George Steinbrenner would have loved college football game at Yankee Stadium, dubbed 'Boss Bowl'

George Steinbrenner
would have loved
college football game
at Yankee Stadium,
dubbed 'Boss Bowl'

Bill Madden



Originally Published:Tuesday, December 28th 2010, 4:
00 AM Updated: Tuesday, December 28th 2010, 11:31 AM

Even though the day-after-Christmas blizzard has
already evoked too many bad memories of the last
college football bowl game to be played at Yankee
Stadium, I'm sure that old football coach, George
Steinbrenner, would be pretty pumped up about
Thursday's New Era Pinstripe Bowl that will be
played in his honor, in the ballpark he built.
I prefer calling it the Boss Bowl because isn't that
really what this game is all about? Fulfilling another
of Steinbrenner's dreams - to bring back big-time
college football to Yankee Stadium?
Okay, maybe Kansas State and Syracuse, the also-
rans of the Big 12 and Big East, respectively, might
not be Steinbrenner's ideal teams for this inaugural
event, but I could see him addressing both squads
before the game, stressing what it means to win in
New York, at Yankee Stadium. Besides, for all of their
10 combined losses, Kansas State and Syracuse are

a heckuva lot better than the two Big Ten teams
Steinbrenner coached in 1955 and 1956.
In 1955, Steinbrenner's first venture into college
football coaching, his Northwestern team, under
head coach Lou Saban, went 0-9, resulting in the
dismissal of the entire coaching staff. The next year,
Steinbrenner moved over to Purdue as backfield
coach under the legendary Jack Mollenkopf. It was
Mollenkopf's first year and the Boilermakers went 3-
4-2, his only losing season in a Hall of Fame career
that ended in 1969.
Steinbrenner had wanted to stay around and
continue coaching, but after that season, his father,
Henry, reminded him that he had not been sent to
Culver Military Academy and then Williams College
to coach football, and called him home to Cleveland
to assume the executive duties in the family
shipbuilding business.
Even after building the American Shipbuilding Co.
into an industry leader and then purchasing the
Yankees and restoring them to greatness after the
lean CBS years, Steinbrenner never forgot his
football roots - in particular his days at Ohio State
when he was earning a master's degree in physical
education and worked as a graduate assistant,
picking up plays and strategies from the iconic
Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes. It was no wonder the
volcanic Hayes, who won three national
championships at Ohio State only to have his career
ended when he punched out an opposing Clemson
player in the 1978 Gator Bowl, was one of The Boss'
all-time heroes. Steinbrenner often referred to
Hayes, along with General George Patton, as two of
the men he most admired.
In the years after the Yankees won their last world
championship under Joe Torre in 2000, the only
ring Steinbrenner was ever seen wearing was the
2002 Ohio State national championship one given
to him by Buckeyes football coach Jim Tressel.

Freeport's Vinas signs with Yankees - by Ken Davidoff -Newsday

Freeport's Vinas signs with Yankees

December 21, 2010 by KEN DAVIDOFF / ken.davidoff@newsday.com

To think that, a year ago, Leonel Vinas seemed to be on a path to nowhere. Yes, he had graduated from Freeport High School in June 2009, but he didn't have any concrete plans, and he kept finding trouble.
His life changed when his friend Herman Hernandez introduced him to Ray Negron, who introduced him to Hank Steinbrenner. And Tuesday in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood, Vinas met Brian Cashman, who officially signed the righthanded pitcher to a professional contract.
"I've been to Japan and China to try to find players," Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, said at Out 27, a neighborhood restaurant owned by huge baseball enthusiast Miguel Montas. "It's great to be able to look around the corner, in our backyard, and find someone."

Vinas, 19, served as the ace pitcher for Hank's Yanks, the 18-and-under baseball team sponsored by Yankees general partner Hank Steinbrenner, that excelled last summer, winning the Baseball Heaven championship in Yaphank. Just as memorably, Vinas outpitched Mariano Rivera Jr. in an August game at Yankee Stadium.
At Hank Steinbrenner's behest, Vinas traveled to Tampa after the season and pitched in front of vice president of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer, senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman and vice president of player personnel Billy Connors. After three such tryouts, the Yankees offered Vinas a signing bonus in the low four figures. He's hardly a top prospect, yet he'll get a chance to show his stuff in spring training.
"When it comes to baseball, I'm never nervous," Vinas said.
Born in the Dominican Republic, he moved to Freeport when he was 11 years old. He pitched for Freeport High School, he said, but didn't get much attention from professional scouts.
"Our team wasn't really good," Vinas said. "Nobody really came over."
Upon graduating, he hung out with a troublemaking crowd. Hernandez, an area youth baseball coach who had known Vinas for years, kept an eye on the young man. So when Negron and Steinbrenner agreed to put together a team, coached by the Yankees adviser Negron, Vinas ranked among Hernandez's highest recommendations.
"I told him, 'This will get you out of the streets,' " Hernandez said. "He took off and straightened up."
Steinbrenner and Negron are planning another Hank's Yanks team for 2011. The venture will get more publicity because top players such as third baseman Matt Duran (of New Rochelle) and William Jerez (Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn) could get strong attention in the 2011 amateur draft.
"Now we're hoping to keep the other kids out of the streets," Hernandez said.

Lee Goes to the Phillies - The BEST Non-Signing by the Yankees of All-Time

Time may prove me wrong, but the non-signing of Lee will be the best move the Yankees never made.  I admit I am not a fan at all of Lee and never have been.  I am glad the Yankees did not sign him.  To me, this guy has no character.  He knew the entire time he was not going back to Texas and knew he was not going to New York.  He could at least have had the courtesy of letting the Rangers know right away he did not want to come back.  He let Ryan fly back and forth over and over to his home in Arkansas and in the end, blew him off.

What is lost in all of this is the Phillies and their B.S. comment on how they do not sign guys to more than 3 years.  They signed the GREATEST pitcher in baseball to a 3 year deal and would not budge with him.  Are they kidding?  Now they sign a guy who cannot hold the jockstrap of one Mr. Halladay and give him 5 years.  The Phillies better add 3 years to Roy's contract ASAP.  If I were Roy, I would be quite upset.  We listened to all that crap about 3 years and they go and sign Cliff to a 5 year GUARANTEED deal.  Makes no sense.  And then to offer Lee $27.5 million for a 6th year to boot. Just to rub salt in the wounds.  I am tired of hearing about how the Yankees throw around money.  The Phillies are just as guilty, and right now, more so.
 

Lee has a lifetime 3.85 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 1,086 SO.  Halladay is a 3.32 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP, with 1,714 SO.  Roy has an entire half point ERA lower than Lee and 700 more strikeouts and he is being treated like a leper. 

I hope the Phillies do the right thing and up the contract of Roy Halladay right now.

Listen, in the end, the Yankees blew it too.  They should have given Lee a 48 hour, take it or leave it, window.  He used the Yankees' offer as leverage and the Yankees got burned.  But they deserved it.

Time will tell if this deal with work out or not....but for now....I am saying the Phillies made a big mistake here...and the fans in Philly will pay for it....literally...in the form of skyrocketing ticket prices.

Stay Tuned.....

BHT

It's Official - MARIANO RIVERA RE-SIGNS WITH YANKEES

=================================================================
YANKEES NEWS ALERT
=================================================================
December 14, 2010

MARIANO RIVERA RE-SIGNS WITH YANKEES
The New York Yankees announced today that they have signed
right-handed closer Mariano Rivera, the American League’s all-time
saves leader, to a two-year contract.

Rivera, 41, owns 559 career saves, the most in franchise history and the
second-most all-time behind Trevor Hoffman (601).  His 394 saves
over the last 10 seasons are the most in the Majors, while his
978 career appearances are the most-ever by a Yankees pitcher
and place him in 17th place on Baseball’s all-time list. 
Since earned runs became an official statistic in the National
League in 1912 and the American League in 1913,
Rivera’s 2.23 career ERA is the second-lowest all time
among pitchers with at least 1,000.0 innings pitched,
according to the Elias Sports Bureau, trailing only
Eddie Cicotte’s 2.20 career ERA over the span.

The Panama native was originally signed by the Yankees
as a non-drafted free agent on February 17, 1990,
and is currently the longest-tenured
Yankee (15 yrs, 105 days).

