More nominees for my Hall of Very Good:
Whenever HOF voting comes around, Jack Morris becomes a popular subject of discussion. There is some reason for his supporters: 254 wins, 3-time 20-game winner, 6 times with at least 18 wins, and 5 times in the top 5 of Cy Young voting. Morris was a solid workhorse for 13 seasons and is hurt by his 3.90 career ERA. He is certainly close to a hall-of-famer, but I rate him below Mussina.
Mark Grace is another big-time pro hitter with only fair power who sprayed hits all over the field for 16 years but falls short of HOF numbers. Grace hit over .290 for 12 seasons and finished at .303 with an OPS of .825. He also had 511 doubles and nearly 2,500 total hits. He was, yes Very Good.
Joe Carter ripped 396 homers including a walk-off to win a World Series. He had six 30-homer seasons and ten 100-RBI seasons, and was a consistent power threat, running off 12 straight seasons of 20+ dingers. He was also a stolen base threat for the first half of his career. For his entire career he averaged over 100 RBI per 162 games.
Dale Murphy was the rare back-to-back MVP winner in the 80's and considered one of the top 2 or 3 players in the game for a short time. He was really good for about 7 years and fell off quickly. But he totaled 398 homers and was one of the real good guys in all of sports.
A player with true HOF talent who was on a HOF trajectory before injury was Don Mattingly. For 6 seasons Donny Ballgame may have been the best hitter in baseball rolling up a batting title, an MVP, a 2nd place MVP vote, and leading the league in hits twice, doubles 3 times, RBI once, and slugging once. His average over that span was .327. Back problems derailed Mattingly who played 6 more seasons with no power. But he was on track to be an all-time great.
S
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
The Hall of Very Good (Part 2)
I'll pick up the nominations with our cajun friend Louisiana Lightning Ron Guidry. Guidry won 170 games for the Yankees with a .651 WL%. A 3-time 20-game winner, he of course threw down one of the greatest seasons in MLB history in 1978 going 25-3 with a 1.74. Guidry was a late bloomer clocking in at 26 years old when he became a full-time player so only had about 9 prime years, but he registered a Cy Young award along with a 2nd and 3rd.
A feared slugger from the pitching rich late 60's and early 70's was Dick Allen. Allen won an MVP award, had six 30+ homer seasons, and finished with 351. He hit .292 lifetime and most impressively had a .534 career slugging % and .912 career OPS. This was very close to a HOF career with his surly attitude likely hurting him with the voters.
Here's a great example of a very good player who falls just short of HOF; Al Oliver. A guy who hit over .300 11 times with a career avg. of .303. Had over 2,700 hits and over 500 doubles. Won a batting title in 1982. A total professional hitter who suffers a bit from mediocre power numbers, just 219 homers. A guy who just went under the radar for 18 seasons banging out hits.
A real favorite of mine was Matt Williams of the Giants. Williams was a classic slugging third baseman who smashed 378 homers and had some of the softest hands I ever saw at third. He scored 4 Gold Gloves while hitting over 30 homers 6 times with a high of 43. One of the few players that I actually looked forward to see play the field.
Can you bang out over 2,800 hits, 480 doubles, 380 homers, and 1,600 RBI and not land in the HOF? Apparently yes, as Harold Baines can attest. Baines hit .289 over 22 seasons with an .820 OPS but as quality as he was, he had a grand total of 1 item of black ink in his career, leading the league in slugging in 1984. A high quality player for a long time who never had any magical seasons or was dominant in any way. A perfect entry for the Hall of Very Good.
More to follow...............
S
A feared slugger from the pitching rich late 60's and early 70's was Dick Allen. Allen won an MVP award, had six 30+ homer seasons, and finished with 351. He hit .292 lifetime and most impressively had a .534 career slugging % and .912 career OPS. This was very close to a HOF career with his surly attitude likely hurting him with the voters.
Here's a great example of a very good player who falls just short of HOF; Al Oliver. A guy who hit over .300 11 times with a career avg. of .303. Had over 2,700 hits and over 500 doubles. Won a batting title in 1982. A total professional hitter who suffers a bit from mediocre power numbers, just 219 homers. A guy who just went under the radar for 18 seasons banging out hits.
A real favorite of mine was Matt Williams of the Giants. Williams was a classic slugging third baseman who smashed 378 homers and had some of the softest hands I ever saw at third. He scored 4 Gold Gloves while hitting over 30 homers 6 times with a high of 43. One of the few players that I actually looked forward to see play the field.
