MY UNOFFICIAL MLB HALL OF FAME BALLOT

I’m back. My apologies, college is a bitch between papers, finals prep, and Fortnite. The 2019 MLB HOF ballot has been out for a while now and I think I’m finally ready to submit my *un*official ballot. So who am I checking off? Let’s find out..!

Mariano Rivera

Do I even need to explain myself on this one? He’s Mariano, he’s Mo, he’s 42, he’s the GOAT. I can tell you that his 652 saves are the most all time by over 100 saves, or that his 42 postseason saves is also a MLB record, hell, I can even say that more men have walked on the moon than have scored against this man in the postseason, but do I need to? This man is the greatest closer this game has ever seen. If you had every single closer in history, you’d have 5 categories: Bad, Good, All-Star, Hall of Fame, Mariano. He was THAT good. No one in history even comes close. I personally don’t think he will be the first Unanimous Hall of Famer, although he deserves it, at least one moron will leave him off for one reason or another, but not me. He’s earned my check.

Edgar Martinez

10th year’s the charm. He came 20 votes short last year. TWENTY. Let me start by saying this, if he doesn’t get in, I will have lost all faith in the BBWAA and I don’t think I’ll ever trust them again. The biggest blow against Martinez? He was primarily a DH. Why they held that against him? IDK. Let’s play a game real quick. Pretend you don’t know who I’m talking about, just look at this next line and tell me if you think it’s a HOFer. .312 batting average, 309 homers, 1261 RBI, 514 doubles, and a .418 on base percentage. Yeah, you read it right, a .418 OBP. That would be 13th best all time among HOFers. HOFer? Yes. Yes, he was a DH, but when he retired he was the best damn DH this league has ever seen. (David Ortiz probably beats him and yes I hate myself for typing that. #BuckFoston.) Bottom line is, Martinez deserves to be in the Hall, and I have faith that this year is THE year. He probably should’ve gotten the call a few years ago, but hey, better late than never I guess.

Roy Halladay

Doc Halladay.jpg

First off, Rest in peace Doc. Second off, this is one that if he doesn’t make it this year, I’d be okay with it considering it’s his first year on the ballot, but Halladay should be a HOFer one day. When he was in his prime, he was the best in the business. By far. He was unhittable. (Twice literally!) May 29th 2010 when he tossed the 20th perfect game in MLB history. Then a few months later, on the 6th of October of that year, Halladay threw just the 2nd no-hitter in postseason history, (Don Larson WS perfect game 1956). Doc was an 8x all-star, a 2x Cy Young winner, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting twice. Every single pitcher in MLB history with 200 wins and 2 Cy Young awards is in the HOF, with the exception of Roger Clemens but that’s for other reasons. Along with his 2 top place finishes, Halladay also finished 2nd twice, 3rd once, and 5th two more times in Cy Young voting. From 2001 to 201 Halladay compiled a 58.7 WAR, nearly 10 wins higher than the next closest, CC Sabathia. When in his prime, the Doc was the best. Some may just look at 203 wins and say that isn’t enough, but his Cy Young finishes and very strong peak years will be good enough to earn him a spot in Cooperstown.

Mike Mussina

On his first ballot in 2014 Mussina only received a bit over 20% of the vote. (75% is needed to be inducted.) The good news for Mussina is he has seen that number rise every year. ’15- 24.6% ’16- 43% ’17- 51.8% ’18- 63.5% Last years mark was the 6th highest among the men on the ballot, 4 of the 5 above him are in the Hall, and the other is the before mentioned, Edgar Martinez. Mussina getting into Cooperstown has slowly turned into a “when” thing instead of an “if” thing. And that’s good. Because he deserves to be in Cooperstown. Moose spent 18 years in the majors, from 1991-2008. He was with the Baltimore Orioles until 2001 where he found himself in pinstripes for the final 8 years of his career. Ask yourself, what do the Yankees and Orioles have in common? That’s right! They both play in the AL east. So for 18 years, through the ‘roid era, this man pitched in the AL east and had a career ERA of 3.68. Okay yes, that doesn’t necessarily jump off the page when you look at it, but that was in the AL east during the time of offenses dominating. Mussina has 270 career wins, that’s 33rd all time, and his 2,813 strikeouts is 20th all time. Mussina also earned 7 gold gloves in his career, that’s 5th all time among pitchers. (Ok I know that doesn’t make you a HOFer but I liked the stat.) Okay speaking of stats I like, let’s talk WAR. His career pitching WAR is 82.9, good for 23rd all time. Of the 22 in front of him, 21 are in Cooperstown, the 1 outcast? Roger Clemens, who again, we know why he’s not there. Mussina also has a career WAR of 83.0, 58th all time. You think 58 is low? 57th all time is Ken Griffey JR with 83.8, and right behind Mussina at 59th all time is some guy named Nolan Ryan who’s career WAR is 81.8. Mussina deserves to be put in Cooperstown and as I mentioned I believe this is a when, not if, kind of deal. The only question I have is what hat is he going to wear on his plaque?