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Jeter happy with deal, displeased by process

By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com

TAMPA, Fla. -- The drawn-out affair of the contract negotiation Derek Jeter never wanted to have finally met its end on Tuesday, as the Yankees' captain was restored to the roster in an announcement at George M. Steinbrenner Field. As he spoke from behind a podium outside the Yankees' spring home, having agreed to a new three-year, $51 million contract that includes a player option for the 2014 season, Jeter remarked how odd it was to be welcomed back even though he'd technically never left.
"I never wanted to be a free agent," Jeter said. "I was pretty vocal about where I wanted to be. That never changed. I guess you could say I'm glad it's over."
But while Jeter expressed gratitude to the Steinbrenner family for his new deal and their continuing support, he also did not hide the fact that he had been stung by the public nature of the negotiations, during which Jeter said he had been portrayed as "greedy."
Jeter said that he had told his longtime agent, Casey Close, that he did not want to field offers from other teams, only wanting to finish his career wearing Yankees pinstripes. Jeter was irked and amused by reports suggesting that he had demanded a more lucrative contract.
"The perception was greed, when it's a negotiation," Jeter said. "I think it all started with my 'salary demands,' which still cracks me up. What position do I have to demand a salary? Give me this or what? Where am I going?"
But there were fewer laughs about the suggestion made by general manager Brian Cashman, who -- frustrated by the stalled negotiations -- urged Jeter and Close to test the free-agent market on Nov. 23 and see if there was a better deal out there.
"I was pretty angry about it, but I've let that be known," Jeter said. "I was angry about it, because I was the one that said I didn't want to do it. I was the one that said I wasn't going to do it.
"To hear the organization tell me to go 'Shop it' when I just told you I wasn't going to -- if I'm going to be honest with you, I was pretty angry about it."
Cashman said Tuesday that he understood, but he had felt it was necessary to respond after Close said he was "baffled" by the Yankees' positions. Cashman said he intended to speed up the negotiations by encouraging Jeter to find that there were no better offers.
"We resolved it. It just takes some time," Cashman said. "It is a family, and brothers and sisters can fight, but at the end of the day, you all get past it, because he's a Yankee. He's always been a Yankee and he'll finish up being a Yankee. That's the bottom line."
A pair of meetings were needed to repair the rift. Jeter and Close met face-to-face with managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, Cashman and team president Randy Levine last week in Tampa.
Steinbrenner and Cashman also held a one-hour meeting with Jeter on Saturday in New York, expressing frustration at the media impact on the negotiations for both sides and eventually finding common ground.
"We were all upset and a little bit angry that it reached the level that it did," Steinbrenner said. "You've always got unnamed sources making this comment or that comment. That's what sells papers.
"But it was escalating, no doubt, which is why we sat down together again face-to-face and started hashing this thing out. It was a difficult three weeks, but we got it done. Everybody is ready to move on."
Cashman said it was Levine's idea to bridge the gap by adding a quirky fourth-year player option into a deal in which he will earn $15 million in 2011, $16 million in '12 and $17 million in '13 for a total of $48 million.
Two million of that will be deferred each year, according to The Associated Press, and if Jeter does not exercise his option for 2014, he would receive a $3 million buyout. The option begins at $8 million and could rise to $17 million based upon Jeter's performance.
"We spent a lot of time with Derek before this was done," Levine said in New York. "He was the usual high-level, integral person that he is. He comported himself with tremendous professionalism, in the spirit of what the captain of the Yankees truly is. I'm just so happy he's going to be here for three or hopefully four years, and I hope he makes every one of those incentives."
The option and incentives bumped the Yankees' original three-year, $45 million offer more into Jeter's arena, making the maximum value $65 million over four years. By then, the fourth year had become a priority for Jeter.
"The longer, the better, so you don't have to deal with this," Jeter said, gesturing to an outdoor tent packed with reporters. "You don't have to answer questions. The first time around, I didn't know what it was like.
"Now that I know what it's like, the fourth year was important. I don't have to be answering these questions for quite some time."
Former Yankees manager Joe Torre, whom Jeter considers a close friend and confidant, said Tuesday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., that he was pleased Jeter and his old club had finally worked it out.
"Both parties, I think, wanted the same thing," Torre said. "It came and went quick, which I think was important. Jeter, to me -- I'm a little partial -- knowing how he feels about the Yankees, I'm just glad it worked out for both."
Torre said that if there are any lingering feelings between Jeter and the Yankees as a result of the negotiations, Jeter would handle it professionally.
"I still ask Jeter about being hurt in 2001, and he won't own up to it," Torre said. "You can take from that whatever you want. He didn't say anything to me, but it doesn't surprise me, because he's pretty close to the vest in that regard."
Jeter, 36, is 74 hits from reaching 3,000 and has appeared in more Yankees victories (1,379) than any other player in franchise history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
An 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove Award winner, Jeter is also the Yankees' all-time leader in hits (2,926), at-bats (9,322) and singles (2,163), ranks second in games played (2,295), doubles (468) and stolen bases (323), and third in runs scored (1,685).
"He'll get back to what he does best, which is playing baseball for the one team he's always wanted to play for," Cashman said. "That's the real story here. He's going to finish his career as a Yankee, exactly where it should be. He's going to get his 3,000th hit with us, as it should be. And we hope he can win some more championships with us."
But Jeter also has something to prove. He is coming off a career-low .270 batting average and has fought diminishing defensive range that suggests he may no longer be the Yankees' shortstop in 2013 or '14, though manager Joe Girardi believes he can rebound and continue to be a top-of-the-order hitter.
"We'd like him to have a big season for us next year, score over 100 runs, hit .300 and just play great baseball," Girardi said. "That's what we expect from Derek every year. This year, when he didn't hit .300, we were all a little shocked."
Jeter will turn 37 in June, and during the negotiations, Cashman said that the organization does have concerns about his age and recent performance. Jeter said that he understands he will need to live up to the new contract and its expectations.
"You'd like to think that last year was a hiccup," Jeter said. "But it's my job to go out there and prove that it was. I understand any concerns that anyone has, especially talking about from an organizational standpoint. It's my job to go out and change that opinion."

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Jeter agrees to deal that guarantees $56M by ERIK BOLAND AND KEN DAVIDOFF

Jeter agrees to deal that guarantees $56M

December 4, 2010 by ERIK BOLAND AND KEN DAVIDOFF. / erik.boland@newsday.com, ken.davidoff@newsday.com

Make no mistake about it: Derek Jeter blinked.
The shortstop agreed in principle yesterday to a complex new contract that should keep him in the Bronx through 2014 in a deal that represents a clear victory for the Yankees.
According to a source familiar with the contract, it is a guaranteed four-year, $56-million deal, with the fourth year an $8-million player option against a $3-million buyout. In that fourth year, Jeter also can earn up to $9 million in incentives that could bring the total contract to as much as $65 million.

Jeter, 36, who will be the highest-paid middle infielder in baseball with an average annual value of about $16 million — pushing him past the Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki — must pass a physical before an agreement that just about everyone had thought was inevitable is announced by the Yankees.
The Yankees started the offseason hoping to have Jeter and Mariano Rivera re-signed before the winter meetings, which start tomorrow in Orlando, Fla.
With deals in place with Rivera — also pending a physical — and Jeter, they can focus on prized free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee at the meetings, and working on the bullpen and perhaps bench help after that.
The Yankees never had to come up significantly from their original three-year, $45-million offer to Jeter. The shortstop had been looking for a four- or five-year contract worth $23 million a season.
This contract has some deferred money, an industry source said, which will help the Yankees for luxury-tax purposes. Rivera’s contract also calls for some deferred money, the source said.
A source with knowledge of the Jeter negotiations said this past week that the sides were working on some “creative” ways to bridge the gap in the negotiations, and this contract is certainly that.
Built into the deal are “points” that Jeter can accrue, starting in 2011, that can translate into dollars. Points are given, for example, for winning the MVP or finishing second through sixth in the voting. Points also would be given for being named MVP in the World Series or ALCS, for winning the Silver Slugger Award or for winning the Gold Glove.
The Yankees all along were insistent that Jeter — who averaged $18.9 million a year in his just-completed 10-year deal, one in which he made $21 million in 2010 — take a pay cut.
After some public squabbling early Thanksgiving week by both sides — with the rhetoric a bit more fiery from the Yankees — that’s exactly what happened.
Jeter had little leverage in the talks, and he knew it. Apparently he came to terms with that. “I talked to Jeet four, five days ago,” Rivera said yesterday. “He was optimistic. He was fine.”
Curtis Granderson, speaking at an autograph signing yesterday afternoon at Last Licks in Rye Brook, N.Y., said Jeter is likely to be among the last of a kind — a star player spending his entire career with one team.
“I think it’s a great thing,” Granderson said. “A guy who’s played every single game of his career with one team is going to be a rarity. I think after his career is all said and done — with free agency, trades, guys wanting to go to their home towns, all these different things — he’s going to probably going to be the last and final guy to do that.”
Granderson came to the Yankees in a trade last offseason and said he observed Jeter closely. “He’s been a great teammate,” he said. “It’s been good to just sit and watch him, talk to him, be by him, and hopefully it will be that way for  years.”
Rivera, at the same signing as Granderson — reliever David Robertson also was there — said he was somewhat surprised that the Jeter talks at one point got heated.
“I’m surprised, but that’s the business side,” said Rivera, who agreed to a two-year deal worth $30 million. “Both parties have to get to the middle where everyone’s happy and move on.”
Progress in the talks, dormant as the week began, came rapidly. The thaw began Tuesday when managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine and general manager Brian Cashman met with Jeter and agent Casey Close for nearly five hours in Tampa. More progress came Thursday and Friday, when talks extended late into the night, laying the groundwork for the deal struck yesterday.