Can you bang out over 2,800 hits, 480 doubles, 380 homers, and 1,600 RBI and not land in the HOF? Apparently yes, as Harold Baines can attest. Baines hit .289 over 22 seasons with an .820 OPS but as quality as he was, he had a grand total of 1 item of black ink in his career, leading the league in slugging in 1984. A high quality player for a long time who never had any magical seasons or was dominant in any way. A perfect entry for the Hall of Very Good.
More to follow...............
S
Monday, July 18, 2016
The Hall of Very Good (Part 1)
I've joked for years about certain MLB players who had great careers, but for various reasons won't see the hall of fame. Maybe they were really solid every year, but didn't lead the league in anything, maybe they had a short prime, or had debilitating injuries. But in their window, they were playing at a near or even at a hall of fame level. I'm going to start nominating some players as time allows for my "Hall of Very Good".
First would be Nomar Garciaparra who I posted on recently. A 2-time batting champ who finished with a .313 career average along with a .521 slugging avg. and .882 OPS. Garciaparra was on a HOF trajectory before injuries derailed him. He had about 7 really good years but for those who remember his first 6 healthy ones in Boston, he was about as good as anyone.
Another favorite of mine is Mike Mussina. Mussina won 270 games pitching mostly in the steroid era. 270 wins is higher than many in the HOF. He won in double figures 17 years in a row, and had at least 18 wins 6 different times. I actually would have voted him in before Smoltz. His 3.68 ERA is his downfall, but in that era, it wasn't bad, and he was a workhorse.
One of your favorites, and mine was Will Clark of the Giants. Will also suffered from comparisons of the steroid freaks, and was injury prone. Injuries frequently robbed him of partial seasons, so his career averages look better than the single seasons. Career .303 avg., .497 slugging, and .880 OPS. He hit over .300 in 10 of 15 seasons, had a 2nd and 4th place MVP finish, and had one of the sweetest lefty swings ever.
In my opinion, probably the best player ever not in the HOF might be Tony Oliva of the Twins. Oliva had 8 great seasons in a row in the mid to late 60's, lost a year to injury, and came back to 3 solid seasons before early retirement. The classic case of not building enough career totals for the HOF. Oliva won 3 batting titles and led the league in hits 5 times, doubles 4 times, and finished 2nd in MVP voting twice. Career avg. was .304, OPS .830. The black ink alone looks like a HOF'er.
Who can forget "the Cobra" Dave Parker? Parker actually rose to the level of arguably the best player in baseball in 1977-1978, winning back to back batting titles and an MVP. He had over 2,700 career hits, over 500 doubles and 330 homers, and also had a 2nd and 2 3rd place MVP seasons to go along with his win. He was also a physical specimen with a cannon in right field.
More to follow.....
S
First would be Nomar Garciaparra who I posted on recently. A 2-time batting champ who finished with a .313 career average along with a .521 slugging avg. and .882 OPS. Garciaparra was on a HOF trajectory before injuries derailed him. He had about 7 really good years but for those who remember his first 6 healthy ones in Boston, he was about as good as anyone.
Another favorite of mine is Mike Mussina. Mussina won 270 games pitching mostly in the steroid era. 270 wins is higher than many in the HOF. He won in double figures 17 years in a row, and had at least 18 wins 6 different times. I actually would have voted him in before Smoltz. His 3.68 ERA is his downfall, but in that era, it wasn't bad, and he was a workhorse.
One of your favorites, and mine was Will Clark of the Giants. Will also suffered from comparisons of the steroid freaks, and was injury prone. Injuries frequently robbed him of partial seasons, so his career averages look better than the single seasons. Career .303 avg., .497 slugging, and .880 OPS. He hit over .300 in 10 of 15 seasons, had a 2nd and 4th place MVP finish, and had one of the sweetest lefty swings ever.
In my opinion, probably the best player ever not in the HOF might be Tony Oliva of the Twins. Oliva had 8 great seasons in a row in the mid to late 60's, lost a year to injury, and came back to 3 solid seasons before early retirement. The classic case of not building enough career totals for the HOF. Oliva won 3 batting titles and led the league in hits 5 times, doubles 4 times, and finished 2nd in MVP voting twice. Career avg. was .304, OPS .830. The black ink alone looks like a HOF'er.
Who can forget "the Cobra" Dave Parker? Parker actually rose to the level of arguably the best player in baseball in 1977-1978, winning back to back batting titles and an MVP. He had over 2,700 career hits, over 500 doubles and 330 homers, and also had a 2nd and 2 3rd place MVP seasons to go along with his win. He was also a physical specimen with a cannon in right field.
More to follow.....
