Key Dates to Look Forward to in 2017

Opening Day 2017 happens on Sunday, April 2^nd when the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays inside Tropicana Field in Tampa St. Pete. The 2017 season has a lot of key dates and games this season so I wanted to go over a few and hit the high spots as we prepare for the 2017 regular season to begin. This post is worth keeping bookmarked just in case.

On the same day the Yankees and Rays kick off the 2017 season the Chicago Cubs begin their World Series title defense against the St. Louis Cardinals. Manning center field for those Cardinals? None other than the center fielder who was on the field when the Cubs won their World Series and reversed the curse of the billy goat, Dexter Fowler. That should be fun.

Sunday, May 14^th is Derek Jeter Day in the Bronx as the New York Yankees play host to the Houston Astros inside Yankee Stadium. Before the game the Yankees will unveil a plaque in Monument Park for Jeter while also retiring his #2 jersey on Mother’s Day. That’s a game you definitely do not want to miss.

The All-Star Game is played on Tuesday, July 11 inside Marlins Park in Miami. This will be the first time that the Marlins host the All-Star Game in their 25 season existence so that should be fun as should the Home Run Derby that happens the night before. Giancarlo Stanton sighting anyone?

On Sunday, July 30 we will watch as Hall of Fame inductees Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez get inducted officially into the Hall along with former Commissioner Bud Selig and former Royals and Braves executive John Schuerholz.

The non-waiver trading deadline returns to July 31^st this season after last year the deadline occurred on August 1^st. The revocable trade waiver deadline is still August 31^st, as always.

The final game of the season happens, barring any need for tiebreaker games and such, on October 1^st.

Remembering Yankees of the Past: Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez

The Baseball Writers Association of America, better known to you boys and girls as the BBWAA, elected three new members into the Hall of Fame this week including first baseman Jeff Bagwell, outfielder Tim Raines and catcher Pudge “Ivan” Rodriguez. Rodriguez, like Raines, is a former Yankees player albeit for a short period of time so let’s remember the Hall of Fame catcher’s not-so-memorable time in Yankees pinstripes before he makes his walk into the halls of Cooperstown, New York.

Pudge’s 2008 season started out magnificently leading all of Major League Baseball in home runs during spring training but his season went down from there, and in a big way. Pudge did have a couple high spots in 2008 as his career began to wind down including his 2,500^th hit of his career on April 10^th against the Boston Red Sox but it was on July 30, 2008 that Pudge endured something that no player wants to at that point in their career. Pudge was traded.

The New York Yankees acquired Pudge to be their backup catcher that season after sending relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers in the trade. Pudge, splitting time with Jose Molina, started in just 26 of the Yankees 55 games that second half which did not sit well with the now Hall of Fame catcher.

Rodriguez hit just .278 as a Yankee, easily his worst part of the season, before fading off into the sunset as New York failed to make the postseason for the first time since the 1993 season. 

My IBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot

Ladies and gentleman I know you have been waiting on the edge of your seats for me to release my Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA) Hall of Fame ballot but wait no longer. What I lack in some areas I more than make up for with tongue-in-cheek and sarcastic answers and steroid users on my ballot. Please check it out and enjoy.

Keep in mind that the IBWAA has already inducted Tim Raines, Jeff Bagwell and Edgar Martinez on our ballots in previous years so this is why they are not present on this ballot and why they are present on the BBWAA ballot.

Thoughts and arguments below in the comment section por favor. 

My OFFICIAL IBWAA 2016 Hall of Fame Ballot

1. Each name is linked to that particular player's Baseball-Reference.com page.
2. Asterisk (*) for first-time candidates
3. You may vote for up to 15 candidates.
4. 75% required for election.
5. Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza and Tim Raines have already been honored in previous IBWAA elections, which is why you don’t see their names listed here.

My 2016 Hall of Fame Ballot as it Stands Today

The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, of which I am now a lifetime member, allows me certain perks and benefits. One of those perks and benefits is that I get an IBWAA Hall of Fame ballot. Many don't like to but I prefer to release my ballot online and I will do so today, as it stands as of right now. If a woman can change her mind then so can I.


I like to push the agenda that I feel most strongly about, electing the players that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame into Cooperstown. This is likely the worst possible analogy I could come up with but it works, just because you didn't get caught killing someone or just because you killed before DNA was mainstream it doesn't make you any less of a murderer. Many guys used SOMETHING that is banned by today's standards and are in the Hall, I know that in my heart. Look at "greenies" for example, players like Hank Aaron openly used them. They weren't banned then, they are banned now. Keep that in mind before killing or attacking my personal opinion and preference in MY Hall of Fame ballot. Instead, leave yours in the comments section below.


