C.Rector

Let's set a range here: In 2003 the Sox went 86-76 under Jerry Manuel who might be fairly described as being an average manager. The old adage is that the manager makes a difference in about 5-10 games out of a 162 game season. Fundamentally, this is the same team as 2003. Therefore, if Ozzie is a good manager, then the Sox could win 86-96 games and the team wins the division. If Ozzie is a bad manager, then the Sox could win 76-86 games and lose the division. If Ozzie is an average manager like JM, then the Sox could once again go 86-76 and might conceivably win the division unless either KC or Minnesota does something both big and unexpected in what's left of the offseason. As for the Cubs, my prediction is that Dusty Baker's misuse of Prior, Wood and Zambrano in 2003 will backfire in the form of serious injuries in 2004 and the Cubs could very well be forced to fight with the likes of Pittsburgh for 3rd place in the NL Central.

1): Just where do you get the idea that KW is a figurehead? From Steff's name-dropping gossip-mongering? 2): Roberto Alomar went FA because he was/is a greedy mercenary type who thought that his agent could sucker a team into giving him a fat contract on a silver platter for his slacker self. Things did not work out his way and he wound up with far less than what he could have gotten from the Sox. Its really a win for the good guys since Willie Harris will almost certainly play his heart out at 2b. 3): Why should KW provide agents with ammo to use against the team? What's wrong with getting the most bang out of the buck especially when those bucks came from the wallets of the Sox fans in the first place? 4): What need is there for any such improvements? Why do you think that not enough has been done to train players in bunting? Do you have any evidence to back up your apparent belief that Sox training/player development is deficient? 5): The Tribune Co. owns both the Cubs and much of the local media. Of course they are going to promote the Cubs to the nth degree. The only way that the Sox can counteract the Tribune colossus is for someone in the ownership to buy either the Sun-Times or some other major media outlet and using it as a Sox propaganda tool. And to quickman's 6th question: On paper, the 2004 Sox have the potential to be just as good if not even better than last year's team. However, the reliable JM was replaced by Ozzie who could either be the Ditka of baseball or the Hispanic Terry Bevington. It is with Captain Guillen that the course of the USS White Sox is set and if if can capture the Great White World Series is anybody's guess at the moment.

That's a $35 Mil increase in the team's theoretical valuation only. Reinsdorf would only realize that kind of profit if he were to sell the team. Increases in team valuations do not do anything to increase the revenue that could be used to increase the payroll.

The Bulls and the White Sox are owned by 2 different partnerships of which Reinsdorf happens to be the General Partner of both.

Interesting. The Sox make a decent minor league pickup and all anyone in this thread wants to talk about is KW's future.