S
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Duncan Era Ends
Below is a re-post that I did on Tim Duncan in 2012. Duncan leaves after 19 seasons, never missed the playoffs, never saw a season with a winning % below 60%, ended up with 5 rings. I looked up a few stats; Duncan was twice league MVP, 3 times finals MVP, 10 times first-team all-NBA, 13th all-time in career PER, and if you believe any defensive metrics, 2nd all-time in defensive win shares. I heard Avery Johnson talk this week about how shocked the team was in Duncan's rookie year when he showed up at camp and began outplaying David Robinson in practice. He was boring, so we tend to forget the talent. I'm not sure where I rank him; top 15 certainly, not sure about top 10. But, who cares? An all-time great any way you cut it and the most humble superstar we'll ever see.
I just read the new article in SI about Tim Duncan. It really made me think about how we choose our favorite players. We gravitate toward the mega-talents with big, exciting games who do the fantastic things; like Josh Hamilton, Kevin Durant, etc. The funny thing is I sit down and watch my favorite players and typically get frustrated. Hamilton swings at anything he sees despite the game situation. Durant too easily settles for long jumpers. But when I watch Duncan, I just shake my head in appreciation of how he does everything right.
Imagine a player coming along with these attributes:
1. Supremely gifted athletically – 1st team all-pro talent
2. 7 feet tall
3. Concentrates on fundamentals
4. Has little ego
5. Can put up any numbers necessary but doesn’t care about stats
6. Works to improve all facets of game, not just the flashy ones
7. Leads quietly and by example
8. Is proficient as a scorer, passer, rebounder, defender
9. Has no use for the trappings of fame and adulation
10. Never undermines management
I would challenge you to look at Duncan’s run in San Antonio and compare to any player/team/coach situation ever. Since Duncan arrived, SA has the best winning % of any team in any American team sport. They built that organization around Duncan and have a .700+ winning % and 4 championships to show for it. In truth, Duncan is the holy grail of athletes. Someone who has hall of fame talent, cares about winning, is a leader, is loyal, works hard, and doesn’t chase money/fame.
As a sports fan, I’m kind of embarrassed that we put any other type of player above Duncan in our attention. He is the guy we should all value the most, especially in this age of 24/7 news and twitter. He hit the league, made all-NBA and all-Defensive 13 years in a row and won 4 championships. His game is a training video waiting to happen and he does it all exactly right. No commercials, no twitter, no tabloids, no drama, just hoops.
S
I just read the new article in SI about Tim Duncan. It really made me think about how we choose our favorite players. We gravitate toward the mega-talents with big, exciting games who do the fantastic things; like Josh Hamilton, Kevin Durant, etc. The funny thing is I sit down and watch my favorite players and typically get frustrated. Hamilton swings at anything he sees despite the game situation. Durant too easily settles for long jumpers. But when I watch Duncan, I just shake my head in appreciation of how he does everything right.
Imagine a player coming along with these attributes:
1. Supremely gifted athletically – 1st team all-pro talent
2. 7 feet tall
3. Concentrates on fundamentals
4. Has little ego
5. Can put up any numbers necessary but doesn’t care about stats
6. Works to improve all facets of game, not just the flashy ones
7. Leads quietly and by example
8. Is proficient as a scorer, passer, rebounder, defender
9. Has no use for the trappings of fame and adulation
10. Never undermines management
I would challenge you to look at Duncan’s run in San Antonio and compare to any player/team/coach situation ever. Since Duncan arrived, SA has the best winning % of any team in any American team sport. They built that organization around Duncan and have a .700+ winning % and 4 championships to show for it. In truth, Duncan is the holy grail of athletes. Someone who has hall of fame talent, cares about winning, is a leader, is loyal, works hard, and doesn’t chase money/fame.
As a sports fan, I’m kind of embarrassed that we put any other type of player above Duncan in our attention. He is the guy we should all value the most, especially in this age of 24/7 news and twitter. He hit the league, made all-NBA and all-Defensive 13 years in a row and won 4 championships. His game is a training video waiting to happen and he does it all exactly right. No commercials, no twitter, no tabloids, no drama, just hoops.
S
Friday, June 17, 2016
US OPEN
Oakmont history makes this place legendary, but it doesn't play as gorgeous on TV.
It is possible that Fox is too new at golf, but it may be the openness of the course.
I do expect the difficulty of the course to take its toll on everyone and the best players with one or two surprises to be playing for win Sunday.
Because of the roll on the fairways, I really think big hitters only have an advantage from the rough and not the course itself.
I expect Jordan, Phil and Dustin to stay in the hunt.
Rose, Willet, Scott seem primed.
Day and Rory can struggle on really fast greens.