Source: Derek Jeter, Yanks agree - By Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand

Source: Derek Jeter, Yanks agree
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand

ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter agreed to a new contract with the New York Yankees on Saturday afternoon, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said.
Earlier Saturday, two sources said the Yankees and their captain were hoping to finish a contract that would pay Jeter approximately $17 million a year for three seasons with an optional fourth year at a lower salary, although those terms were among the details still to be worked out.
Those terms, obtained through conversations with several sources who requested anonymity, represent a pay cut of approximately $2 million a season from the 10-year, $189 million contract Jeter finished. The Yankees did, however, increase their initial offer of $45 million over three years.
Finishing the deal will allow Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to know exactly how much money he has in his budget heading into the winter meetings, which begin Monday in Orlando, Fla. The Yankees are expected to make a strong bid for free-agent pitcher Cliff Lee and possibly outfielder Carl Crawford.
Jeter was asking for a four- to six-year deal in the area of $22 million to $24 million a year, and he and his agent, Casey Close, seemed surprised by what they considered a lowball offer from the Yankees. At one point, Close described the Yankees' negotiating strategy as "baffling" and implied he felt his client should be treated as if he were Babe Ruth.

Earlier this week, ESPNNewYork.com asked a source involved in the negotiations what it would take to get the deal done. "Jeter and Close need to drink the reality potion" was the reply.

And coming off the worst offensive season of his career since he became an every-day player -- .270 batting average, 10 homers, 67 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .340 -- and without any concrete offers to match even the Yankees' initial offer, Jeter and Close gradually came to alter their demands.

The two sides met earlier this week in Tampa after Close called Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner to set up the get-together. Jeter was present, as was Steinbrenner, Cashman and team president Randy Levine.
That started the ball rolling. As of Friday night, sources briefed on the negotiations were using terms like "significant" and "terrific" to characterize the tone and progress of the meetings.
And although Jeter had no real leverage, the Yankees also softened their stance. After publicly talking about how they would treat Jeter like any other player in a contract negotiation and judge his value solely on performance -- and pointedly expressing reservations about his age (36) and diminishing range in the field -- the decision to raise their offer even by a couple of million dollars per year is an indication that they were recognizing and rewarding his iconic status in club history.
The proposed new contract would place his average annual salary at about $17 million per year, keeping him as the highest-paid middle infielder in baseball, ahead of the Colorado Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki, who this week signed a 10-year deal worth $157.75 million, an average of nearly $15.8 million per season.
In the end, what happened between Jeter and the Yankees is what many expected to happen from the moment his previous contract expired at the end of the 2010 World Series.

"I think the deal was always going to get done," said a party involved in the negotiations. "It was inevitable that the Yankees and Derek Jeter would stay together. It just took a little time to get to where we all had to be."
That, and a round of reality potion for everyone in the room.
Wallace Matthews and Andrew Marchand cover the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com.

Jim Leyritz gets probation, fine

Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Former New York Yankees World Series hero Jim Leyritz was sentenced Thursday to one year's probation and fined $500 for a drunken driving conviction, a far lesser penalty than he had faced before a jury decided he wasn't responsible for a woman's death in a 2007 traffic crash.
Circuit Judge Marc Gold imposed the sentence for the misdemeanor on the 47-year-old former ballplayer, who was acquitted last month of DUI manslaughter in the death of 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch. Leyritz could have gotten up to 15 years if convicted of manslaughter, but he said Thursday it was no victory.
"I said it from the very beginning, there would be no winners in this case," Leyritz said in a tearful statement to the judge. "This was a horrible, horrible tragedy."
Leyritz could have gotten up to six months in jail for the DUI, but his attorney David Bogenschutz said that was far too severe for a first offense DUI.
"He is a first offender, plain and simple," Bogenschutz said, adding that the sentence should be the same "whether it be Jim Leyritz or Jim Smith."
Prosecutor Stefanie Newman wanted a four-month jail term for what she called Leyritz's "air of entitlement" as a former professional athlete and because he had several violations while out on bail of a vehicle interlock device that detects alcohol on a driver's breath.
"He acted with reckless disregard," Newman said of the 2007 crash. "He put the public at risk. He put himself at risk."
Gold noted that Leyritz had completed two alcohol treatment programs but warned him not to violate probation or the law again.
"If you violate probation, I will give you the maximum jail sentence," Gold said.
Jurors decided that Leyritz did not run a red light and cause the crash, and evidence showed it was Veitch who likely ran the light. Veitch was also driving drunk before the crash and was thrown from her vehicle because she was not wearing a seat belt, according to court documents.
But the jury found that Leyritz was driving with a blood alcohol level above Florida's 0.08 limit and convicted him Nov. 20 of the lesser charge. A blood sample taken three hours after the crash showed Leyritz had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14; a state expert testified it could have been as high as 0.19 when the crash happened about 3 a.m. on Dec. 28, 2007.
A state toxicologist said Leyritz downed the equivalent of 11 to 12 shots of liquor.
Veitch's husband, Jordan Veitch, said he hoped the case would deter people from deciding to drink and drive.
"Making the decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated is selfish and irresponsible and shows a lack of respect for the lives of others as well as yourself," Veitch said in a prepared statement.
Leyritz settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Veitch's family for $350,000, with $250,000 covered by insurance and the rest to be paid beginning in April 2011 out of his own pocket. Leyritz, a divorced father of three boys, had been out celebrating his birthday at local bars before the crash.
Leyritz played 11 major league seasons -- primarily as a catcher and mostly with the Yankees -- and is best remembered for a dramatic 1996 home run that helped the Yankees win the championship that year. He also played with the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Padres and Dodgers, with 90 career homers and a .264 average.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Why Not Call Yankees' Bluff? by Jim Henneman

Why Not Call Yankees' Bluff?
By Jim Henneman

Under normal circumstances, I would have to describe myself as believing if you have to clarify something, chances are pretty good it shouldn't have been said in the first place. Kind of like having to explain a bad joke, you understand? However, since talking about the Orioles and their relevance in the American League's Eastern Division doesn't involve normal circumstances these days, I'd like to clarify a stance taken in this space last week.
I don't think the Orioles have a reasonable chance of signing Derek Jeter. Like every other observer out there offering his two cents, I do not think there's more than a remote chance the future Hall of Fame shortstop won't find a way to kiss and make up with the Yankees. But please note the choice of the words -- "reasonable" and "remote." And don't underestimate the magnitude of the little flap between the perennial champions in waiting and their resident icon.


