Through the Years: Don Mattingly
wezen-ball.blogspot.com 1/6/2009 — In the next week or so, the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will be announced, and, in all likelihood, Don Mattingly will be passed over for the ninth consecutive year. And while his Hall of Fame-credentials may be debatable, his is definitely a career ...

Jim Rice In? Tim Raines Out? I Don't Get It
FanIQ.com 1/13/2009 — It's been my signature literally since the day the 2009 Hall of Fame ballot was released, because I knew this was coming. As I said then, "Can anyone explain to me how Jim Rice will get elected to the HoF this year, while Tim Raines won't come ...

The Murph
joeposnanski.com 1/13/2009 — I have some Hall of Fame reaction, of course. But first, I had this ready to roll when Rice got in. * * * Now that Jim Rice is in the Baseball Hall of Fame, I want to ask my fellow voters to take a very, very hard look at Dale Murphy. I have ...

Almost Famous
seamheads.com 1/19/2009 — How Jim Rice has a Hall plaque WARNING: This is going to be a true soapbox rant. He gets to sign baseballs like this now: Jim Rice, HOF 2009. So how did he become “famous” enough for Cooperstown?

Through the Years: Jim Rice
wezen-ball.blogspot.com 12/30/2008 — Was Jim Rice truly "feared" in his time ? In recent years, it has become very much in vogue to discuss the merits of Jim Rice's candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Similar to Jack Morris, proponents of Rice's candidacy cite two key areas as their basis ...

You Gotta Be Kidding Me? Part Duh!
spartyandfriends.com 1/13/2009 — When did the Hall of Fame become so mediocre? You may have noticed that I am not too happy with this most recent Hall of Fame vote. The players that get into the Hall should be about all-time greatness. “All-time”, meaning they are the greatest to have ever played the game. Jim Rice was a ...

Notes From the Shadows of Cooperstown: January Thaw
seamheads.com 1/15/2009 — The headline above is a hopeful phrase here in upstate NY, where the temperatures are heading for negative double-digits. We don’t always get a thaw, but after a while, the teens start to feel warm. The snow piled up between the roads and sidewalks can be more of a problem for drivers, ...

McGwire snub telling
blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com 1/12/2009 — As you may have heard, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice both made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Henderson was a no-brainer, given his dominance of so many statistical categories in Ty Cobb-esque form. Rice's inclusion was a ...

Jim Rice, the Hall of Fame, and the Numbers
baseballanalysts.com 12/18/2008 — Great article on Rice's HOF candidacy and the use (or non-use) of statistics in examining players from different eras.

Jim Rice ‘Restless’ but not about Hall
bostonherald.com 1/9/2009 — S ay this about Jim Rice: He was never much of a politician as a player and he has never been much of a politician as an ex-player. This is why those members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, who each year are entrusted with determining ...

New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox Matchup for 2009...Looking at the Numbers! — Bleacher Report - MLB 1/14/2009
So let’s look at the numbers here . This is turning out to be quite an interesting offseason. To quote Biggie Smalls - "#$%! done changed."   The Yanks and the Sox are not who they used to be in recent times. In some ways, I think ...

Pettitte, Yanks negotiations lose steam — Major League Baseball News 1/14/2009
The odds of Andy Pettitte's return to pinstripes, once considered a virtual certainty, appear to be dwindling by the day. Following the blockbuster December signings, the Yankees no longer have a standing offer on the table to the left-hander, though ...

Henderson Looks Back on His (Disappointing) Days as a Yankee — Bleacher Report - MLB 1/14/2009
From Bill Madden : Proud and joyful as he was about playing for 25 years and establishing career records for runs scored and stolen bases, Rickey Henderson admitted regretting that his Yankee career wasn't longer. His manager with the A's and  ...

Running Back Eddy Sihavong Leaning toward Columbia? — Bleacher Report - MLB 1/14/2009
Mission Hills, Home of the Grizzlies This report in Riverside, California's North County Times says standout running back Eddy Sihavong is "leaning toward Columbia." In addition to putting up some record stats for Mission Hills High ...

Counterpoint: Pete Rose Should Not Be Enshrined in the Hall — Bleacher Report - MLB 1/14/2009
Let's clarify something right off the bat. The Hall of Fame is not ignoring Pete Rose. In fact, Pete Rose is already in the Hall of Fame. Yes, I wrote that correctly. Pete Rose is already in the Hall of Fame. His accomplishments are recognized, ...