I hope Sam Burns makes the cut as amateur.
It is possible that Fox is too new at golf, but it may be the openness of the course.
I do expect the difficulty of the course to take its toll on everyone and the best players with one or two surprises to be playing for win Sunday.
Because of the roll on the fairways, I really think big hitters only have an advantage from the rough and not the course itself.
I expect Jordan, Phil and Dustin to stay in the hunt.
Rose, Willet, Scott seem primed.
Day and Rory can struggle on really fast greens.
I hope Sam Burns makes the cut as amateur.
Monday, June 13, 2016
College Baseball Polls and Big 12 putting on Show.
The entire year the polls had the SEC and ACC with most of the top 15 teams.
Well it is down to Florida beating Fla State to have one SEC team and Fla State for ACC to have two.
I would not be surprised if Florida wins the entire thing, but the Big 12 needed some love.
The Big 12 has rolled and my new favorite player is the freshman called Thor at TCU.
Luken Baker, last years Gatorade player of the year from Spring is a beast, I knew he had a mid 90s fastball, But it is a joy to see someone sans the steroids era hitting mammoth shots.
J.
Well it is down to Florida beating Fla State to have one SEC team and Fla State for ACC to have two.
I would not be surprised if Florida wins the entire thing, but the Big 12 needed some love.
The Big 12 has rolled and my new favorite player is the freshman called Thor at TCU.
Luken Baker, last years Gatorade player of the year from Spring is a beast, I knew he had a mid 90s fastball, But it is a joy to see someone sans the steroids era hitting mammoth shots.
J.
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Wilt 100
I recommend watching "Wilt 100" on the NBA channel.
Sometimes, I forget why I still consider him the greatest that ever played basketball.
Jordan was the greatest all around player of the modern generation,
Kareem was the most important player that I have ever seen.
Wilt, words cannot describe what he actually did on the basketball courts.
Sometimes, I forget why I still consider him the greatest that ever played basketball.
Jordan was the greatest all around player of the modern generation,
Kareem was the most important player that I have ever seen.
Wilt, words cannot describe what he actually did on the basketball courts.
- Points- No words
- Rebounds - No Words
- Led league his last 3 years at over 18. (For those naysayers, the Hall of Fame is full of centers he dominated in his old age.)
- Blocks- Almost surely the best ever because of the minutes he played.
- Only 112 games of Wilts career are checked for Blocks... His Avg 8.8 per game. That includes the playoffs against Russell and Nate Thurmond.
- Hakeem one of our faves averaged 3.5 which is incredible.
- DWS- Defensive Wins - Underrated at fifth all time. Russell is 1, but blocks and steals were not part of the equation. Let's consider Tim Duncan is 2nd ahead of Jordan and Wilt. An adjustment needs to be made on DWS.
- OWS- Offense - Lets just say his bad night when he was triple teamed still is in another atmosphere to anyone.
- Win Shares- 2nd all time, not behind Russell, but it is Kareem again.
These numbers are insane.
j.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
Fun College Football Analytics
http://cfbmatrix.com/
This is a really good website to judge some of the questions regarding coaches and teams.
Specifically, I like the coaching rankings based on winning or losing against teams with more or less talent.
As you would expect two of the questionable fellows are on the losing end.
The author calls it Anti Coach Effect of the Year-2015, it is based on plus 1 for winning a game as underdog and negative one for losing.
Charlie Strong leads the way with a negative 5. But as the author comments, that is with a win over a Baylor team without a QB and it third or fourth string RB.
His quote
"Charlie Strong finishes at -5 games after barely beating a hapless Baylor team down to running only with a wide receiver at QB. He is following in the footsteps of two time winner Mack Brown."
That is priceless and shameful.
Les Miles finished ahead of Malzahn and Spurrier they were plus 4, even though favoring that Gamecock team even early seemed ridiculous to most SEC fans. Malzahn deserved his -4.
Les and Sumlin sat at -2, yet for some reason I think Les had much more talent that the Aggies. The Ags were 4-4 in conference and LSU 5-3.
On the positive side, the SEC was led by Saban, Freeze and Mullen. I had forgotten that Bama replaced basically the entire offense. But, Mullen had a huge turnover and far less talent. Freeze loss at Memphis State is still ridiculous.
Nationally the winners were Ferentz, Leach and Whittingham. I give it to Leach.
j
This is a really good website to judge some of the questions regarding coaches and teams.
Specifically, I like the coaching rankings based on winning or losing against teams with more or less talent.
As you would expect two of the questionable fellows are on the losing end.
The author calls it Anti Coach Effect of the Year-2015, it is based on plus 1 for winning a game as underdog and negative one for losing.