If you think for a New York minute an outside offer wouldn't juice up this negotiation, you're buying the same party line the Yankees are selling to everybody who would listen: Jeter needs the Yankees more than they need him. That he's not worth as much to any other team. To prove the Yankees' point, general manager Brian Cashman invited Jeter through his agent Casey Close to test the market.
For the life of me, I don't understand why somebody in the marketplace wouldn't call Cashman's bluff.  And, for the sake of relevance, I don't understand why that somebody wouldn't be the Orioles. Forget the money for a minute and ask this question: Who would you rather have at shortstop the next few years, Jeter or a Cesar Izturis clone? Then, ask this question: Would the Yankees be better with or without Jeter at shortstop? Who would you rather have as the face of the franchise -- Jeter or Alex Rodriguez? Case closed.
Look, let's not kid ourselves here, until they offer more than a hint of hope, the Orioles are going to have to overpay to get an "impact" player to join the ranks. That's why they lost Victor Martinez to the Tigers, not the $2 million difference over four years. So, if you're going to overpay somebody, why not at least give Jeter and his agent something to think about?
If it really is the almighty dollar that speaks the loudest, why not find out? It's not like the Orioles haven't overpaid in the past. Kevin Millwood was deemed worthy of a one-year, $12 million risk and the trade of a useful commodity in reliever Chris Ray.
A trade for Tampa Bay's Jason Bartlett may prove to be the best option for the Orioles at shortstop for the next couple of years as they wait for Manny Machado. But would it hurt to stick their toes in the waters with Jeter and make the Yankees squirm in the process? What's the worst thing that could happen? You would have a "declining" All-Star who would not only improve the lineup but also tutor someone expected to be a franchise cornerstone. And who's to say it wouldn't be worth the gamble? Peter Angelos might have to increase the payroll more than planned, but what about the bottom line?
I'm not sure how many extra people Jeter would put in the park, but I'm sure he'd spike season ticket sales. I'm guessing he'd boost the attendance by at least 250,000, maybe more over the course of one year, which is enough to cover a substantial part of the contract.
I don't expect Jeter to jump at the first offer, but if the Orioles are going to continue to get turned down, they might as well put a legitimate offer out there and get turned down by a future Hall of Famer. Martinez would have helped the O's offense, but his addition would have done little to stir the imagination of the fan base.
One thing you can be sure of, the longer this Jeter mess festers with the Yankees, the tougher it's going to get. And if it persists, it will get to the point where both sides could be irreparably damaged. The amazing thing about this is Jeter's image is already taking a big hit in New York where his star shines brightest. The Yankees let it be known early they expected negotiations to get "messy" and it's amazing how soon after Jeter's squeaky-clean reputation started to take a beating. Even in the New York media, where he has previously been afforded Teflon coverage, his popularity rating has plummeted. He's suddenly being portrayed as a selfish, overpaid athlete with a huge ego. Just imagine, all these years we hardly ever knew you, Derek.
One thing should be noted. While he has been taking shots from the left and right, Jeter himself has not uttered one word publicly. That's what agents are for, and in that regard, Casey Close is doing his job. At least up to this point, Jeter will have no apologies to make when he finally gets a contract done. He has handled himself with the class he's always been credited for, at least until now.
For years, the Yankees have made a practice of overpaying by simply outbidding everybody, sometimes even themselves. Finally, the other 29 teams are at an advantage here. For once they have the opportunity to force the Yankees to do something they have done routinely over the years. If ever there was a win-win situation in head-to-head competition with the Yankees, it's now.
It's a chance, even if only briefly, for the Orioles to be relevant in the AL East. When is the last time anybody said that?
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Posted Nov. 29, 2010 

Access the full article at: http://www.pressboxonline.com/story.cfm?id=7020

BBWAA announces 2011 Hall of Fame ballot; voting results revealed Jan. 5

BBWAA announces 2011 Hall of Fame ballot; voting results revealed Jan. 5

November 29, 2010

Clockwise from top left: Barry Larkin, Jack Morris, Edgar Martinex and Lee Smith are the top returning vote-getters. (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Visit the BBWAA web site for the official press release

The Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame ballot features 33 players, including 14 holdovers from previous elections and 19 newcomers.
Any candidate receiving votes on 75 percent of the ballots will earn election to the Hall of Fame. Candidates will be enshrined on Induction Weekend July 22-25 in Cooperstown.
Results of the vote will be announced Jan. 5. Eligible voters are members of the BBWAA with at least 10 years of service and who remain in good standing.
Candidates who receive between 5 and 74.9 percent of the vote will return to the BBWAA ballot in 2012 unless they have exhausted their 15-year eligibility window. Candidates who receive fewer than 5 percent of the vote will be no longer eligible for BBWAA Hall of Fame elections.
Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar each garnered more than 70 percent of the vote in the 2010 election. Click here for complete results of the 2010 BBWAA election.
The complete ballot includes: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga, Jeff Bagwell, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Bret Boone, Kevin Brown, John Franco, Juan Gonzalez, Marquis Grissom, Lenny Harris, Bobby Higginson, Charles Johnson, Barry Larkin, Al Leiter, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Raul Mondesi, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, John Olerud, Rafael Palmeiro, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Kirk Rueter, Benito Santiago, Lee Smith, B.J. Surhoff, Alan Trammell and Larry Walker.
The following are bios of each candidate:

ROBERTO ALOMAR: 2nd year on the ballot...Played 17 seasons for Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Mets, White Sox and Diamondbacks...12-time All-Star consecutively (1990-2001)...Won 10 AL Gold Glove Awards at second base from 1991-1996, 1998-2001 with a career fielding percentage of .984...Won four Silver Slugger Awards (1992, 1996, 1999,2000) and finished in the top 10 for MVP voting in five seasons (1991, 6th;1992, 6th; 1993, 6th; 1999, 3rd; 2001, 4th)...Named 1992 ALCS MVP and 1998 All-Star Game MVP...Led the league in runs scored in 1999 and was among the top 10 AL leaders in stolen bases six times and the NL once...Had at least 40 doubles in four seasons...Scored over 100 runs in sixseasons and had 100-RBI seasons twice...Hit. .300 or better in nine seasons and finished with a career batting average of .300...Ranks 48th all-time in doubles with 504, 42nd in stolen bases with 474 and 55th in hits with 2,724...Hit .313 with 33 RBI and 16 doubles in 11 postseason series...Four AL Division Series (1996-97, '99, 2001); batted .284 with 12 RBI in67 at-bats...Five AL Championship Series (1991-93, '96-97); batted .316 with 15RBI in 114 at-bats...Won two World Series with the Blue Jays, hitting .208 (5-for-24) with three stolen bases in six games 1992 and .480 (12-for-25) with six RBI in six games in 1993.
CARLOS BAERGA:1st year on ballot...Played 14 seasons for Indians, Mets, Padres, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Nationals...Three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner at second base...Finished 11th in American League Most Valuable Player voting in 1992 and 10th in 1993 AL MVP voting...In 1992 and 1993, had at least 200 hits, 20 homers, 100 RBI and a .300 average – becoming the first second baseman since Rogers Hornsby in 1922 to have back-to-back seasons with those statistics...Four seasons with a batting average of at least .300... Had eight seasons with at least 50 RBI...Led AL second baseman in assists and putouts in both 1992 and 1993 and led the AL in assists at 2B in 1995...In three postseason series (all in 1995), hit .292 with 19 hits, six runs, one home run and nine RBI...Played in 1995 World Series with Indians, helping Cleveland reach the World Series for the first time in 41 seasons with a .314 batting average and 90 RBI during regular season.

JEFF BAGWELL: 1st year on ballot...Played 15 seasons, all for the Astros...Four-time All-Star (1994, 1996-97,1999) and three-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1994, 1997, 1999) at first base...Won 1991 National League Rookie of the Year Award...Unanimous winner of 1994 NL Most Valuable Player Award...Won 1994 Gold Glove Award at first base...Finished in Top 10 of NL MVP voting five other times: 1996 (9th), 1997 (3rd),1999 (2nd), 2000 (7th) and 2001 (7th)...Led NL in runs scored three times (1994, 1999-2000), doubles once (1996), RBI once(1994) and walks once (1999)...Led NL in games played four times (1992, 1996-97,1999)...Ranks 35th in career slugging percentage (.540), 40th in career on-base percentage (.408), 60th in runs scored (1,517), 65th in total bases (4,213), 34th in home runs (449, also an Astros record), 27th in walks (1,401) and 45th in RBI (1,529)...Scored 100-or-more runs in eight of nine seasons from 1996-2004 and drove in 100-or-more runs seven times in that span...Hit better than .300 in six seasons (1993-.320; 1994-.368; 1996-.315; 1998-.304; 1999-.304; 2000-.310)...Batted .226 in nine postseason series, with two home runs, 13 RBI and 19 walks...Played in NLCS in 2004 and 2005...Member of Astros' 2005 NL pennant-winning team.

HAROLD BAINES:5th year onthe ballot...Played 22 seasons for five American League teams (White Sox, Rangers, A's, Orioles and Indians), including 3 stints with Chicago White Sox totaling all or parts of 14 seasons...Six-time All-Star (1985-87, 1989, 1991,1999)...Finished in the top 10 in AL MVP voting in 1983 (10th) and 1985 (9th)...Led AL in slugging in 1984 (.541)...Three 100-RBI seasons (1982, 1985, 1999)...Eight seasons of hitting .300 or better, three times finishing in the top 10 in average (1984, .304, 10th; 1985, .309, 6th;1989, .309, 8th)...Won Silver Slugger Award in 1989 at DH...Ranks 19th all-time in games played with 2,830; of those, 1,644 games played at DH...Appeared in 1,061 games in the outfield...Ranks 42nd all-time in hits with 2,866...Ranks 35th all-time in total bases with 4,604...Ranks 29th all-time in RBI with 1,628...3rd most RBI as DH in history...Eleven seasons with 20+ homeruns...Hit .324 (33-102) in 31 career postseason games, spanning eight series,with 5 home runs and 16 RBI...In one World Series (1990), hit .143 (1-for-7) with a home run and 2 RBI.