From: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...t=.jsp&c_id=cha 01/13/2004 10:38 AM ET Keeping the dream alive Cameron gets a second opportunity to achieve goal By Scott Merkin / MLB.com Troy Cameron will start the 2004 season at Single-A Carolina. (Joliet JackHammers) CHICAGO -- Troy Cameron won't be listed on the White Sox's depth chart when the team breaks from Spring Training in Tucson at the end of March. In fact, the 25-year-old probably will start the 2004 season in the Carolina League, more than a couple of jumps from the active roster. Yet, the power-hitting third baseman stands closer to U.S. Cellular Field than he did one year ago. At that point, Cameron was suiting up only 45 minutes southwest of Chicago in suburban Joliet -- that is, if he wasn't on a bus trip to St. Paul, Minn., or Winnipeg -- but miles away from the White Sox. The one-time first-round selection of the Atlanta Braves has made the journey back to affiliated baseball, after spending the 2003 season with the Joliet JackHammers in the independent Northern League. "I played independent baseball solely for the reason of getting back into affiliated baseball," said Cameron, who was signed to a minor league contract by the White Sox on Nov. 25. "I'm still doing this for one reason -- to achieve the goal I always had of making it to the Major Leagues. "The original drawback in my mind, and probably the only one of signing with the White Sox, was going back to the Carolina League, where I already spent two years. But I have no room to talk. It's a way to get my foot back in the door for affiliated baseball." Cameron recently completed his seventh year in professional baseball, posting a .250 average with four home runs and 22 RBIs in 43 games with Joliet. Prior to that short unaffiliated stopover, the right-hander hit .229 (530-for-2,315) with 14 triples, 88 home runs, 118 doubles, 325 runs scored and 334 RBIs through 667 minor league games played. "I played independent baseball solely for the reason of getting back into affiliated baseball. I'm still doing this for one reason -- to achieve the goal I always had of making it to the Major Leagues." -- Troy Cameron The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder was selected out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by Atlanta 29th overall in the first round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft. That class included J.D. Drew (second overall), Troy Glaus (third), Vernon Wells (fifth), Jon Garland (10th), Lance Berkman (16th), Adam Kennedy (20th) and right-handed pitcher Jason Grilli (fourth), who was picked up by the White Sox in the Rule 5 Draft at the recently completed Winter Meetings in New Orleans. "If you look at that draft, I think everyone from the first round made it to the Major Leagues but me," said Cameron with a laugh, showing he hasn't lost his self-deprecating humor despite struggling through tough on-field times. After spending 4 1/2 years with the Braves, Cameron was traded to Cleveland on June 22, 2001, for pitchers Steve Karsay and Steve Reed. Cameron was the minor league throw-in as part of a move that sent controversial closer John Rocker to the Indians. A little more than one year later, Cameron was shipped to Colorado for a player to be named. He went to Spring Training with the Rockies in 2003 and made it to the final cut but couldn't quite crack the roster as a utility infielder or backup third baseman. He was designated for assignment and released. "It was actually me and another guy trying to get that final roster spot, but I knew they would keep the guy they drafted," Cameron said of his Rockies experience. "I've been in this game long enough that I know how it works. "I had it made with the Braves, with the money they invested in me as a high draft pick. But my back was up against the wall last year at Spring Training." Cameron was a man without a team late in March and couldn't really find any takers. Refusing to entertain any thoughts about giving up the game, Cameron contacted the JackHammers in April about working the infield in their state-of-the-art stadium near the many riverboat casinos that dot the Des Plaines River. Four of the Joliet front-office members left Myrtle Beach, a high Single-A team for Atlanta, a few years back to start up the JackHammers and were very familiar with Cameron from his 1 1/2 seasons with the Pelicans. The 2003 season was marred and quickly shortened by a freak injury to Cameron's left hand, taking place when he fouled off a pitch with a very normal swing during a game in Winnipeg on June 7. The pain led Cameron to believe he broke his hamate bone, but numerous examinations throughout the rest of the year couldn't pinpoint the injury. Rest was the best cure for Cameron, who couldn't swing the bat for weeks after the injury but is currently back to 100 percent. The lack of work left Cameron worried as to whether he would be picked up by a Major League franchise. But it didn't deter the White Sox, who signed him to a minor league contract. "We are looking for someone who can supply power in Single-A ball and can also supplement the prospects in the Carolina League," said White Sox assistant director of player development Brian Porter. "It's also a way to resurrect his career. "If [Cameron] performs well and takes advantage of the situation, he will force us to consider him for bigger and better things," Porter added. Debates range as to the caliber of play in independent baseball. Some purists scoff at people involved in the league who claim it's the equivalent of Double-A, while others such as Porter and the White Sox figure it's worth performing their due diligence in searching for that diamond in the rough. Jeff Zimmerman, the Texas reliever, worked his way from the Northern League to the American League All-Star team. Cameron played in Joliet alongside Pete Rose Jr., whose dad has been receiving much more publicity lately than his progeny. Rose Jr. will be back with Joliet in 2004, refusing to give up the dream, much like Cameron. While the White Sox signed Cameron for power, he will focus on raising his average to a respectable .260 or .270 level. If he succeeds at Winston-Salem, that long road to the Major Leagues might lead a little more directly to Chicago. "It's all about consistency," Cameron said. "The main difference between the minors and the Majors is that the guys in the big leagues are simply more consistent. "Time is ticking down for me and I either have to figure it out or the game will pass me up. Whatever it takes this year is what I will have to do." Scott Merkin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.

What makes you think that Alomar is a "future HOF"? If you look at the last HoF voting, you'll find several individuals such as Keith Hernandez, Doug Drabek, Cecil Fielder, Terry Pendleton and Bob Tewksbury who were often called "future hall of famer," who this year failed to even get so much as the minimum 5% (26 votes) to even stay on the ballot. You simply cannot predict just who will get in the HoF before the actual voting. As for Alomar, he batted .336 with Cleveland in 2001, but after being traded to the Mets, batted only .266. There are a lot of Mets fans who believe that Alomar slacked off and didn't really give anything close to a 100% effort for that team. Jim Rome, about the time of Alomar's being traded to the White Sox, accused Alomar of "jakking the Mets." Finally, to the SuperSteve guy, I was involved in competitive sports past college. Take it that your experience did not last past your 12th birthday?