Fred McGriff

Yes. I’m voting for Fred McGriff. His 10th year on the ballot along with Martinez. Unfortunately for him, he’s no where as close to 75% as Edgar is. McGriff’s highest percentage was back in 2012 when he received 23.9% of the vote. Like I said, not even close. McGriff finished a 19 year career with a .284 batting average and 493 home runs, tied with Lou Gehrig for 28th all time. McGriff also had 2,490 hits in his career. To me, I believe that if McGriff had 500 homers and 2,500 hits, then he receives a lot more love on the ballots and maybe even gets in. Playing from 1986-2004, you might guess that he used steroids somewhere along the line. Wrong. Never, not once, he did it the right way. He was 7 home runs, and 10 hits shy off 500/2,500, if the 1994 season isn’t shortened, he gets there, and probably gets in the Hall. In his peak years, age 24-30 in 1988 through ’94, McGriff was one of the most dominant forces with a bat. During those years he hit .288/.390/.545 and averaged 148 games played, with 35 homers and 95 RBI. During the postseason McGriff elevated his game even more. His slash line in 50 career playoff games is .303/.385/.532 with 10 homers and 37 RBI. The sad thing about McGriff is he probably won’t get in, all because of 10 hits and 7 homers. If it makes him feel any better, tell him I would vote for him.

Each voter gets 10 votes, and some people believe that every voter should use all 10 votes, but I’m only gonna use 1/2 of my votes. The only people left on the ballot I’d consider all have PEDs linked to them, and until they tell me that they’ll have an asterisk on their plaque, they do not get my vote. So that’s my ballot, what’s yours? Let me know!

I love the Pittsburgh Steelers

Conner Spike

This is the team I love. This is what I’ve believed they are capable of and tonight they’ve shown that they are ready to make a SB run. The 6-2 Panthers coming into Heinz, a short week, primetime game, a game both teams “needed.” The Steelers let the Panthers score fairy easily on the opening drive, and I won’t lie, I got a little nervous. But on the first play on offense, Big Ben found Juju Smith-Schuster for a 75 yard touchdown. And we tied it. Just like that. And then Cam got the ball back. And on the first play of that drive, Vince Williams picked Cam off, and brought it to the house and we took a 14-7 lead and we did not look back. The highlights of the game for me were the defense, Ben’s dominant performance (shoutout o-line for protecting him all night, more on that later) and Chris Boswell. Bos was amazing last year. So good we have him a juicy contract extension this offseason. But up until tonight my confidence in Bos has been shaky, just like he has been so far this year. But last night he was 7-7 on PATs and his one FG was good from 50 yards out. The Wizard of Bos is back and I couldn’t be more fired up.

BIG BEN

Ben Roethlisberger was 22-25, 328 yards, and 5 TDs. God that is beautiful. That’s my QB. He had more touchdown passes than he did incompletions. What a goat. In the 3rd quarter with about a minute 20 left, Ben scrambled, slid, and Eric Reid hit Ben late, in the head, and got ejected. I don’t really want to get into if it was a deserves ejection, if the league is that serious about player safety, why hasn’t Burfict been kicked out yet? I mean, his hits on us were way worse than Reid’s. ANYWAYS. Ben gets hit, flag flies, and then BIG MAN DAVID DECASTRO and the rest of the offensive line get in Reid’s face to protect their QB! I loved it! That was my favorite play of the night. The offensive line protecting the QB without regards to fines they may face. WHICH BY THE WAY, Ben told the whole O-line he will pay the fine for them if there happens to be any. God I love this team. I swear to god if Le’Veon comes in and messes this team chemistry up I will cry and maybe jump off a bridge. This team is on a roll, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Now the defense! Cam Newton came in playing his best football since his 15-1, SB run, MVP season a few years back. The Steelers defense didn’t care. They gave up the TD the first drive, then a pick 6, they sacked Newton a thousand times, I lost count, he was so flustered. Yes. Christian McCaffery had 3 TDs. One was that first drive, the 3rd was in the 4th during garbage time with the starters out and the game decided. This defense DESTROYED the Carolina offensive line all night long, Cam had pressure on him every time he went to throw. That’s the kind of pressure we need to put on every QB, in every game.