BERT BLYLEVEN: 14th year on the ballot... Pitched 22 seasons with the Twins, Rangers, Pirates, Indians and Angels...Ranks 5th all-time instrikeouts, 10th in starts, 9th in shutouts, 26thin wins, and 14th in innings pitched... Led AL in shutouts three times (1973, '85, '89), innings twice (1985, '86), complete games once (1985), and strikeouts once (1985)...Tabbed by The Sporting News as AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year (1970) and Comeback Player of the Year (1989)...One 20-win season (1973) and eight 200-plus strikeout seasons... Received AL Cy Young votes in 1973 (T-7th), '84 (3rd), '85 (T-3rd), and '89 (4th)...Had 16 seasons with 200-plus innings pitched, including 10 in a row, and six in a row with 275-plus innings pitched...Two All-Star teams (1973, '85)...Pitched a 6-0 no-hitter against the California Angels on Sept. 22, 1977... Shares AL single-game record for longest one-hit complete game – 10 innings (June 21, 1976)...Three League Championship Series (1970, '79, '87); owns a 3-0 record with a 2.59 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 24 1/3 LCS innings...Two World Series (1979, '87); owns a 2-1 record with a 2.35 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 23 WS innings... Member of two WS championship teams (1979 and '87).

BRET BOONE: 1st year on ballot...Played 14 seasons with Mariners, Reds, Braves, Padres and Twins...Named to three All-Star teams (1998, 2001, 2003), won two Silver Slugger Awards at second base (2001, 2003) and was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner (1998, 2002-04)...Led American League with 141 RBI in 2001, his first of three straight seasons with 100-or-more RBI...Scored at least 100 runs in three seasons (1999, 2001, 2003)...Finished third in AL Most Valuable Player voting in 2001 after hitting .331 with 37 homers, 206 hits and 118 runs scored...Garnered MVP votes in three seasons: 1994 (21st), 2001 (3rd), 2003 (10th)...Hit 20-or-more home runs in six seasons and reached double figures in home runs in 11 seasons...Led NL in putouts in 1995 with 311and led National League in fielding percentage for second basemen three straight seasons (1995-97)...Career fielding percentage at second base of .986 ranks 25th all-time...Hit .288 in seven postseason series, including 14 runs, three homers and 12 RBI...Played in 1995 NLCS with Reds, 1999 NLCS with Braves and 2001 ALCS with Mariners...Hit .538 with four doubles in Braves' 1999 World Series loss to Yankees.

KEVIN BROWN: 1st year on ballot...Played 19 seasons with Rangers, Orioles, Marlins, Padres, Dodgers and Yankees...Named to six All-Star teams (1992, 1996-98, 2000, 2003) and finished in top six in Cy Young Award voting five times: 1992 (6th), 1996 (2nd), 1998 (3rd), 1999 (6th) and 2000 (6th) ...Finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting with Rangers in 1989...Led AL in wins 1999 and innings pitched with Rangers in 1992 with 21 and 265.2, respectively...Led National League in earned-run average (1.89) and shutouts (3) in 1996 with Marlins and led NL in ERA (2.58) in 2000 with Dodgers...Received National League Most Valuable Player votes in both 1996 with Marlins (22nd) and 1998 with Padres (16th)...Recorded double-digit wins and less than 10 losses every year from 1997-2001, and never posted an earned-run average over 3.00 during that span...Named 1998 Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year andled Padres to the NL pennant with an 18-7 record and 2.38 ERA...Appeared in 14 postseason games, going 5-5 with a 4.19 ERA...In 1997, helped the Marlins win theWorld Series with a 2-2 record in five postseason starts...Also pitched in World Series in 1998 with Padres...Appeared in NLCS in 1997-98 and ALCS in 2004...Threw no-hitter on June 10, 1997, for Marlins against Giants.

JOHN FRANCO: 1st year on the ballot...Pitched 21 seasons with Reds, Mets and Astros...Active major league leader in career saves from1998-2004...Named to four All-Star teams (1986-87, 1989-90)...Finished seventh in National League Cy Young Award voting in 1994...Saved 424 career games, most ever by aleft-hander and fourth-most all-time...Led NL in saves three times (1988, 1990,1994)...Saved 28-or-more games in 11 seasons...One of only five pitchers with at least 400 saves...Led NL in games finished in 1987 (60) and 1988 (61) and ranks fourth all-time in that category with 774...Ranks third on all-time list with 1,119 games pitched, all coming in relief...Won NL Rolaids Relief Man Award in1988 and 1990...Won Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 2001...Appeared in 15 postseason games, going 2-0 with one save and a 1.88 ERA...In only World Series appearance in 2000 with Mets, was 1-0 in four games and did not allow an earned run...Pitched in 1999 and 2000 NLCS with Mets.

JUAN GONZALEZ: 1st year on the ballot...Played 17 seasons with Rangers, Tigers, Indians and Royals...Two-time American League Most ValuablePlayer Award winner: 1996 and 1998...Finished in Top 10 of AL MVP voting in thre eother seasons: 1993 (4th), 1997 (9th) and 2001 (5th)...Named to three All-Star teams (1993, 1998, 2001)...Won six Silver Slugger Awards as an outfielder (1992-93, 1996-98, 2001)... Ranks 16th all-time with an average of 15.1 at-bats per home run...His 434 career home runs rank 39th on all-time list...Drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, averaging 114 RBI per season in his first 11 big league seasons...Hit 42-or-more homers in five seasons, including AL-bests 43 in 1992 and 46 in 1993...Led AL with 157 RBI in 1998, a year when he had 101 RBI at the All-Star break...Also led AL with 50 doubles in 1998...Hit .300-or-better in 1993 (.310), 1996 (.314), 1998 (.318), 1999 (.326) and 2001 (.325)... Led AL in slugging percentage in 1993 (.632) and ranks No.18 all-time in that category (.561)... Batted .290 in four postseason series with 11 runs scored, four doubles, eight home runs and 15 RBI in 15 games...In 1996 ALDS against Yankees, hit .438 with five homers and nine RBI...One of only four players to hit five home runs in a single postseason series.

MARQUIS GRISSOM: 1st year on the ballot...Played 17 seasonswith Expos, Braves, Indians, Brewers, Dodgers and Giants...Two-time All-Star (1993-94) and four-time Gold Glove Award winner in center field (1993-96)...Finished seventh in 1990 National League Rookie of the Year Award voting... Finished ninth in NL Most Valuable Player voting in 1992 and eighth in 1993...Two seasons with at least 20 homers and 20 stolen bases (1996 and 1999)... One of only seven big leaguers with at least 2,000 career hits, 200 career homeruns and 400 career stolen bases...His 429 career stolen bases rank 55th all-time...Hit .300-or-better in 1996 (.308) and 2003 (.300)... Led NL in stolen bases in 1991 (76) and 1992 (78)...Hit .317 in 10 career postseason series over four seasons, including three separate series with 10-or-more hits...Played in three straight World Series (1995-97) with Braves and Indians, hitting .390 with 12 runs scored and eight RBI...His .390 career World Series batting average ranks fourth-best all-time among World Series players with at least 50 career at-bats...Member of 1995 World Champion Atlanta Braves.

LENNY HARRIS: 1st year on the ballot...Played 18 seasons with Reds, Dodgers, Mets, Rockies, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Cubs and Marlins...Totaled 212 career pinch-hits, the all-time leader...Has more pinch-hit at-bats (804) than any player in history...Totaled 1,055 career hits, with more than 20 percent of his career hits coming as a pinch-hitter...Averaged 139 games a year from 1990-92, mostly at third base for the Dodgers...Hit .269 for career,including six seasons over .300...Appeared in seven postseason series, with three hits in 15 at-bats...Played in 1995 NLCS with Reds, 2000 NLCS and World Series with Mets and 2003 NLCS with Marlins.

BOBBY HIGGINSON: 1st year on the ballot...Played 11 seasons, all with Tigers...Hit 25-or-more home runs in four seasons, including a career high of 30 in 2000...Drove in 100-or-more runs in two seasons (1997 and 2000)...Hit.300-or-better twice (1996 and 2000)...Led American League left fielders in outfield assists four times (1997, 2000-02) and putouts twice (2000-01)...Led all AL right fielders in assists twice (1998 and 2004).

CHARLES JOHNSON: 1st year on the ballot...Played 12 seasons with Marlins, Dodgers, Orioles, White Sox, Rockies and Rays...Won four straight Gold Glove Awards as catcher from 1995-98...Finished tied for seventh in 1995 National League Rookie of the Year voting...Named to two All-Star teams (1997 and 2001)...Finished 11th in 1997 NL Most Valuable Player Award voting...Tied for NL lead in assists for catchers (63) in his rookie season of 1995 and finished in Top 5 of catcher's assists five other seasons...Led NL with 56 runners caught stealing in 1997 and finished in top five in his league in that category six other times: 1995 (2nd), 1996 (2nd),1998 (3rd), 1999 (5th), 2001 (5th), 2003 (5th)...Led NL in fielding percentage for catchers in 1996 and 1997, going the entire 1997 season without an error...Reached double-figures in home runs in nine seasons, including a career-high 31 in 2000...Drove in at least 50 runs in six seasons...Hit.274 in four postseason series, including a .357 average with four runs scored and three RBI in the 1997 World Series with the World Champion Marlins.