As many of you know you get 10 votes every single offseason and here are mine:

1. Barry Bonds

2. Roger Clemens

3. Ken Griffey Jr. 

4. Jeff Bagwell

5. Trevor Hoffman

6. Gary Sheffield

7. Tim Raines

8. Edgar Martinez

9. Mike Piazza

10. Mike Mussina

Sammy Sosa was caught corking his bat. That's still illegal, probably always was. I also find it tough, and yes it's unfair, to truly judge players I have never seen personally. Maybe Alan Trammell deserves to be in, all I have is the back of his baseball card to judge him by. He's borderline, and likely on my ballot in a year that isn't as stacked, but not this year. This is Trammell's final season on the ballot and he may lose out to the numbers game... and that's sad.  

The Purge 3: Hall of Fame Voters

We’ve all seen the Purge and Purge 2: Anarchy movies, imagine that type of plot just with Hall of Fame voters instead of everyday people. For one day and one day only all voting for future Hall of Fame players is allowed for a select few owners, writers and men and women who cover this great game of baseball. These Hall of Fame voters have made a bit of a mockery, in my opinion anyway, of the Hall of Fame voting over the past few seasons and for much of the steroid era and that may change starting in 2016.

The Baseball Writers Association of America just inducted four members into Cooperstown this past weekend including Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz but that may change for better or worse going forward. Under the old rules you had lifetime voting rights no matter how far removed you were from covering the game but a purge is going on with the Hall of Fame voters. Under the new rules you are no longer allowed to vote if you have not actively covered the game in the last 10 years, a breath of fresh air for the more progressive fans of the game.

This by no means will eliminate the “character clause” that is keeping many steroid users, suspected steroid users and players out of the Hall but it is a definite step in the right direction. In 2016 I don’t expect the likes of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and others to make the game but it may help those borderline cases in Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza finally make the Hall despite their undeserved “ties” to the steroid era in general. 

Too Early To Look at the 2016 Hall of Fame Class?

Here is just a quick, and albeit early, look art the potential Hall of Fame class for the 2016 season. After three pitchers, John Smoltz, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez got in along with second baseman Craig Biggio in 2015 we may see a little more offense in 2016.

The offensive candidates are led by none other than Ken Griffey Jr. who seems to be a shoe in for the Hall with no prior steroid allegations or suspicions. Following Griffey into the Hall is likely, and finally, Mets and Dodgers catcher Mike Piazza after falling short since the 2013 season. Tim Raines will be on the ballot once again along with Jeff Bagwell while newcomer Jim Edmonds joins the group.

The pitchers are not alone though as a couple notable closers of our generation join the discussion as Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner make their first runs at Cooperstown. Who will get in? It's a little early to tell but we may see another four, or even five, players elected once again in 2016 and I simply cannot wait.

The IBWAA Makes Me Proud to be a Member

The Internet Baseball Writers Association of America conducts a Hall of Fame vote just like the Baseball Writers Association of America does. For the most part the consensus is the same with a few key differences, those differences being that Mike Piazza (2013) and Craig Biggio (2014) were elected by the IBWAA before the BBWAA elected them and Barry Larkin was not elected to the IBWAA as of 2015 when he was a member in the BBWAA. Also the IBWAA voted to bump up the number of selections from 10 to 15, which I think will help with the logjam of deserving players.  I have always felt a little bit of prestige and such being a member of the IBWAA but when I opened my email and saw our Hall of Fame tallies it really made me proud to be a member.

For the year 2015 the IBWAA selected five to join the Hall including Randy Johnson (98.24%), Pedro Martinez (95.15%), John Smoltz (82.82%), Jeff Bagwell (81.94%) and Tim Raines (79.30%). Curt Schilling was the first runner up in the vote garnering 65.64% followed by notable players including Roger Clemens (64.76% up from 56.64% in 2014) and Barry Bonds (63.44% up from 57.52% in 2014). 

My Hall of Fame Ballot

The ballots for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame have been announced and there are a few notable first timers on the list. As many of you know I am a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and I will get a say in that ballot but I will save that ballot reveal for another day. Today I wanted to reveal who I would vote for if I had a vote in the BBWAA ballot.

Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Delgado, Nomar Garciaparra, Gary Sheffield, Tony Clark and John Smoltz are among 17 newcomers to the ballot joining Craig Biggio who fell two votes shy last season among others. Don Mattingly will also appear on the ballot for the 15^th and final time in his eligibility this season while Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Mike Piazza, Jeff Bagwell, and Time Raines make their returns to the ballot.

My ballot includes Johnson, Martinez, Smoltz, Mattingly, Mike Mussina, Bonds, Clemens, Biggio, Piazza and Raines. While I know many will disagree with the Mattingly pick I had to slide him in there as my 10^th and final selection. Many more will disagree with my picks who were linked to steroids and the entire steroid era but it’s referred to as an era because, and I use the term loosely, everyone was doing steroids. The Black Sox threw the World Series but it wasn’t called the Black Sox era it was called the Black Sox scandal because they were one of the only ones doing it. Everyone did steroids and no one should be punished for it before it was illegal in the game.