PortlandSoxFan

After much deliberation, and a couple offers of $500 for the pair, I decided that I am indeed going to attend this weekend’s playoff game. Got my child care issues all worked out, and my father said he doesn’t mind freezing his behind off for his first ever Patriots game (only NFL game he ever went to was the Bears in the 60′s when he was in boot camp, but he is a Pats fan).

Should be a good game, as Tennesee is no pushover. I might have preferred Denver or Baltimore, but part of me also wants to see a competitive game.

On baseball, this is an interesting bit. Every year, Hartford Courant reporter and BBWOA secretary Jack O’Connell details his HOF ballot. Here is an excerpt, and you can follow the link for the detailed ballot:

Since 1985, the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot has been as much a part of my Christmas season as tree trimming, gift wrapping and eggnog. It arrives during the first week of December, remains atop my desk and is perused and examined at various points throughout the month before the check marks are made beside the names of those deemed worthy of election and the envelope is sealed before the Dec. 31 deadline.

This year’s results will be announced Tuesday, and obviously not all 10 players, the maximum that can be chosen on a ballot, that I voted for will make it to Cooperstown. Most likely, it will be only one or two. With more than 500 Baseball Writers’ Association of America members of 10 or more consecutive years doing the voting, it is difficult getting a consensus considering that election requires that a player receive votes on at least 75 percent of the ballots
…
Of the 17 holdovers, several have received my support and will continue to do so. For that reason, I could not find a spot for Eckersley, not if it meant pushing Goose Gossage or Bruce Sutter aside. That doesn’t mean I will not vote for Eckersley in the future until Gossage and/or Sutter is enshrined. It just doesn’t seem right to jump on the Eck bandwagon so quickly when no other reliever has ever been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Granted, Eckersley is a unique case since he actually had a dual career as a starter and a reliever, but he was no better than Gossage or Sutter out of the bullpen, nor was he superior to other starting pitchers on the ballot.

And I’m sure with Pete Rose’s revelation, as PR driven as it is, there will be plenty of discussion as to his worthiness and if/when he should be in the HOF. Personally, I feel he should be in for his accomplishments as a PLAYER, and banned from the game for his accomplishments as a MANAGER.

Oh, and Gordon Edes is 2 for 2 with 2 HR, IMHO.