Minnesota's signing of Helling is a classic case of substraction by addition. This is good news for our side. Helling should serve up a lot of HR's for the Sox sluggers, assuming that Ozzie gets over his bunting kick.

Why would the Sox want to get another outfielder when the team already has a surplus of outfielding talent with more coming up in the minors?

If Jackson and Person can both put up at least 40 or more innings each with an ERA of less than 4.00, then the Sox will have the strongest bullpen in the AL Central. If Person can actually start some games, then that's pure gravy.

The size of the team payroll is dependent on the attendance, not the size of the city that the team plays in. If the 2003 attendance was say 2.5 Mil, then your complaints about the size of the payroll would be valid.

You write as if that's necessarily a bad thing. Erstad is still one of the best defensive center fielders around even if his batting has declined and Percival's not too bad either.

From: Ron Rappoport's column in Monday's Sun-times at: http://www.suntimes.com/output/rapoport/cst-spt-rap12.html Now he tells us: Upon signing with the Diamondbacks, Roberto Alomar said, ''I think the last two years I didn't work hard enough. I want to put my game in the high level where I used to be two years ago.'' Hopefully, this will end all of the criticizing of KW for not resigning this worthless waste of payroll..........

What was the Sox offer specifically?

Here's that article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=1705735 : Clubs with spring in their step By Peter Gammons Special to ESPN.com Jan. 11 This is an eerie time in a red sky morning of an offseason. While most teams have begun humming along with Eddie Vedder ("no matter how cold the winter/there's a spring time ahead"), even after the Vladimir Guerrero bombshell, the oddities of having Greg Maddux and Pudge Rodriguez still out in the marketplace make this a unique January. That two Hall of Famers are still looking around at this time of year leads to boundless speculation. This weekend, all of a sudden some GMs realized that the Orioles were out on Guerrero and in on Maddux, and that while the Mets were willing to go to three guaranteed years on Guerrero, it wasn't close to enough to getting him away from Anaheim. Vladimir Guerrero The addition of Vladimir Guerrero shows the Angels are serious about getting back to the Series. Since the Angels were already between $90 million and $95 million before signing Guerrero, what they do to pare payroll -- trade Ramon Ortiz, Jarrod Washburn or Troy Percival or perhaps an everyday player -- will be fascinating. Rumors of a deal with San Diego have made the rounds, and the Padres have re-opened discussions with the Pirates about Jason Kendall. There is no question that since Arte Moreno has taken over the Angels, they have become the poster boys of the West Coast. Moreno has taken what was already a team a year off a world championship and added Guerrero, Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar and Jose Guillen, which not only makes them a strong contender, but attractive to Hispanic-American and Mexican cable interests. Not that Anaheim is a sure thing: Seattle is still very good, and the A's rotation of Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Redman and Rich Harden can win anything, anytime, anywhere. The consensus of opinion among general managers is that the Cubs and the Phillies are approaching the Ides of January as the pre-spring training favorites in the National League, the (surprise, surprise!) Yankees and Red Sox in the American. Of course, considering that the Diamondbacks, Angels and Marlins have won the last three World Series, we all know the worth of pre-spring training power rankings means as much as Gary Hart's 1987 straw poll success. With Frank McCourt trying to complete his purchase of the Dodgers, the Angels have made a bold strike at the Southern California market. But no matter who gets Maddux and Rodriguez, the Mets and Orioles are two of the teams below the Cubs/Phillies/Yankees/Red Sox radar screen that have at least turned back toward the light. The group: 1. Mets Cameron Cameron The Mets because Jim Duquette has taken over and convinced the Wilpons that they're not playing in the Back Pages League, they're in the NL East and that the PR worth of every Cedeno, Vaughn, Sheffield name acquisition gets three times the negative back-page space come August when they play like cement truckers. The Mets are returning to their championship roots, with defense surrounding pitching, which is the way to win in that sinkhole of a stadium which happens to be one of the worst hitters' parks this side of Pac Bell. "How did the Mets win in 1969 and 1986?" Duquette asks, then answers, "with pitching. Shea is a pitchers' park." Now with the start of adding arguably (and statistically) the best defensive center fielder in the game in Mike Cameron in back of the quickness of Kaz Matsui and Jose Reyes in the middle of the infield will make the performances and psyches of Tom Glavine, Al Leiter, Steve Trachsel and Jae Weong Seo a lot better. Guerrero would be a terrific addition, but if they don't get him, they have taken a brutal 95-loss team and significantly improved it by addressing its needs and long-term philosophy, as opposed to PR signings. Remember, this was a last-place team and while there are questions at the end of the rotation, in the pen and in right field, the hope is legitimate. 