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Howie was 0-15 at the Cell. Ha.

Good for Jake Burger. If there's one player that needs a proper minor league season to happen next year, it's him. Hopefully he can play a few months in AA, and show we he can do.

True. Also, why don’t they just make the non-tender date the day before adding players to the 40-man (which would be today)? If there’s a good reason why they do it this way, I’m all ears.

I’m for a little amnesty when it was ignored by MLB, and almost encouraged. I’d put in Bonds and Clemens since Piazza, Ivan, and Bagwell (and others) are already in. I said Manny too, but maybe not since he was suspended post-Mitchell Report. I’d draw the line after that for getting in the Hall, so no Arod, Braun, or Cano.

I wish the majority of players would just vote for: 1st offense- 1 yr. 2nd offense- lifetime ban. That might clean things up.

Napoleon Dynamite voice: Lucky

I want a draft lottery system that is anti-tanking, and within that, trading picks is allowed.

If he has some creative ideas to make the game more watchable, I’m all for him joining the League office. Smart guy who knows a lot of smart people that can study the impact of banning the shift, normalizing the baseball so line drive, opposite field homers don’t go 7 rows deep by adding weight to the ball/raising the seems. Robot umps. Possibly changing 60 ft 6 in to a different distance. A pitch clock that’s enforced...etc. The game needs a faster pace and fewer strikeouts and I think Theo knows that.

He's not on the ballot. Minnie Minoso belongs in more than anyone not on the ballot, but we're not talking about him right now. BTW, there will be no committee votes this year, so La Russa and Reinsdorf can't campaign to get anyone in.

Just want to add, even though I wouldn’t vote for Torii Hunter, out of the first timers on the ballot, I wouldn’t want to see him get less than 5% either. He needs a longer look.

Good post. If Bobby Abreu got 5% last year, I really hope for the same for Buehrle this year. The way things are going in baseball, seeing 14 years of 200+ innings after the year 2000 is going to be hard to ignore as years go by.

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Short answer- Konerko is kinda like Mark Teixeira or Bobby Abreu. Great careers, but short of HOF in my opinion. Buehrle, as a pitcher from his era, compiled 15 years of durability, the no hitters, the 05 postseason was good, the fielding was outstanding, and he’s a quality human being if you’re going down that path.

If you dig into the numbers and the era the players are from, Buehrle deserves more recognition than Konerko. They shouldn’t be paired together as the same level of HOF consideration. Buehrle, Hudson, and Sabathia (eventually) are HOF pitchers of their era, in my opinion.

Buehrle would get my vote. My unapologetic ballot if I had a vote: Curt Schilling, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Omar Vizquel, Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, Jeff Kent, Manny Ramirez, Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle My no's: Billy Wagner, Gary Sheffield, Andruw Jones, Sammy Sosa, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, Aramis Ramirez Who you got?

MVP...check 5-6 more years of good production and hopefully adding some postseason success, Abreu could have a compelling Hall of Fame case when it’s all said and done.

JOSE MVP...yeeeessssss. TA7...7th place

I like the former winners announcing the awards this week, but Josh Donaldson? How many past MVPs did they ask before they settled on him?

Abreu will do interviews. He'll be on MLB Network tonight, and they'll probably start with the AL...so about 5.20-5:25.

Abreu, Lemahieu, and Ramirez are the three finalists. I think this will be the order they finish.

Not great, Bob! Jose Abreu will win the AL MVP going away. It won't be close.

Wally Backman was named Diamondbacks manager. That ended before it started. (Sorry, didn’t click the article) I’d be for McEwing for one year, especially pre-strike.

The votes were in on September 28.

Cash and Mattingly take home the honors. Renteria was a no show for the TV show...can’t blame him. Hopefully a year from now, the AL Manager if the Year will be from the White Sox, and it’s not Tony La Russa.