Did our magical week together mean NOTHING to you?!?!

Mike Piazza wants a Mets hat on his Hall of Fame plaque (provided the BBWAA doesn't Bagwell him and tie up his potential induction because of PED hysteria):

When asked what hat he wants to wear if elected to the Hall of Fame, he responded: "It's gotta be the Mets. No question."

We, of course, have an alternate suggestion:

It would be the ultimate troll move, which means it must be done. The Hall of Fame has the final say on a player's plaque hatwear. We can only hope Hall of Fame officials find this idea as funny as we do...

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No CJ? Denied

The BBWAA Hall of Fame voting results were announced today and MDH extends a congratulations to Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven who have been elected to be enshrined in Cooperstown, both very deserving of the honor.

It wasn't a good day for some members of the Diaspora. Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Benito Santiago, Lenny Harris Soul Food, and Charles Johnson did not receive enough votes to remain on future ballots and their candidacies are over. Tim Raines however, did receive 218 votes (37.5%) and is still alive in future years.

*The BBA voting (including a ballot from Dave, with a vote for CJ, h/t Brother) produced the same two and only two winners for Hall of Fame as the BBWAA. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing.

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Recent Miscellany

It's official, the Braves have signed former Marlin second basemen Dan Uggla to a 5-year $62 million contract extension. The Marlins had offered 4 years and $48 million to him in November, which he turned down. 5 years seems like 2 years to many, but Uggla deserves to get whatever the market will pay for him. But if that expected post-30 decline hits (and it is highly unlikely it won't), Atlanta will be stuck with a below-average fielder who has never hit for average that it can't DH. And he'll be costing them $10+ million a year (I will enjoy the schadenfreude if he becomes an albatross on a division rival, and I won't feel guilty about that one bit).

Meanwhile, Joe Frisaro reported last month that Emilio Bonifacio, the official pariah of Marlins Diehards, could see some playing time at third base in 2011. I really really really hope Matt Dominguez is ready for the big leagues (or the Marlins wise up and pick up a replacement-level player to man the hot corner), because I don't think I can take another stint of Bonifacio as an everyday player (this is where I remind you that his career OBP is .306, while his OPS+ is 64).

Finally, I recently cast a Hall of Fame ballot for the Baseball Bloggers Association. The BBA publishes its members' voting results every this year, and this year's deserving inductees according to the BBA are Burt Blyleven and Roberto Alomar. I voted for both of them, along with Barry Larkin, Jeff Bagwell, Edgar Martinez, Tim Raines, and Mark McGwire. I also threw in a courtesy vote for Charles Johnson (and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one to vote for him). I thought about writing a long post explaining my vote, but I got lazy. Instead, I direct you to Joe Posnanski, whose quartet of HOF posts gives you more quality reading material on the subject than I could ever hope to (1, 2, 3, 4).

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DVH

Marlins radio man (and longtime Expos broadcaster) Dave Van Horne has been selected as the 2011 recipient of MLB's Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting. Partisan as I may be, I cannot think of anyone more deserving.

Ted and I are both fans of DVH, but in this case we defer to Jonah Keri, who penned a lovely tribute to the man who called Expos games during his youth:

For as long as I can remember, I had a little radio by my bed. Nearly every night from age 8 through the end of high school, the voice coming out of that radio belonged to Dave. He called the game like a master, showing just the right amount of excitement when a big play happened (take note, Joe Buck) and the right amount of healthy skepticism when a player, manager, umpire or anyone else failed in their duties. He was exciting and informative all at once, the perfect blend for a play-by-play man. Dave's voice carried with it the nightly rhythms of the season, his measured pace carrying me off to sleep even as the Expos toiled deep into the night at Candlestick or Jack Murphy. As hard as it is to do catchphrases well, Dave's were seamless and comforting, like the warm blanket I slid over my shoulders on a cold Montreal April night. "Hi again, everybody. Glad to have you aboard for this game," he'd say at the start of every telecast. Dave wasn’t just describing the action. He was inviting us into the booth to sit with him for a few hours, even when he was 2,000 miles away.

Read the whole thing here. Here's hoping Jonah gets DVH to appear on his podcast real soon.

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Of Minor Importance

MLB released its 2011 Hall of Fame ballot today, and included in the list of first-time candidates is the first Marlin and child of the diaspora Charles Johnson. To the best of my knowledge, Johnson is the first Marlin to be considered for the Hall that spent a bulk of his glory days in Florida. It is highly unlikely that he makes the Hall (Baseball Reference lists Andy Seminick, Ed Bailey, and Ernie Whitt as his closest comparables, none of whom are in the Hall of Fame). Nonetheless, I can't help but mark the occasion, since I have never even had to consider whether or not a former Marlin should be in the Hall of Fame (disregarding Andre Dawson, whose Marlins stint played no role in his election to the Hall of Fame last year).