2. Orioles Ponson Ponson If the Orioles were to sign Maddux, Pudge Rodriguez and/or Sidney Ponson in addition to Miguel Tejada, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro they will be one of the most improved teams, albeit in a division so talented that they could well still end up in fourth place. Tejada gives them a building block -- reliable, energetic, productive -- and they have given their great fan base a reason to believe that there is reason to look forward to life after Maryland stops playing hoops. Now, there are a lot of people who believe that this is Peter Angelos' exit strategy -- signing star-quality players to backloaded contracts, get the fans back into Camden Yards, get the $150 million in reparations MLB will have to pay to get the Expos to Washington, then sell for a handsome profit. So what? If you're an Oriole fan and haven't had any reason to believe in anything since their last winning season (1997), then that scenario could begin a six-year run with Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan. Some owners look at Anaheim and Baltimore and see the new owner syndrome and the exit-strategy syndrome that slashed the changing market theories, but, hey, Orioles fans deserve better than they have received the last few years. 3. Blue Jays Lilly Lilly Problem is, the AL East is a lot more than New York and Boston. There's Toronto, which on a $50 million payroll has the makings of a 90-win team, which they hope will be enough to sneak into the tournament and then see what happens, a la Anaheim, Villanova and the Marlins. And the best thing for a Jays fan is that they have one of the best farm systems in the league. J.P. Ricciardi has filled in the rotation spots behind Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay with Ted Lilly, Pat Hentgen and Miguel Batista, and he got Hentgen and Batista before the Jason Johnsons got $3.5 million. He's added Kerry Ligtenberg, Terry Adams and Justin Speier to a tattered bullpen. Now Toronto has bought time for young pitchers like Dustin McGowan, Jason Arnold and David Bush, and they can wait to see when center fielder Alexis Rios (the star in Puerto Rico) and catcher Guillermo Quiroz are ready. 4. Astros Clemens Clemens Sometime soon, Roger Clemens will decide whether or not to join Andy Pettitte, which would give the Astros -- whose starters threw the fewest innings in the National League -- a rotation with Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller and either Tim Redding, Jeriome Robertson, Carlos Hernandez and Brandon Duckworth. Are there concerns about Octavio Dotel replacing Billy Wagner, and Brad Lidge holding up in the setup role? Sure. Are there concerns about the consistency of the offense? Yes. But in a division where the Cubs have a rotation that could win the World Series any year, this is a huge upgrade. The additional innings provided by the starters will save strain on the bullpen. 5. Royals Beltran Beltran The Royals are trying. Allard Baird and Tony Pena are indefatigable, personally visiting and recruiting players as if they're Bill Self's assistants. They turned the franchise mindset around last year, and by going out and surrounding Carlos Beltran, Mike Sweeney and Angel Berroa with Benito Santiago, Juan Gonzalez, Matt Stairs, Brian Anderson, Scott Sullivan, et al takes them into the season believing they can stay in the Midwest race with the Twins, White Sox and even the Indians, if their pitching comes as it might. There are still serious concerns about the pitching, but if Jeremy Affeldt were allowed to close, he might be the best left-handed reliever in the American League. 6. Brewers Overbay Overbay And so are the Brewers. No more cosmetic trades and signings to dupe fans into Miller Park. Doug Melvin is an astute talent evaluator. He made a terrific deal for Richie Sexson that provides two left-handed starting pitchers, a first baseman (Lyle Overbay) and an offensive second baseman in Junior Spivey that come July can be spun for more young players. This team needed to strip down and re-grow, and with shortstop J.J. Hardy in this season and Richie Weeks, Prince Fielder, Corey Hart and Dave Krynzel on the immediate horizon, it would be fun again in a couple of years. Why there are two other teams within 90 minutes of Wrigley Field is another matter, entirely. Diamond Notes # While the Angels clearly want to move Washburn or Ortiz before the start of the season, Boston may not have to move Scott Williamson, who looms as an invaluable setup man for Keith Foulke. The Red Sox are over $120 million presently and will have to pay some luxury tax, but the penalty is far smaller the first time, and with a half-dozen major players potentially gone for 2005, the tax will be a one-shot deal. Kevin Millar is still pushing for Theo Epstein to sign Ryan Dempster, while the club is also talking to left-handed reliever Nick Bierbrodt and Jeremy Giambi, the latter on a minor-league deal as insurance should David Ortiz get hurt. # The Giants signed Brett Tomko cheaply, needing another starter behind Jason Schmidt, Kirk Rueter, Jerome Williams and Dustin Hermanson. Schmidt and closer Robb Nen are scheduled to throw this week, so they will have some idea where they stand before spring training. # Turk Wendell is pondering a lucrative offer to go to Japan and pitch for his former manager, Bobby Valentine. # One name that emerged in Puerto Rico is Jays' minor-league outfielder Simon Pond. After being released by the Indians and Expos, Pond hit .338 at New Haven, then hit 10 homers in Puerto Rico. "He's got one of the best power swings I saw," said one scout who covered that island's winter league. # Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez has been throwing for clubs in Miami and is "about 80 percent" according to one GM. There's an interesting spring training invitation, while Cuban refugee Maels Rodriguez is about 10-to-14 days from being ready to air it out for clubs.

