My 2010 MLB Hall Of Fame Ballot (not that it counts)

1) Andre Dawson- "The Hawk" Devastating blend of power and speed. Could do anything you wanted him to. Hit for power & average, steal a base, cover his position, and had one of the greatest right field arms of all time.

2)Bert Blyleven- 287 wins, 5th all time in strike outs, and an amazing 60 shutouts (9th all time).

3)Lee Smith- Retired as the all time leader in saves. That should matter more than it does.

4)Jack Morris- One of the greatest "money" pitchers ever. Voters hold his ERA and the fact that he's an asshole against him. To hell with the ERA, the man was a winner. And as far as assholes go, they let Ty Cobb in didn't they?

5)Tim Raines- 2nd best lead off man (after Rickey Henderson of course) of the last quarter century. Better than you might have remembered.

6)Fred McGriff- 493 home runs and no one argues about whether he was clean.

7)Alan Trammell- One of the 5-10 greatest shortstops ever. Compare him to any shortstop prior to the steroid years and tell me he doesn't belong. Ridiculous that this even has to be explained (and don't get me started on Lou Whitaker who isn't even on the ballot anymore).

8)Dave Parker- "The Cobra" Far better than you may have thought. 1 time MVP, finished in the top 10 five other times. 3 gold gloves, 7 time all star, 2 batting titles and a world series ring. For real.

9)Roberto Alomar- Best second baseman of his day. Had about a 5 year period where you could argue he was the best player in baseball.

10)Barry Larkin- See Alan Trammell.

Close but no cigar-

Mark McGwire- You only get 10 slots and I'll take McGriff first. He was a better all around player and never a whiff of PED controversy.

Edgar Martinez- Great hitter, although career stats are not overwhelming. Made no impact in the field (DH). Ask me again next year though.

Don Mattingly- Really great for 4 years, very good for two. Just not enough. Sorry.

Dale Murphy- See Mattingly.

Harold Baines- Edgar Martinez with more longevity and less dominance. Can't do it.

Andres Galarraga- Hmmm...wait 'til next year, maybe.

Sumo-Pop
December 15, 2009