Jump on over and vote!

 

1) Who is the top prospect in baseball today?

 

- Alex Gordon

- Philip Hughes

- Homer Bailey

- Delmon Young

- Brandon Wood

 

2) What is your favorite baseball web site (besides BDD of course!)?

 

- MLB.com

- Baseball America

- Fox Sports Baseball featuring Ken Rosenthal

- The Hardball Times

- Baseball Prospectus

- Baseball Musings

- Baseball Think Factory

- Other

 

I have closed the two recent polls and here are the results:

 

1) Who were the big winners of this off-season?

 

- Chicago Cubs (95 votes - 29.5%)

- Boston Red Sox (76 votes - 23.6%)

- New York Yankees (69 votes - 21.4%)

- Los Angeles Dodgers (47 votes - 14.6%)

- San Francisco Giants (19 votes - 5.9%)

- Chicago White Sox (16 - 5%)

 

Total votes - 322

 

2) Does Bert Blyleven belong in the Hall of Fame?

 

- Yes (234 votes - 80.7%)

- No (56 votes - 19.3%)

 

Total votes - 290

 

I can't say the results are all that surprising, but I'd be interested to hear what others have to say.

Rob McQuown's newest addition to BDD is a look at The Golden Age of Baseball Analysis! Head on over and check it out today.

 

In the news today...

 

Edgar Martinez, the best designated hitter in Major League Baseball history, has been selected for induction into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.  Martinez joins first baseman Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, the Voice of the Mariners, and outfielder Jay Buhner.

 

An update from Chicago...outfielder Scott Podsednik of the Chicago White Sox underwent outpatient surgery in Dallas on Tuesday to repair a sports hernia.  Recovery time is expected to last between 6-8 weeks.

 

The Pittsburgh Pirates unveiled their 2007 promotion days. There are a few pretty cool ones this year...Kids Willie Stargell Replica Jersey day...Smash Mouth post game concert...and my personal favorite, Ronny Paulino Bobblehead day!

 

RHP Homer Bailey has been named winner of the Sheldon “Chief” Bender Award as the Cincinnati Reds’ Minor League Player of the Year for 2006. 1B Joey Votto was named the organization’s Hitter of the Year and RHP Johnny Cueto Pitcher of the Year.

 

Dean Jones Jr. is back with the second installment of his college preview. This week Dean takes a look at the powerhouse known as the SEC. Head on over and check out the article now!

SEC Preview: 12 Teams with CWS Hopes

 

To be optimistic in the spring is every fan’s right.  It turns out, that optimism isn’t limited to fans.  Players and management can feel that way, too. 

 

This year, Luke Hudson, John Buck and general manager Dayton Moore were the headliners at the luncheon.  I got a chance to mingle with the guys before the event kicked off…

 

Hudson has been working on developing a straight change up this winter.  He already throws a change, but it didn’t fool many batters last season.  I asked him if he set any goals this winter, and he told me that he didn’t have anything specific in terms of numbers.  His focus has been on building his strength (specifically in his legs) and developing a regiment to help him stay healthy.  He figures if he works on those things, the numbers will be there at the end of the season.

 

Since the bullpen let him down more often than not, I asked Hudson about the new arms in the relief corps.  I didn’t expect him to throw any of his old teammates under the bus, and he didn’t disappoint.  But he gave an interesting answer where he feels that there is now a good mix of both starters and relievers on the staff.  Stronger starting pitching means less stress on the bullpen, and Hudson believes everyone will benefit.

 

As for his place in the rotation, Hudson isn’t concerned about the Royals stockpiling arms for their rotation.  He’s excited about the “quality arms” the Royals have acquired since he arrived and feels that it will create enough competition in camp that it will be good for the staff.  Many have Hudson penciled in for the back of the rotation, but he doesn’t care where he’s slotted.  He just wants a turn every fifth day.

 

Heading into this season, he’s excited by all the moves the Royals have made.  Hudson senses a new feeling around the team – determination.  He describes the 2007 version of the Royals as “determined to win.”  He’s thinking he’s going to be a part of the team that turns the fortunes of the Royals around, and gets them back on the winning track.

 

I’m not one to get into fashion, but I’ll have to give kudos to Luke Hudson who was wearing a Royals tie. 

 

For Buck, the topic of the day was his new teammate Jason LaRue.  Buck said that Moore called him before the deal went down to keep him informed, and that he was a little surprised that the Royals chose to deal for another starting catcher.  The LaRue acquisition has motivated Buck to, “prove that I can do it.”

 

Although the Royals are not going to contend for any titles in 2007, Buck says he can feel that expectations are higher now than any other time since he’s been with the club.  He attributes that to Dayton Moore and his aggressiveness in the free agent market this winter. 

 

Offensively, Buck is looking for more consistency from himself.  Last season, Buck hit .205/.280/.318 in April, .300/.364/.480 in September and pretty much everywhere else in between.  In fact, inconsistency has been a John Buck trait ever since he arrived from Houston in 2004.  It’s nice that he realizes a key step in his improvement as a ballplayer is to minimize the lows.  Besides, the writing is on the wall.  If he gets too low, he’s going to lose more and more playing time to LaRue.  If Buck doesn’t want to split time behind the plate, he’s going to need a solid start and avoid any kind of a prolonged cold streak.