Why would we ever want fat Randall Simon aka the Sausage Beater on the Sox?

Otis is either a fraud or a fool. Take your pick.

And what was this "future plan" and why wasn't Durham in it? Is it not possible that even with Durham's alleged willingness to take a discount for more time, that his salary demands were still too high for the Sox payroll to accommodate?

You forget that Reinsdorf grew up as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan, so he knows what it feels like to see your favorite team move away. Its time folks get off this JR as antichrist who's all hurtful and unfeeling. Not to mention the idea that he's "cheap" given the huge resources that he's invested into the Sox scouting/farm system apparatus that's brought the team a never ending stream of quality talent. Truly, JR & Eddie Einhorn have built the quality organization that Sox fans were promised back in 1981 wnen they took over from the grossly overrated Bill Veeck. As for those "top prospects" that KW has allegedly frittered away, most if not all of them were guys like Tim Hummel who the organization had pretty much decided did not fit in their plans. In other words, expendable minor leaguers for major league talent.

2 things: 1st: You're quite right that the 6 NBA championship teams were built by Jerry Krause who has received virtually zero recognition or appreciation for his efforts. 2nd: However, the run of glory for the Bulls was ended primarily by the sheer egomania and gall of Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan. The only thing that was Krause's fault was that he was unable to re-build the Bulls into a championship outfit post-Jordan.

Certainly hope that some of those blowhards at WSCR saw that article.

You have no idea if that is true or not until after the 2004 regular season opens, and you have a chance to evaluate either first-hand or on TV.

Frank should have no trouble making the HoF since Hall voters overvalue offensive statistics. Between the 2 of them, Keith Hernandez and Terry Pendleton had a total of 14 Gold Gloves, yet the 2 of them both got dumped from the HoF ballot this year due to insufficient votes. The only way that Frank does not make the HoF is if he murders Ozzie Guillen.

Basically, KC is concentrating on upgrading their offense in the hopes that it will enable them to overcome their lack of pitching.

