Baseball

On December 6, I did a featured slide show entitled: Predictions for the Top 25 MLB Free Agents of 2010, which can be seen here: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/303582-predictions-for-the-top-25-mlb...

Many of those free agents have signed, and some have still remained. Of those who signed are:

Matt Holliday: Prediction: Cardinals. Signed with: Cardinals
Jason Bay: Prediction: Mariners. Signed with: Mets
John Lackey: Prediction: Yankees/Mets. Signed with: Red Sox
Andy Pettitte: Prediction: Yankees. Signed with: Yankees
Randy Wolf: Prediction: Mets.

Congratulations, Andre Dawson.

Finally, in your ninth year of eligibility, you will be taking your rightful place amongst the baseball greats in Cooperstown.

What should be a day of celebration for anyone who loves baseball once again has turned into a day of debate and disappointment. Well, unless of course you're Andre Dawson.

Dawson was a deserving and long overdue selection for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. Few, if any, question the merit of his induction, as "Hawk" was one of the most complete players to ever roam an outfield.

Congratulations to Andre Dawson, but the voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame is a joke.

Every year baseball fans make a big deal about the Hall of Fame elections. Every year before the votes are cast, writers everywhere make their cases for who deserves to be in and who doesn't. Every year when all is said and done the fans complain about who got in and who didn't get in.

Bert Blyleven is the strongest force in the complaint department this year.

Fred McGriff Did not have a Flashy Career.  He really never had that year that stood out from his average production.  There wasn't a mid career slump nor a second half revival. Instead year after year, team after team he produced like clock work.

The writers did a poor job this year in the elections for the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Andre Dawson drew enough votes to gain election, while other, far more deserving candidates, were left to linger.  Dawson pulled in 77.9 percent of the votes, testimony to the idea that a veteran baseball writer will not let a complicated thing like the facts stand in the way of a good story.

All I can say is ... wow.

Another cold winter day came and went, and only one man was floating on cloud nine after 2:00 pm EST.

That man was Andre "Hawk" Dawson.

Dawson made it on the ninth ballot. Collecting 77.9 percent of the votes, his ticket is stamped for the July induction. 75 percent is the requirement to be elected.

How can the baseball writers justify eight years of baseball purgatory for one of only three men to hit 400 HR and steal 300 bases? The man could do it all.

The results from the Hall of Fame voting were released today, and there were a few surprises.

The biggest one for me was that second baseman Roberto Alomar fell short of induction. I don't know what else the voters wanted to see from Alomar. He was an elite player at the plate and in the field and could run the bases as well, and he played a position that has historically been low in impact hitters.

It shouldn't surprise me anymore, but it does.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) failed to elect Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame by five votes. He received 74.2 percent of the votes when 75 percent is needed.