hall of Famer is a 'slam dunk'. It's a 'duh' selection. It means that person's career was SO outstanding that, if they could, they'd lower the number of years the player had to be retired to be eligible. You gonna tell me there's no difference between Michael Jordan and James Worthy? Jordan = first ballot. Worthy = 3rd try. Was there a better case that could be made than Jordan being enshrined the first time he was eligible? It's no different from being the first overall pick in a draft. Sure, there are other people who get picked in the first round. But there's only ONE first overall pick. Likewise, years in which there are multiple first ballot enshrinees are considered extraordinary.

As for Nomar, he doesn't need a Hall of Fame nod. He married Mia Hamm.

BHK, I dunno if I'd call it a National League style team, especially considering how the Rays did a couple years ago with that exact same style. Knowing the game fairly well, I prefer to force pitchers to throw heat (knowing that if they go the junkballer route, it's not going to end well) which gives everyone better pitches to hit. Most pitchers aren't Randy Johnson (world class heat and control to match) so usually it works in your favor.