From: http://slate.msn.com/id/2093522/ My Own Private Cooperstown Jack Voigt! Cleon Jones! Immortalize your idols in the Baseball Hall of Love. By Tom Scocca Updated Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004, at 3:10 PM PT Voigt's career .235 average is good enough for the Hall of Love What makes a baseball player immortal? Fans of Jim Rice are wondering this week, as the Red Sox slugger missed out on the Hall of Fame for the umpteenth time. Paul Molitor, meanwhile, just got invited to Cooperstown on his first try—a reward for two decades of very good batsmanship and an unimpeachable 3,319 career hits. That's a career you can cast in bronze and hang on the wall. The thunderousness of Jim Rice isn't so easily rewarded in the Hall of Fame balloting. Yes, in 1978, he led the American League with 46 home runs—a feat the steely, competent Molitor never got halfway to matching. Yet Rice had only three such white-hot seasons, accompanied by four or five red-hot ones. He spent the rest of his 16-year career within hollering distance of ordinary, ending up short of both the 400-homer and 2,500-hit benchmarks. Throw in a reputation for being surly with the press, and the voters decided to leave him on the doorstep. Thankfully for Rice and the rest of the unenshrined majority, there is now another place where they can get the recognition they deserve. For as little as $5 per year, baseball-reference.com, the leading online compendium of baseball statistics, will sell you a sponsorship of one of its player Web pages (pages for superstars can cost as much as $200). In return, users can post a brief mash note above the career numbers of their favorite player in baseball history. What has emerged as a result is one of the great democratic blossomings of the Web: a collection of personal baseball testimonials. Taken together, the messages form not an online Hall of Fame but something more like a Hall of Love. The Hall of Love message on the Jim Rice page, written by a fan named Edward N. Leger, is short and to the point: "Put him in the Hall of Fame." It's one of many lobbying efforts on the site. "[bert] Blyleven is fully qualified for the Hall of Fame and it is a travesty that he is not enshrined at Cooperstown," another entry reads. "Blyleven's curveball was one of the best ever. Bert for the HOF!" A lawyer friend of mine has crammed a frantic Hall of Fame brief on behalf of Goose Gossage into the 255-character limit: "HOF case: (1) amazing 10-yr peak as RP: '75-85 (excl. yr as SP in '76), 2.06 ERA in 975 IP; (2) more dominant yrs than Sutter&L.Smith combined (check ERA+ for each!); (3) staggering longevity: almost 1600 IP in 21 RP yrs(Sutter&L.Smith total barely 2300)." The more Hall of Love messages you read, however, the less important the Cooperstown museum starts to seem. It doesn't take 3,000 hits to justify enshrinement here; sometimes it takes only one. "My love for [Rico Brogna]," a sponsor writes, "was sealed by his walk-off salami into the Red Sox bully during the dog days of the 2000 pennant race." In five seasons, Francisco Cabrera hit only 17 home runs for the Atlanta Braves—but he has a Hall of Love sponsorship, celebrating his pinch-hit single that won the Braves the 1992 pennant. Such are the things that make people into baseball fans and into fans of a particular player. "As a 10 year old in 1961 ... I adopted Jim Gentile as my favorite player after I heard he hit two grand slams in one inning," a fan writes. "I remember [Ron Kittle's] roof-shot home runs when I was a kid," says another. And from a fan of the early '90s Yankees: "Nothing better than seeing [Mel Hall's] batting gloves flapping away in his back pocket as he literally walked around the bases after a home run." In fact, the Hall of Love could serve as a primer on how to win a piece of eternal fan devotion. Public relations matters: Joe Niekro might not be in Cooperstown with brother Phil, but he "posed for a picture with me and my family on the Astrodome pitching mound during Astros Buddies Day." (Knuckleballers may have a knack for such gestures; Tom Candiotti, another fan writes, "called to wish me a Happy Birthday!") Having a distinctive style helps, too: "Cleon Jones was the first player I knew of who batted right and threw left, like me." And never underestimate the value of having the right name: "[H]ow can it not be fun to root for a guy named 'Cianfrocco?' " "Moseby is almost like Mosey ... that was comforting when I was 9 and hoped we were related." Being a mercenary hurts you in the Hall of Love. All-star-for-hire Gary Sheffield, who hit 39 home runs for Atlanta last year, is sponsored not by any fan of the Braves (or Yankees, Dodgers, Marlins, Padres, or Brewers) but by "5 DVDs For 49 Cents Each." I should probably confess my own contribution to the Hall of Love. Along with my brother and my college roommate, I posted an encomium to a late-blooming utility man named Jack Voigt. The summer after my college graduation, Voigt played his first and best real big-league season, batting a solid .296 for the Baltimore Orioles. He would go on to eke out a .235 career average, with four different teams. But that year, he seemed to have endless potential: covering five different positions, delivering the big hits, wrapping it up with a vivid quote in the next day's paper. He was worth believing in. In the Hall of Love, there is no such thing as failure, really, only thwarted success. Jose DeLeon was "[m]uch better than his W-L record indicated." Vic Davalillo "would have been the 1963 Rookie of the Year had he not broken his arm." Von Hayes "[n]ever received the respect he rightly deserved." The sponsor of Nick Esasky, an ex-Red, writes, "Anyone who mocks him as a 'free agent bust' doesn't understand the seriousness of vertigo—imagine trying to hit a 95 mph fastball immediately after being spun around the teacup ride at the fair. God bless you, Nick." Some of the best Hall of Love messages simply speak up for the players, such as they were. Rob Deer's citation just says "The Three True Outcomes of baseball"—a nod to Deer's uncanny talent for producing non-team-dependent events: home runs, walks, and strikeouts. The Hall of Love feels like it could happen only to baseball. Unlike basketball or football, every baseball player, no matter how inadequate, gets his moment at bat or on the mound. And that includes your guy—the guy who only you can properly appreciate. Perhaps the most eloquent Hall of Love entry comes from someone named Bill Elenbark. His homage to an itinerant infielder transcends one man's career—it produces a sort of koan about the souls who batted after the cleanup hitter and before the leadoff man. "Between something and nothing," he writes, "there was Kevin Seitzer."