I truly believe this team has what it takes to get to the Super Bowl and win it. Last night was a statement game. And to the people saying that they still can’t beat New England, this Steelers team is the best it’s been over the past 3 years, and this is the weakest NE team we’ve seen in that span, I don’t care what their record says. The only bad thing about this game, is having to wait more than a week to watch them play again.

If Le’Veon can help us win, let him.

BELL Being a Steelers’ fan I have had my fair share of emotions toward Mr. Bell over the past 2 years or so. There was a time I said give the man a blank check and let him fill it in. When we offered him the extension, I prayed he’d sign it. But now, now I just do not give a DAMN what the hell he does. He has to come back by next Tuesday to be eligible for FA, so I’m assuming he will report, probably not until the last day, but he will. And when he does, I don’t want him as my RB1. I want James Conner as my RB1. The kid is an ANIMAL! He’s an absolute tank. And nothing to take away from Conner, but his dominance has only hurt Bell, showing how good this Pittsburgh O-line actually is. Bell has talent, and plenty of it. And if he can help the Steelers get their 7th championship, then I’m all for it. But I don’t want Conner to lose his role. He has earned it 1000%. So what do I want Bell’s role to be? RB2/WR3. We know how good Bell is in the passing games, he lines up in the slot, out wide, out of the backfield, it doesn’t matter, he can make plays. Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, then who? Vance McDonald is a favorite target of Big Ben’s but yesterday against the Ravens, McDonald had a few drops, and him and Jesse James share snaps at TE, so his consistency is a question. James Washington and Ryan Switzer have been seeing snaps and targets more, Tomlin is trying to find the true #3 WR, waiting for one of them to separate themselves. I personally love Washington, think he can be a solid slot receiver in this league. But for when Bell comes back, put him out there. Let him help us get back the Lombardi Trophy. We have a short week, TNF against Carolina this week, so Washington or Switzer can have an increased role if Juju is banged up and limited, or even AB. (Juju took a few hard hits on Sunday, one to the head, and playing against Baltimore always takes more out of you than an average game.) If Washington or Switzer have a big game, they can earn the WR3 spot, and then what with Bell? Then let him play garbage time. Give Conner a break every couple of snaps, he’s been such a work horse, he’s earned some breaks. But Bell has too much talent to just have him sitting there. Yes, he has annoyed me, and I’m not a fan. But if he is a difference maker in if we get SB #7, then I’ll take him. But I don’t want him after this year. Go get paid and struggle behind a bad O-line. Also S/O to Tomlin for knocking Bell with the “we need volunteers, not hostages” quote. Anyone who knows me knows I’m not Tomlin’s biggest fan, but I LOVED this. Good job coach.

Where are they headed? Predicting the landing spots for all the big name MLB free agents.

Unless you’re a Boston Red Sox fan, chances are you’re eagerly awaiting MLB free agency like I am. Where are Harper and Machado going? Who’s your team going to sign to get them over the top? Where are the bullpen guys, Britton, Miller, Kimbrel, gonna end up. Clayton Kershaw had an opt-out, but he and the Dodgers just agreed to a 3 year $93 million dollar deal, so you won’t see him on this list. As for everyone else though.. let’s do it.

Manny Machado

9-year $285 million dollars to the Philadelphia Phillies

That’s going to be Manny’s face after getting this deal. Everyone forgets how much money the Phillies have to be able to spend. The left side of the infield for Philly needs help. Scott Kingery at short? Or Manny Machado? I’d prefer Machado, and I don’t even want to talk to the guy that says Kingery. .297 average 37 bombs and 107 runs batted in. Yes, I saw his antics during the postseason. But .297 37 and 107. Be real Philly fans. If you had those numbers and his defense at the SS position last year, your 80 win season could’ve been better, and you could’ve challenged the Braves for the NL East crown. The Braves aren’t going away, they’re young, and talented. Only getting better. Phillies lock up Machado through his age 35 season, and them and the Braves have years of battling for the NL East title.