Also included on the ballot for the first time are children of the Marlins diaspora Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, Benito Santiago, Ugueth Urbina, Ismael Valdez, and Lenny Harris. I'm 99% certain that none of them will make the Hall. Also on the ballot is Tim Raines, who finished his career in Florida, is on the ballot again. Here's hoping he surpasses last year's 30.4 percent total and joins fellow Expo/Marlin Andre Dawson in the Hall of Fame. In my mind, he certainly deserves it.

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Congrats Hawk

Congratulations to Andre Dawson on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Though statheads (rightfully) note that his OBP is not quite on par with most Hall-of-Famers, I still think he deserved inclusion based on his excellent defense and power hitting (Joe Posnanski's take on Dawson hit the nail on the head, I think).

By virtue of his two years spent as a role player on the Marlins, the Hawk becomes the first child of the Marlins Diaspora to make the Hall of Fame. Something tells me he won't have a Marlins hat on his plaque in Cooperstown, but that'll have to do until Gary Sheffield makes the Hall (a man can dream, can't he?). Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that fellow Expo Tim Raines deserves to join Dawson in the Hall. The prospect of two players who spent a majority of their careers in Montreal before finishing as members of the Florida Marlins was apparently too much for the baseball gods to allow this year. Hopefully Raines makes it in the next few years. Same goes for Barry Larkin, Bert Blyleven, and Roberto Alomar.

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MDH Off-Topic: Questions To Avoid During Hall of Fame Weekend

Note: I've inveighed against a lazy trope employed by sportswriters once before, and it was fun, so let's do it again.

For one weekend every summer, fans, journalists, and retired ballplayers assemble en masse in Cooperstown for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It is widely regarded as one of the most enjoyable experiences a baseball fan can have, taking in the history of the game at its designated mecca among some of the greatest players in baseball history. I've never been to Hall of Fame weekend at Cooperstown, but I would like to someday.

As much as fans love Hall of Fame weekend, sportswriters love it even more. They get to take the same pilgrimage as the fans, only they get paid to go by their employer, plus they get media credentials and access to Hall of Famers. Not only does this make for an enjoyable business trip, but an easy week of columns. In the week following Hall of Fame weekend, we get to read almost every baseball scribe in America write about what Hall of Famers think about the scandals du jour in Major League Baseball. Some examples from this week:

• Should steroid users be allowed in the Hall of Fame? (Answer: We all disagree.)
• What do you think about pitch counts? (Answer: DO NOT WANT!)
• What about Pete Rose? (Answer: Why not, other than the fact that he agreed to a lifetime ban from baseball?)
  

The problem with this is that I do not care at all what other Hall of Famers have to say about anything. Just because they all show up in one place does not mean we need to ask them about the pressing questions of the day. What do we gain when we learn Tom Seaver does not like pitch counts? I say not much. If his salary depended on young pitchers not getting injured, I bet he'd be a little more forgiving of the pitch count. Same with asking former players about who belongs in the Hall of Fame. If they could vote for the Hall of Fame, then maybe it would be newsworthy. But in the grand scheme of things, Hank Aaron's opinion on these matters means about as much as mine (which is to say, not much). So please, stop telling me what a bunch of retired ballplayers think. Thank you.

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MDH Off-Topic: Should Curt Schilling Be in the Hall of Fame?

Ed. note: Since there is plenty going on in the baseball world outside the purview of the Florida Marlins, we are starting a new series, MDH Off Topic, in which we discuss something non-Marlins-related.

Curt Schilling is calling it a career, as he announced on his blog this week, and discussion of his Hall of Fame credentials has already begun. Dugout Central posted a good thread on the subject yesterday, in which Thomas Wayne weighed Schilling's decent career stats versus his stellar postseason career before opening up the floor for discussion. He asks,

Is Schilling’s post season dominance strong enough to get his really-good-but-not-great career numbers over the Hall of Fame hump?

You can read the discussion here, but I thought I would make a few points on Schilling's chances here. I think Schilling is a borderline candidate, but I expect him to be selected to the Hall, maybe even on the first ballot. We could argue about whether he deserves to be elected, but since I don't have a vote, my opinion on that matter does not mean much. Instead, I would like to take a look at two factors which could weigh on the minds of voters as they pore over their HOF ballot in five years.

1. Hall of Fame voters have shown that they are not yet prepared to elect any players connected to steroids use. This certainly was the case with Mark McGwire. However, I would not be surprised if, in five years, some of the voters who come out in favor of Schilling cite his role in the steroid scandal as a reason for election (in addition to the stats). Schilling undoubtedly won a decent amount of goodwill from voters by talking to SI on the record for their big steroids expose and appearing in front of Congress to testify about performance-enhancing drugs. Goodwill goes a long way in Hall-of-Fame voting.
2. Hall-of-Fame voters tend to like waxing poetic about baseball, and Schilling’s contribution to his 2001 and 2004 World Series teams will help get him elected. Between the bloody sock and the slaying of the Yankee dynasty, Schilling's place in postseason lore is secure. Winning championships changes your legacy completely. Just ask John Elway.
   

I think these two factors help get Schilling elected. I'm still not sure whether I would vote for him, but my vote accounts for nothing.


Photo via Orioles Card "O" the Day

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