MLB Showdown Obsession

  So when the Hall of Fame switched to the "get 5% or you're out" style voting, it meant there would be a lot more turnover in eliminating excess names and thus one aspect of the selection that was changing was the concept of a "selection committee" that would decide who to feature on the ballots, because without the 5% rule culling the names by the dozen, the list of eligible men to vote for would be insanely long otherwise. The vote choices were almost doubled to 61 as opposed to the just over 30 a few years ago, many of them on their first ballot and almost all of them eliminated. Also inducted: Tom Yawkey (Pioneer / Executive) Owner of the Boston Red Sox that renovated Fenway Park and revitalized the team from a last place franchise back into respectability with better players and a stronger minor league pipeline, winning 3 American League pennants for his efforts.

  There have been more than a few Perfect Games in history, and it's understandable that some of them begin to blend together and lose their unique shine. Sure, games like Don Larsen's WS game will stand the test of time, but some people might be caught off guard if you mention Kenny Rodgers or Len Barker . Sometimes it's the story of how a guy *didn't* set his opposition down 27 in a row that makes the game he pitched so memorable. Armando Galarraga gets credit by many for setting down 28 guys in a row, with no official credit for a Perfect Game. The story begins on June 2, 2010 as Armando and the Detroit Tigers hosted the Cleveland Indians at Comerica Park. Just four days prior, Roy Halladay had just tossed his own Perfect Game, and if Galarraga had succeeded, that would have broken the record for shortest time between PGs, set by Lee Richmond and John Montgomery Ward , by 1 day. Galarraga had the Indians handled pretty well, striking out just 3 but allowing no one...

  Yet another piece of common knowledge that we take for granted today made it's debut in the Hall of Fame voting for 1979. There were only two ways off the yearly BBWAA ballot; getting the votes needed, or hitting the 15 year limit. Now a new rule was in effect: if you fail to hit 5% of voting, no matter how many years you've been featured on the ballot, then you are eliminated from future consideration. The resulting vote showed a veritable bloodbath when compared to prior votes. 31 players, 22 of which were on their first ballot, failed to achieve 5% and were eliminated. Of those 1st time players, only 2 got over 5%, one of which was Willie Mays who easily blew beyond 75% and headed to Cooperstown. The Veterans Committee added two other names to the class of '79. Also inducted: Warren Giles (Pioneer / Executive) General Manager of the Cincinnati Reds who built up 2 pennant winners and a World Championship. Later became President of the National League where he oversaw th...

  The Athletics are the most successful MLB team in 2 different markets. They have a 5-2 lead over the Phillies for the best results in Philadelphia, while they maintain a slim 4-3 lead over the Giants in the San Francisco Bay area. And while 2 of the 3 cities they used to call home have storied A's history, they will be settling into a new home soon in Las Vegas for reasons we are not getting into today. Despite the numerous homes the A's have enjoyed, Oakland has the full majority of the retired number representation. Technically a couple of their retired number players also played with the team when they were briefly in Kansas City, but their contributions were clearly felt while on the west coast. #9 - Reggie Jackson The Athletics were a long way from their glory days when Jackson came up while the team still called Kansas City home in 1967. The next season they moved to Oakland, and a year after that Jackson's Hall of Fame career began to show off with his first all st...