Other potential landing spots: LA Dodgers, St Louis Cardinals

Harper

Bryce Harper

11 year $400 million dollars to the New York Yankees

BYE BYE BEARD. lol. Yes. I am a Yankees fan. No, I don’t want this to come true. Do I think the Yankees need an outfielder? Yes. But I am begging for me to be wrong on this one. We already have a bunch of money in on Giancarlo. Eventually we’re going to have to pay Judge, and Torres, and Andujar, and Sevy, and the rest of a 25 man roster. Don’t do this. Why I think it will happen? The Sox just won a World Series, NY front office understands that the fans are not happy with not having a title since 2009, they’re looking for the piece that gives them a parade. Is it Harper? Maybe, I still think pitching is more important, but the Yankees have money, and Harper is going to get PAID. If the Yankees go get Harper they are asking to pay luxury tax for the next 15 years. The Yankees are desperate to get back on top, and they’re going to be very busy this offseason, headlined by Mr. Harper.

Other potential landing spots: Washington Nationals, SF Giants, Philadelphia Phillies

Corbin

Patrick Corbin

5 year $128 million dollars to the New York Yankees

Okay I know what you’re thinking, that I’m just a Yankees’ fan who thinks they’re going to sign everyone. Not true. I don’t think they sign Corbin. I guarantee it. Brian Cashman and the front office LOVE this kid. I mean why not? In a day and age where starters go 4-5 innings, Corbin was one of 13 pitchers to reach 200 innings in 2018, he made 33 starts, and was top 20 in innings pitched per start, averaging 6.1 innings per start. deGrom led the league in that stat with 6.8 innings per start. Corbin’s a perfect fit for the boys in pinstripes. He’d go nicely behind Sevy and Tanaka, and he’s from NY and has openly said he wants to pitch for the Yankees. This isn’t so much a “what if” deal, as much as a “when” deal.

Other potential landing spots: N/A come 2019 he will be in pinstripes.

Kimbrel

Craig Kimbrel

4 year $85 million dollars to the Atlanta Braves

It’s a “homecoming” for the 30 year old, Cooperstown bound closer. Drafted by the Braves in 2008, broke in with them, won the Rookie of the Year award with them in 2011, and tallied 185 saves over 4 full seasons with the Braves. Sitting at 333 saves over his 9 year career some believe he’ll surpass Mariano Rivera’s record 652 saves. Personally I don’t think he’ll get there, (that’s my NYY fan optimism) but I do think Kimbrel is the best closer the game has seen since Mo. The Braves won 90 games in 2018, with 20 blown saves. Did they lose all 20 of those games? No. But putting Kimbrel in the back end of that pen certainly could’ve gotten that win total closer to 100, and if my Machado prediction is correct, the Phillies will be better next year, and the Braves need to upgrade their pen to keep pace.

Other potential landing spots: Boston Red Sox

Andrew Miller

3 year $55 million dollars to the Tampa Bay Rays

Can I just start this one by saying how much I LOVE Andrew Miller? I mean this dude, has been so good, and he isn’t Chapman-esque in the way where he’s a 1 inning closer and that’s it. Miller will take the ball at any point in the game and give you his best effort. Which is exactly why he fits in Tampa with the Rays. He’s the PERFECT opener. Imagine facing a team like the Dodgers and having Miller open? You wouldn’t see Bellinger or Muncy at the top or maybe not even in the lineup at all. Miller had an injury riddled 2018 but he still has plenty to offer a team in the right role. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this deal have an opt-out after a year if Miller dominates and thinks he can get more money, but I do think he’ll be back in the AL East at the start of 2019, this time in St. Pete.

Other potential landing spots: Chicago Cubs, Washington Nationals

jahapp

J.A. Happ

2 year $34 million dollars to the Milwaukee Brewers

Happ is interesting because he’s 36 but he’s been good. And I mean GOOD. After being dealt to the Yankees last season he finished the year with them going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Yanks. A lot of Yankee fans would like to see Happ back on a deal like this, and I agree, but at the same time I believe the Yankees are more attached to CC Sabathia and they’ll bring him back over Happ. (He’s also going to be cheaper.) The Brewers wore down their bullpen in the playoffs this past year mainly because their starters couldn’t give them distance. Happ will give you 30+ starts and 170-180 innings and will help save that bullpen for October.