BARRY LARKIN: 2nd year on the ballot...Played 19 seasons, all of them with Cincinnati...A 12-time All-Star (1988-1991, 1993-1997,1999-2000, 2004)...Named NL MVP in 1995...Won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards (1994-96) and nine Silver Slugger Awards (1988-1992, 1995-1996, 1998-1999) at shortstop...Cracked the top 25 in the NL MVP voting in six seasons (1990-7th; 1991-17th; 1992-12th; 1995-1st; 1996-12th; 1999-22nd)...Named captain of the Reds before the 1997 season...Became the first shortstop to join the 30-30 club when he hit 33 homers and stole 36 bases in 1996...In 1991, became the first shortstop to ever hit five home runs in two consecutive games...Won the 1993 Roberto Clemente Award...Won the 1994 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award...Scored 80-plus runs in a season seven times...Had at least 30 doubles in six seasons....Stole 30 or more bases in a season five times...Batted.353 in the 1990 World Series to help the Reds to a four-game sweep of the Athletics...Career .975 fielding percentage at shortstop...Hit .300 or better in nine of his 19 seasons...Had more career walks (939) than strikeouts (817)...In 17 postseason games (1990 NLCS and WS, 1995 NLDS and NLCS) batted .338 (24-for-71) with 11 runs scored and eight stolen bases.

AL LEITER: 1st year on the ballot...Pitched 19 seasons for Yankees, Blue Jays, Marlins and Mets...Named to two All-Star teams (1996 and2000) and finished in Top 10 of National League Cy Young Award voting twice:1996 (9th), 1998 (6th)...Won at least 10 games for 10 straight seasons (1995-2004), averaging better than 13 wins a season during that stretch...Led NL with a mark of 6.395 hits per nine innings in 1996...Struckout exactly 200 hitters in both 1996 and 2000...Won 1999 Branch Rickey Award and 2000 MLB Roberto Clemente Award...Appeared in 21 career postseason games in 11 series, compiling 2-3 record with 4.63 earned-runaverage...Picked up win in relief in Game 1 of 1993 World Series for Blue Jays enroute to helping Jays win Fall Classic...Started two games in 1997 World Series for Marlins, receiving no-decisions in two Florida wins in the Marlins' 4-games-to-3 victory...Went 0-1 with 2.87 ERA in two starts in 2000 World Series for Mets, striking out 16 batters in 15.2 innings...Pitched in 1993 ALCS with Blue Jays, 1997 NLCS with Marlins and 1999-2000 NLCS with Mets...Member of 1993 and 1997 World Series winning teams and 2000 NL pennant-winning team...Threw no-hitter for Marlins against Rockies on May 11, 1996.

EDGAR MARTINEZ: 2nd year on the ballot...Played 18 seasons,all with the Mariners...Was named to seven All-Star Games (1992, 1995-1997,2000-2001, 2003)...Won five Silver Slugger Awards (1992, 1995, 1997, 2001,2003)...Ranked 3rd in MVP voting in 1995 and 6th in 2000...Won AL batting titles in 1992 (.343) and 1995 (.356)...Led the league in OBP three times (1995-.479, 1998-.429, 1999-.447) and finished in the top five in 10 different years...Led the AL in games played (145) and runs scored (121) in 1995...Led the league in doubles in 1992 (46) and 1995 (52) and RBI in 2000 (145)...One of only eight players in history with 300 homers, 500 doubles, a career batting average higher than .300, a career OBP higher than .400 and a career slugging percentage higher than .500...Became only the fifth player in the20th century to hit 50 doubles in two consecutive seasons...Ranks as the Mariners all-time leader in hits (2,247), doubles (514), walks (1,283), RBI (1,261) and games played (2,055)... Signature postseason performance came in the1995 ALDS against New York where he hit .571 (12-for-21) and was on base 18 times in 5 games and set the record for single-game postseason RBI with seven...In 34 career postseason games (1995 ALDS and ALCS; 1997 ALDS; 2000 ALDS and ALCS and 2001 ALDS and ALCS) hit .266 (34-for-128) with eight homers and 24 RBI...Won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2004, the same year that MLB renamed the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in his honor.

TINO MARTINEZ: 1st year on the ballot...Played 16 seasons for Mariners, Yankees, Cardinals and Devil Rays...Named to two All-Star teams (1995 and 1997), finished in Top 12 of American League Most Valuable Player Award voting twice: 1997 (2nd) and 2001 (12th)...Won Silver Slugger Award for first basemen in 1997...Averaged better than 114 RBI per season from 1995-2001...In 1997, posted career highs of 44 homers and 141 RBI to lead the Yankees to the postseason... Led American League in assists at first base in 1999 with 106 and led National League in fielding percentage for first basemen with .997 in 2003...Reached postseason every year from 1995-2002 and in 2005...His teams advanced to the postseason in nine of his 16 big league seasons...In the postseason, batted .233 with 44 runs scored, nine home runs and 38 RBI in 21series...Member of Yankees World Series-winning teams in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

DON MATTINGLY: 11th year on the ballot... Played 14 seasons, all with the New York Yankees... Won 1985 AL MVP Award... Also finished in top 10 of AL MVP voting in 1984 (5th), '86 (2nd) and '87 (7th)...Won AL Gold Glove Award nine times (1985-'89, '91-'94)... Named AL Player of the Year by The Sporting News three times, consecutively (1984-'86)...Named ML Player of the Year by The Sporting News (1985)...Six All-Star teams, consecutively (1984-'89)...Seven seasons with .300-plus batting average...20-plus HR five times, 30-plus HR three times, 30-plus doubles nine times, 40-plus doubles four times, 100-plus RBI five times and 100-plus runs twice...Led AL in batting (.343, 1984), RBI (145, 1985), doubles three times (1984-'86), hits twice (1984, '86), and slugging percentage (.573, 1986)...Led AL in total bases twice (1985-'86)...Led AL in sacrifice flies (15,1985)...Holds ML records for most HR in seven consecutive games (9) and eight consecutive games (10) with a home run in each game...Shares ML record with a HR in eight consecutive games...Shares ML single-season record for most grand slams (6) in 1987...Shares ML single-game record for most sacrifice flies (3)...Ranks 8th all-time in fielding percentage among first basemen (.9958) ...Led AL 1B in fielding percentage seven times (1984-'87, '92-'94), in putouts and total chances (1986) and in double plays (1985, '91)...Shares ML record for most putouts and total chances by a 1B in a nine-inning game (22)...One AL Division Series (1995); batted .417 with six RBI, four doubles, and one HR in 24 ALDS at-bats.

FRED McGRIFF: 2nd year on the ballot...Played 19 seasons with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, Cubs and Dodgers...A five-time All-Star (1992, 1994-1996, 2000)...Won three Silver Slugger Awards (1989,1992-1993) and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting six times (6thin 1989, 10th in 1990, 10th in 1991, 6th in1992, 4th in 1993, 8th in 1994)...Tied for the league lead in games played in 1995 with 144 and paced the league in homers in 1989 (36)and 1992 (35)...Hit 30 or more home runs in seven straight seasons from 1988-1994 and three more times in 1999, 2001, 2002...Hit .300-or-better in 1990 (.300),1994 (.318), 1999 (.310) and 2001 (.306)...Won the All-Star MVP Award in 1994...Wona World Series with the 1995 Atlanta Braves (.261 average, with five runsscored and three RBI) and a career .303 postseason batting average in 50 games (57-for-188) with 10 homers and 37 RBI in 10 series (1989 ALCS; 1993 NLCS; 1995 NLDS, NLCS and WS; 1996 NLDS, NLCS and WS, 1997 NLDS and NLCS) ...Had a .992 fielding percentage at first base...Ranks tied for 26th all-time in home runs (493), 41st in RBI (1,550), 41st in walks (1,305), 45th in total bases (4,458), 43rd in extra basehits (958) and 27th in intentional walks (171).

MARKMcGWIRE: 5th year on the ballot...Played 16 seasons, 11.5 with Oakland and 4.5 with Cardinals...Twelve-time All-Star selection...Five times among Top-10 in MVP, including runner-up in 1998, 4th in 1992 and 5th in 1999...Unanimous AL Rookie of the Year in 1987...Gold Glove Award winner in 1990...Three-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1992, 1996,1998)...Ranks 10th on the all-time home run list with 583...All-timeleader in at-bats per home run (10.6)...Led league in home runs four times (1987,1996, 1998, 1999), including then-major league record 70 HR in 1998...Followed that with a 65-home run season in 1999...Ranks 8th all-time with a.588 slugging percentage...Four times led league in slugging percentage...Also led league in on-base percentage in 1996 and 1998...Led NL in RBI in 1999...Led leaguein walks twice (1990, 1998)... Three times among top five in total bases (1987,1998, 1999)...A career .993 fielder...Hit .217 (28-129) in 42 career postseasongames, with five home runs and 14 RBI...Appeared in three World Series, winning in 1989 with Oakland...Hit .188 (9-48) with a home run and two RBI in 13 careerWS games.