 

Both Buck and Hudson alluded to the Royals finish last season, and how important that was for the team.  Hudson called their play the second half of the season “important.  Our strong finish spoke to the character of our team.”  Separately, they both said that their finish will be a huge stepping stone for more success in 2007.

 

See?  Optimism isn’t limited to fans.

 

I love baseball. I mean, I really love baseball. Sometimes I ask myself why. But then an event like today’s Hall of Fame press conference comes along and I remember all too quickly.

 

Baseball is about life. It’s about families growing up, struggling to succeed. It’s about failing most of the time, but accomplishing just enough to keep pushing on. It can be mentally draining and physically tough, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Life and baseball are challenges, and just as we reward exemplary citizens of society, we do the same with those in the game of baseball. And today, I couldn’t help but think that baseball inducted two of the finest ball players AND American citizens this country has ever seen.

 

On this first real cold day of the winter season in New York, all was warm inside the Waldorf Astoria hotel. And it wasn’t just because we gathered in the most lavish hotel in Manhattan. Writers, media members, honored guests, historians and the Hall of Fame staff gathered together in the Empire Room of the hotel to feel the warmth of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn.

 

It didn’t matter today if you were old school or new school. It didn’t matter if you were a writer or a television reporter. And it didn’t matter, at least from what I saw, whether Mark McGuire should have been elected or if steroids played a role in anyone’s career. Today was about two men and the game they love and the game WE love.

 

Cal was his typical charming self, speaking calmly and eloquently as ever. He reflected upon “the streak” and talked about the influence his father Cal Ripken Sr. had on his career. He also spoke of Eddie Murray and the confidence and support he provided. And of course he thanked the Orioles family and fans for an unbelievable run.

 

Tony Gwynn began his comments with a flash of that unmistakable smile that makes the room glow. He chuckled and did his best kid impersonation you could imagine. Tony always seemed to make people feel comfortable, and today was no different. Gwynn spoke of the support his wife gave him and attributed much of his success to tips he received from the late great Ted Williams. As Tony says, “When I met Ted Williams I was a lifetime .323 hitter. When I ended my career, I was a .338 hitter.”

 

Gwynn and Ripken took turns praising each other and sharing stories of the minor leagues. Cal talked about the lack of hot water in the showers while Tony reflected on his days at the Padres minor league affiliate in Walla Walla, Washington. To this day he said he still remembers getting on the bus after a game on a very hot summer afternoon. “The windows wouldn’t open,” said Gwynn, “and there was no air conditioning. And John Kruk was a teammate of mine so you can imagine how (crazy) things got.”

 

The two Hall of Famers stressed how important it was to play for one team their entire career. It helped them stabilize their families and identify with the city and the fans. I think Gwynn summed it up best when he said, “When you hear my name, you're not going to think about what hat he's going to wear.”

 

In many ways, Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn are throwbacks. While they both were gifted with incredible talent, neither was one to rest on his laurels. They took a blue collar approach to their craft and earned the respect of millions for doing just that. Today, that respect was on display for all to see. In a room filled with everyone from Jack O’Connell of the BBWAA to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News to Alan Schwarz of Baseball America and scores of MLB executives, Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn commanded not only our respect, but our admiration as well, while we all sat there smiling like proud parents.

With the results of the 2007 Hall Of Fame balloting set to be released on Tuesday afternoon, I thought it would be fun to play a little game of over/under with the percentages. 

I'll list eight players and give you a target percentage of their vote.  If you'd like to play along, leave your answers in the comments section.

Even before the final totals are made public, we know that the Hall is still waiting for their first unanimous inductee.  Paul Ladewski of the Daily Southtown in suburban Chicago has decided that all candidates have been tainted by playing in "the Steroids Era."  Thank you, Mr. Ladewski for your short-sightedness, and making sure that no player is 100% a Hall of Famer.

Tom Seaver has the all-time highest percentage at 98.84.

1)  Cal Ripken, Jr.  98%
2)  Tony Gwynn  95%
3)  Jim Rice  70%
4)  Rich Gossage  67%
5)  Bert Blyleven  60%
6)  Mark McGwire  45%
7)  Alan Trammell  20%
8)  Albert Belle  6%

Good luck!

The Baltimore Orioles announced Friday that their annual FanFest would be postponed due to a potential conflict with the Baltimore Ravens' home playoff game on the weekend of January 13-14.

The FanFest was scheduled to take place on January 14 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The convention center is less than a mile from M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play their home games. The Orioles and Ravens share a lot of the same parking lots, which would have posed a problem had both events occurred at the same time.

As it turns out, the Ravens' game will be held on Saturday, January 13, but FanFest is still postponed because it would not give planners of the event enough time to set up properly.

The rescheduled date is unkown at this point.