Charlie Strong leads the way with a negative 5. But as the author comments, that is with a win over a Baylor team without a QB and it third or fourth string RB.
His quote
"Charlie Strong finishes at -5 games after barely beating a hapless Baylor team down to running only with a wide receiver at QB. He is following in the footsteps of two time winner Mack Brown."
That is priceless and shameful.
Les Miles finished ahead of Malzahn and Spurrier they were plus 4, even though favoring that Gamecock team even early seemed ridiculous to most SEC fans. Malzahn deserved his -4.
Les and Sumlin sat at -2, yet for some reason I think Les had much more talent that the Aggies. The Ags were 4-4 in conference and LSU 5-3.
On the positive side, the SEC was led by Saban, Freeze and Mullen. I had forgotten that Bama replaced basically the entire offense. But, Mullen had a huge turnover and far less talent. Freeze loss at Memphis State is still ridiculous.
Nationally the winners were Ferentz, Leach and Whittingham. I give it to Leach.
j
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Jordan, Rory and Day
I was very pleased that Spieth won this weekend in Fort Worth. His demise talk was starting to bug me to death.
Jordan
Another player that is not dead yet is Rory
Jason Day deserves number 1.
Jordan
- 15 Events 2 wins, 2 seconds, 5 top tens and he is still missing shots to the right.
Another player that is not dead yet is Rory
- 11 PGA or European events.6 top tens and 1 win.
- And if he could read putts he would be unbeatable.
- Rory travels so often comparable to the other two it is truly insane. I really wish he would focus on the PGA, but I know he will never do it. It hurt Ernie and may kill Rory.
Jason Day deserves number 1.
- 10 Events 6 top tens with 3 wins.
- Day is definitely taking the Woods route in not playing too often and focusing on courses he wants to play.
- Is this good for the game? (doubtful) But he has the power and can putt lights out.
Danny Willet, Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Dustin Johnson are also the steady ones, I expect they will win a few more.
The next level is Fowler, Reed and Matsuyama
]
Pick your winners for the next two majors from this group.
J.
Briles and this debacle in Waco.
First, I hate the fact that Art Briles played such a huge part in the travesty in Waco.
He deserved to get fired! The stories out of Waco make me want to not watch sports, especially since logic says that this is not the only school with many such stories.
Baylor 12 years prior to Briles a total of 35 wins.
Baylor last 5 years 50 wins.
He may not have matched what Bobby Bowden did, but he was getting closer.
Hiring Jim Grobe as interim coach is not only shocking to me, but far beyond any reason that I can conceive. Are they giving up this recent success to avoid more punishment? If so, they are nuts.
The punishment is coming regardless of this interim mess.
All I can envision is the wishbone offense that he ran at Wake Forest. Did you cringe a little with that comment, I sure did.
I loved Mac Engel article in Star Telegram that Mike Leach should be hired.
Who else can overcome this mess? With his unique personality and incredible ability to score with less than Baylor talent is still remarkable.
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mac-engel/article80819157.html
Briles, who may have been my favorite offense mind in the last 20 years. Chip Kelly gets too much credit and Briles teams were even more balanced.
He has ruined my enjoyment and maybe killed the Big 12 in many ways.
With this happening, I hope the Big 12, just goes back to the SWC days and gets Houston and SMU. They may not get national recognition, but I would at least have nostalgia to peak my interest.
J.
He deserved to get fired! The stories out of Waco make me want to not watch sports, especially since logic says that this is not the only school with many such stories.
Baylor 12 years prior to Briles a total of 35 wins.
Baylor last 5 years 50 wins.
He may not have matched what Bobby Bowden did, but he was getting closer.
Hiring Jim Grobe as interim coach is not only shocking to me, but far beyond any reason that I can conceive. Are they giving up this recent success to avoid more punishment? If so, they are nuts.
The punishment is coming regardless of this interim mess.
All I can envision is the wishbone offense that he ran at Wake Forest. Did you cringe a little with that comment, I sure did.
I loved Mac Engel article in Star Telegram that Mike Leach should be hired.
Who else can overcome this mess? With his unique personality and incredible ability to score with less than Baylor talent is still remarkable.
http://www.star-telegram.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/mac-engel/article80819157.html
Briles, who may have been my favorite offense mind in the last 20 years. Chip Kelly gets too much credit and Briles teams were even more balanced.
He has ruined my enjoyment and maybe killed the Big 12 in many ways.
With this happening, I hope the Big 12, just goes back to the SWC days and gets Houston and SMU. They may not get national recognition, but I would at least have nostalgia to peak my interest.
J.
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