RAUL MONDESI: 1st year on the ballot...Played 13 seasons for Dodgers, Blue Jays, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Angels and Braves...Unanimous 1994 National League Rookie of the Year winner...Named to 1995 All-Star team and won Gold Glove Award for his play in right field that season...In 1997, finished 15th in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting and won another Gold Glove Award...Posted 30-homer/30-steal seasons in 1997 (30 HR, 32 SB) and 1999 (33 HR, 36 SB), becoming the first Dodgers playerto reach that milestone...One of only 10 players with multiple 30 homer/30 stealseasons...Hit .300-or-better in 1994 (.306) and 1997 (.310)...From 1995 through 2002 with the Dodgers, Blue Jays and Yankees, averaged 28 homers, 86 RBI and 24 stolen bases per season...Led NL right fielders in assists in 1994 (16) and 1995 (13) and AL right fielders in assists in 2001 (19)...Led NL right fielders in putouts in 1996 (338) and 1997 (338)...Played in three postseason series, batting.219 with three RBI.

JACK MORRIS: 12th year on theballot... Pitched 18 seasons, 14 with Detroit and four others with Twins, Blue Jays and Indians...Three 20-win seasons, 11 seasons with 200-plus innings and three 200-strikeout campaigns...Received Cy Young Award votes seven times: 1981(3rd), '83 (3rd), '84 (T7th), '86 (5th), '87 (9th), '91(4th) and '92 (5th)...Made 14 Opening Day starts, tied with Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, Walter Johnson and Cy Young for second-most ever, two behind Tom Seaver (16)...Named AL Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News (1981)...Named to fiveAll-Star teams (1981, '84, '85, '87, '91); started games in 1981, '85 and '91; owns a 2.53 ERA with eight strikeouts in 10 2/3 ASG innings...Named WS MVP in 1991 with Twins with a 2-0 record, 1.17 ERA, and a 10-inning, 1-0 victory inGame Seven...Ranks 31st all-time in strikeouts and tied for 41st in wins...Tossed a 4-0 no-hitter vs. the Chicago White Sox on April 7, 1984...Led all ML pitchers in the 1980s with 162 wins, 133 complete games, 332 starts and 2,443.2 innings...Held AL record formost consecutive starting assignments (515) before broken by Roger Clemens in 2001...Topped AL in strikeouts (232) and innings (293 2/3) in 1983, and shutouts (6) in 1986...Tied for the AL lead in wins twice (1981, '92), starts twice (1990,'91) and complete games once (1990)... Holds AL career record for most putouts by a pitcher (387)... Four AL Championship Series (1984, '87, '91, '92);owns a 3-2 record with a 4.87 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 40 2/3 ALCS innings...Three World Series (1984, '91, '92); owns a record of 4-2 with a 2.96 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 51 2/3 WS innings...Member of three WS champion teams(1984, '91, '92).

DALE MURPHY: 13th year on the ballot...Played 18 seasons, 15 with the Braves...Won back-to-back NL MVP awards in 1982-83...Also finished in the top 10 of MVP voting in 1984 (9th) and '85 (7th)...Twice named The Sporting News' NL Player of the Year in 1982-'83...Seven All-Star teams (1980, '82-'87)...Won five Gold Gloves, consecutively (1982-'86)...Three .300-plus seasons...Hit 20-plus HR 12 times, 30-plus HR six times, 40-plus HR once, 100-plus RBI five times, 100-plus runs scored four times, and 30-plus doubles four times...Ranks 50th on the all-time HR list...Hit three HR in one game on May 18, 1979...Led the NL in games four times, consecutively (1982-'85), slugging percentage twice (1983, '84), HR (1985), RBI (1983), runs (1985), total bases ('84) and walks ('85)...Also tied for HR lead (1984) and RBI lead (1982)...In the 1980s, batted .273 and averaged nearly 31 HR and 93 RBI each season...From 1982 through '85, hit .293 and averaged 162 games, 36 HR and 110 RBI...Shares ML record for most seasons leading the league in games played by an outfielder (6)...One NL Championship Series (1982); batted .273 in 11 NLCS at-bats.

JOHN OLERUD: 1st year on the ballot...Played 17 seasons with Blue Jays, Mets, Mariners, Yankees and Red Sox...Finished fourth in AmericanLeague Rookie of the Year Award voting in 1990 after going directly from the campus of Washington State University to the major leagues in 1989...In 1993, finished with an AL-best .363 average, 24 homers and 107 RBI, leading the AL with 54 doubles and a .473 on-base percentage...Won three Gold Glove Awards at first base (2000, 2002-03)...Hit .300 or better four times (1993, .363; 1998,.354; 2001, .302; and 2002, .300)...Two-time All-Star (1993 and 2001)...Twice received MVP Votes (1993, 3rd; 1998, 12th)...Ranks 13th all-time among first basemen with a .995 field percentage (82 e/17665 tc)...Won 1993 MLB Hutch Award...In 14 postseason series, hit .278 with 35 runs scored, nine home runs and 34 RBI...Played in 1991-93 ALCS with Blue Jays, 2000-01 ALCS with Mariners and 2004 ALCS with Yankees...Played in 1999 NLCS with Mets...Member of 1992 and 1993 Blue Jays World Series teams.

RAFAEL PALMEIRO: 1st year on the ballot...Played 20 seasons with Cubs, Rangers and Orioles...Named to four All-Star teams (1988, 1991,1998-99)...Won two Silver Slugger Awards (1998-99) and three Gold Glove Awards (1997-99) at first base...Named 1999 Major League Player of the Year by Sporting News...One of only four players with at least 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs... Ranks 10th all-time in total bases (5,388), 12th in home runs (569), 15th in RBI (1,835), 15th in at-bats (10,472), 16th in double s(585), 18th in games played (2,831), 24th in hits (3,020), 30th in runs scored (1,663) and 31st in walks (1,353)...Totaled six seasons with a batting average of at least .300: 1988(.307), 1990 (.319), 1991 (.322), 1994 (.319), 1995 (.310) and 1999 (.324)...From 1995-2003, hit at least 38 home runs and drove in at least 104 runs, averaging 41 home runs, 120 RBI and 156 games played per season in that span...Received Most Valuable Player Award votes in 10 seasons, finishing in Top 10 three times: 1993 (8th), 1996 (6th) and 1999 (5th)...Led American League in hits in 1990 with 191...Led AL in doubles with 49 in 1991,with a career-high 203 hits...Led AL in runs scored with 124 in 1993, the firstof four times he surpassed the 100-run mark in one season...In five postseasonseries, hit .244 with 13 runs scored, four home runs and eight RBI...Played in 1996 and 1997 ALCS with Orioles.

DAVE PARKER: 15th year on the ballot...Played 19 seasons with Pirates, Reds, A's, Angels, Blue Jays and Brewers...Named NL MVP by BBWAA and The Sporting News Player of the Year in 1978...Finished in top 10 MVP voting five other times: 1975 (3rd), '77(3rd), '79 (10th), '85 (2nd) and '86 (5th)...Won three Gold Gloves, consecutively (1977-'79)...Elected to seven All-Star teams (1977, '79-'81, '85-86, '90); batted .267 with two RBI and one HR in 15 ASG at-bats...Named 1979 ASG MVP...Six .300-plus seasons, including five consecutive (1975-'79)...Won consecutive NL batting titles in 1977 (.338) and '78 (.334)...Four 100-RBI seasons (led NL in 1985 with 125), three 100-run seasons (consecutivelyfrom 1977-'79), nine 20-plus HR seasons, three 30-plus HR seasons, eight seasons of 30-plus doubles, and three seasons of 40-plus doubles (led NL in1977 and '85)...Ranks 47th all-time in total bases (4,405), 35th in doubles, 51st in RBI, 49th in extra base hits (940) and 59th in hits...Led the NL in slugging percentage in 1975 (.541)and '78 (.585)...Topped NL in total bases in 1978 (340), '85 (350) and '86 (304)...Led NL in intentional walks in 1978 (23) and tied for intentional walks in '85 (24)...Led AL in sacrifice flies in 1990 (14) and tied for NL lead in 1979(9)...Tied for NL lead with 16 game-winning RBI in 1987... Led NL outfielders inputouts (389), assists (26), total chances (430) and double plays (9) in 1977...Five League Championship Series (1974, '75, '79, '88, '89); batted .190 with five RBI, two HR, and seven runs scored in 58 LCS at-bats...Three WorldSeries (1979, '88, '89); batted .283 with six RBI, four doubles, and four runs scored in 53 WS at-bats...Member of WS championship teams in 1979 and '89.