Other potential landing spots: NY Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics (If the price drops a little)

No, I didn’t cover everyone, the truth is I don’t have time to cover every single free agent. I did the 2 biggest bats, the best reliever, 2 top 5 available starters, and another reliever who is at the top of those available. Do you agree with my predictions? Disagree? Let me know. Thanks for reading.

Why do we hate the Warriors?

It’s a simple, yet complex question. Why do we hate the Golden State Warriors? Maybe you say it’s because they “ruined the NBA.” Did they? I mean, yeah they’re good. They’re REALLY good. But the way they did it, can we be mad? Okay I know 73-9 and then they sign KD. Let’s be real with ourselves, whether you’re a GSW, Wizards, Thunder, Knicks, Bucks, or a fan of whatever team, you would absolutely LOVE to see your team win 73 games and then go get Kevin Durant. So why do we hate the Warriors for being an amazingly run organization? Not only are they good, but they play really good basketball. Let’s look at their 149-124 murder of the Chicago Bulls last night. Coming into the game Klay Thompson was 5 of 36 from behind the arc in his first 7 games. That changed QUICKLY. This game was a reminder that Thompson is one of the best shooters we’ve seen, and he deserves to be PAID this offseason. (Yes, KD and Thompson can both be free agents this offseason, the Warriors might break up after this year. Key word MIGHT.) Thompson had a favorable matchup the Bulls are young, have some offensive stars, but they play efense. No D. (Yes, I hate myself for using this joke but I did it anyways.) Thompson came out of the gates FIRING. He hit 10 threes in the first half. TEN in ONE HALF. What. The. Actual. Fuck. That’s unreal. That was one of the most impressive things I’ve watched in recent years. At halftime Curry, (who held the previous NBA record 13 threes in one game) told Thompson to, “Go get it.” That’s what makes this team great. They are the most unselfish group of guys you’ll ever see. That’s what makes them so dominate. And that’s why I question what will happen in the offseason, will they take pay cuts to stay together? Yes I know what KD has said about a big paycheck, but things can change. Back to what Thompson did, dude finished with 14 threes and 52 points in 27 minutes. Steve Kerr, do us a favor next time, let him drop 90. Because I truly believe he could’ve last night if he wanted. He would’ve passed Booker’s 70, and then Kobe’s 81. and He might have had even a slim chance of passing Wilt’s 100. Probably not, but we’ll never know because sportsmanship. Yawn. Let the dude drop 100. We all wanna see it. Not our fault if the defense is that awful and can’t stop him. Can we please stop hating the Warriors? They play the game the right way, better than anyone else in the league, yes the have the most talent, but still, they play the game the right way. Let’s enjoy it while we can. (It’ll only be one more year. #KDtoNYK) klay-thompson-3-point-record

Featured

The Beginning of Who Knows What

Hey. My name is Matthew Polek. I’m a college student in Florida, originally from Connecticut. A lot of people often ask me if I’m enjoying college. And everyday it’s a different answer. One day college is the best thing ever. The next day I wanna jump off a bridge, that’s just how it goes. Another question I often get is what I’m studying. And this one, I truthfully just have no idea. I have a major declared, but I honestly have no clue what the hell I wanna do with my life for the next 40 years or however long you work for. Everyone always says to do what makes you happy but sometimes I don’t even know what that is. I like sports. Those are cool. Red Sox just won the World Series so that blows. Yankees are still better. As for my Knicks, the future is BRIGHT. Knox is hurt right now, but he’ll be great. We sign a big name, have another high pick, and we head in the right direction, and bring hope back to the Mecca of basketball-MSG. In football, despite everything that has gone bad and could be better, my Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North with a big game against Baltimore coming up. And in the less popular, NHL, my Penguins still have Sidney Crosby, so that’s lit. Because Crosby is a goat. Sports and complaints. Complaints about sports. That’s what you’ll find here. I’m bias yes, but I also know none of my teams are the best in their sport at the moment. (Fuck the Red Sox but damn they had a good year.) Hope you decide to come back. Have a good day.

Let’s not forget Chris Sale has a belly button ring…