TIM RAINES: 4th year on the ballot...Played 23 seasons with Expos, White Sox, Yankees, A's, Orioles and Marlins...Named 1981 NL Rookie Player of the Year by The Sporting News...Seven-time All-Star (1981-87)...Named 1987 All-Star Game MVP...Finished in the top 20 in NL MVP voting seven times, including one top-5 finish (5th, 1983)...Received NL Silver Slugger Award in 1986...Led NL in stolen bases four times, runs twice...Won 1986 NL batting title (.334)...Led league in on-base percentage (1986) and doubles (1984)...Six 100-runs seasons...Seven full seasons of hitting .300 or better, four times finishing in the top 10 in average...Sixteen seasons of 10 or more stolen bases, 11 times finishing in the top 10... Ranks second for highest stolen-base percentage (300 or more attempts) with .847...Led NL outfielders with 21 assists in 1983...Hit for the cycle on Aug. 16, 1987...Twice collected switch-hit home runs in one game...Hit three home runs in one game (April 18, 1994)...Holds Expos records for most runs (947), triples (82) and stolen bases (635)...Ranks 5th all-time in stolen bases (808) and 49th all-time in runs (1,571)...Two World Series teams with the Yankees (1996, 1998), batting .214 (3-14)...Hit .270 (34-126) in 34 career postseason games.

KIRK RUETER: 1st year on the ballot...Pitched 13 seasons with Expos and Giants... Posted double-digit wins every season from 1997 through 2003 with the Giants, averaging 13 wins and almost 32 starts a year during that span... Career regular-season won/loss percentage of .586... Holds record for most wins by a San Francisco Giants' left-hander with 105...Finished seventh in 1993 National League Rookie of the Year vote after going 8-0 with a 2.73 earned-runaverage in 14 starts following his July call-up from the minor leagues... His 16 wins in 1998 ranked tied for 10th in the NL and his 3.23 ERA in 2002 ranked ninth in the NL... Appeared in six postseason series, going 1-1 in six starts with a 3.79 ERA...Pitched 10 innings in 2002 World Series with Giants, posting a 2.70 ERA.

BENITO SANTIAGO: 1st year on the ballot...Played 20 seasons for Padres, Marlins, Reds, Phillies, Blue Jays, Cubs, Giants, Royals and Pirates...Named unanimous 1987 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting .300 with 18 home runs, 79 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a rookie-record 34-game hitting streak...Won first of four Silver Slugger Awards at catcher that season,with other three coming in 1988, 1990 and 1991...In 1988, won first of three straight Gold Glove Awards...Named to first of four straight All-Star Games in 1989, with fifth All-Star selection coming in 2002...Received National League Most Valuable Player votes in both 1990 (23rd) and 2002 (20th)...Hit at least 10 home runs every season from 1987-97, with a career-best of  30 in 1996...Led NL in games caught in 1987 (146) and 1991 (151)...Led NL catchers in assists in 1988 (75), 1991 (100) and 1994 (66)...Led NL receivers in caught stealing percentage in 1988 (44.7) and in caught stealing total in 1994 (40)...In six postseason series, batted .250 with three home runs and 19 RBI...Named 2002 NLCS Most Valuable Player after hitting .300 with two homers and six RBI in the Giants' five-game series victory over the Cardinals...One NLCS with Reds (1995) and one with Giants (2002)...Played in 2002 World Series with Giants.

LEE SMITH: 9th year on the ballot...Pitched 18 seasons for Cubs, Cardinals, Red Sox, Angels, Expos, Reds, Yankees and Orioles...Ranks third in ML history in saves (478)... Retired as all-time major league leader in saves and games finished (802)...Tied for 10th in games pitched (1,022)...Named NL Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News in 1991... Named AL Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News in 1994...Named NL Co-Fireman of the Year by The Sporting News in 1983 and '92...Won the NL Rolaids Relief Award in 1991, '92 and AL Rolaids Relief Award in '94...Finished 8th in 1991 NL MVP Award voting...Finished in top 10 in NL Cy Young Award voting three times in 1983 (T9th), '91 (2nd), and '92 (4th)...Finished in top 10 in AL Cy Young Award balloting in 1994 (5th)...Seven All-Star teams (1983, '87, '91-'95); with a 5.40 ERA in five ASG innings...Led NL in saves three times (1983, '91-92) and AL in saves once (1994)...Thirteen consecutive seasons with 20-plus saves (1983-'95), 10 seasons with 30-plus saves, and three seasons with 40-plus saves...Holds Chicago Cubs all-time team record for most saves...Holds NL career record for most consecutive errorless games by a pitcher (546)...Two League Championship Series (1984, '88); with one save in 5 1/3 LCS innings.

B.J. SURHOFF: 1st year on the ballot...Played 19 seasons with Brewers, Orioles and Braves...No. 1 overall pick in 1985 MLB Draft by Brewers...Named to 1999 American League All-Star team when he had career-highs in runs (104), hits (207), home runs (28) and RBI (107)...Finished 18th in 1999 AL Most Valuable Player voting...From 1996-2001, averaged better than 160 hits per season...His 2,326 hits rank 130th all-time...Ranked in Top 5 of league leaders in sacrifice flies three times: 1987 (5th with 9 SF); 1989 (5th with 10 SF) and 1991 (3rd with 9 SF)...His 104 career sacrifice flies rank 19th all-time...Played every position on the field during his career except pitcher...As a catcher, led AL in assists in 1991 (68)...Led all AL left fielders in assists in 1998 (12) and 1999 (16)...Led AL left fielders in fielding percentage in 1997 (.992) and 1999 (1.000)...Hit .300-or-better in 1995 (.320), 1999 (.308) and 2004 (.309)...In seven postseason series, batted .267 with six runs scored, four home runs and 12 RBI...Two ALCS with Orioles (1996-97) and one NLCS with Braves (2001).

ALAN TRAMMELL: 10th year on theballot...Played 20 seasons, all with the Detroit Tigers...Seven .300 batting average seasons, one season with 200-plus hits, one season with 100-plus RBI,and three seasons with 100-plus runs scored...Finished in top 10 in MVP voting three times in 1984 (9th), '87 (2nd), and '88 (7th)...Named WS MVP (1984); batted .450 with six RBI and two HR in 20 WS at-bats...Shares single-game WS record for driving in all of team's runs (4) on Oct. 13, 1984...Six All-Star teams (1980,'84-85, '87-88, '90)... Won four AL Gold Glove awards (1980-81, '83-84)...Named 1983 AL Comeback Player of the Year by Sporting News...Finished tied for 4th in the 1978 BBWAA AL Rookie of the Year Award voting...20-plus HR twice, 30-plus doubles six times, 20-plus stolen bases three times, and 30-plus stolen bases once...Five career grand slams...Had 20-game hitting streak (Aug. 5-22, 1984) and 21-game hitting streak (May 24-June 16, 1987)... Led AL in sacrifice hits in 1981 (16) and '83 (15)... Led AL shortstops in double plays (102) in 1990... Two ALCS (1984, '87); batted .258 with five RBI and one HR in 31 ALCS at-bats...One World Series (1984); member of 1984 WS championship team.
LARRY WALKER: 1st year on the ballot...Played 17 seasons with Expos, Rockies and Cardinals...Won 1997 National League Most Valuable Player Award with Rockies after hitting .366 with NL-leading totals in home runs (49), total bases (409, the 18th-best single-season total in history), on-base percentage (.452) and slugging percentage (.720)...Led NL in batting three times in 1998 (.363), 1999 (.379) and 2001 (.350)...Won seven Gold Glove Awards (1992-93, 1997-99, 2001-02) and three Silver Slugger Awards (1992,1997, 1999) as a right fielder...Finished seventh in 1990 NL Rookie of the Year Award voting with Expos...Named to five All-Star Games (1992, 1997-99,2001)...Received NL Most Valuable Player Award votes in eight seasons, finishing in Top 10 four times: 1992 (5th), 1995 (7th), 1997 (1st),1999 (10th)...Led NL in slugging percentage twice (1997 and 1999), and his .565 career mark ranks 14th all-time...Posted 30 homer/30-steal season in 1997 with 49 home runs and 33 stolen bases, becoming just the 16th different NL player to reach that milestone...Drove in at least 100 runs in five seasons (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002)...Hit better than .300 in nine seasons (1992, 1994-95, 1997-2002)...In six postseason series, batted .230 with 18 runs scored, seven home runs and 15 RBI...Two NLCS with Cardinals (2004-05).