Kuzul

With the season winding down to a merciful end, the Reds are faced with a few hard questions.

The starting pitching has not been getting it done as of late, and that becomes a huge concern. In the three games thus far in the series with the Colorado Rockies, the starters are only giving an average of a little over four innings.  

That is entirely too much burden to place on any bullpen.

The only thing that has rescued them from “sixty-fourea” (a term I coined for anyone resembling the 1964 Phillies) has been the total collapse of the NL Central rival St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Cards had been minding the store, the Reds lead could easily be only three games.

Let us look at some other problems they are currently faced with.

Jay Bruce—what has happened to him? Before his injury, he was the hottest hitter on the squad. Since his unfortunate departure, the team has a record of 3-5.

He had just started killing the ball, as we all knew he could, after nearly a season of disappointment.

With his unavailability, the Reds have been reduced to only three outfielders: Jonny Gomes and rookies Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey. Who would go in if one of them was ejected from a game or, God forbid, injured?

Would it be Miguel Cairo? He has played the entire infield this year but has played a few games in the outfield during his career.

Cincinnati’s’s active roster is pitcher heavy. They are currently carrying 16 hurlers—that is a bunch of sunflower seeds to be chewed on. Why so many, Dusty?

It looks to me like there are at least four long relievers in Matt Maloney, Sam LeCure, Carlos Fisher, and Logan Ondrusek. I would think they could slide by with no more than two.

They have three catchers and…wait for it….nine infielders. You have to be kidding me. Who needs nine infielders, especially when you only have four outfielders?

It looks like they have a dedicated sub for every infield position with Cairo thrown in as a “catch all.”

Why would you bring up so many infielders and be outfield poor? How come Wladimir Balentien hasn’t been on the MLB roster? He is batting .282 with 25 HR and 78 RBI at Louisville.

Now we get to the meat of the discussion, the starting rotation. Who should be the five starters that drive this limo to the big dance?

We all know that the first two are Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto, but what about the rest?

Do we pray for rain, then a tornado, and then a hurricane, or what?

The Reds have some good arms in that 16-man staff. Rookie Travis Wood should be the No. 3 man in the rotation, followed by Homer Bailey. Now it gets rough—I mean real rough.

Aaron Harang? Not after what we have seen lately. I see him as the sixth long man out there chewing cud.

Edinson Volquez? Don’t make me laugh, eh?

I can’t help but remember how he started us out in that series with the Giants. Unbelievably, he was warming up as a reliever in the end of the last game there. That would have been ironic for him to start and end the worst pitching series of the season.

I called for his departure several weeks ago, after two very good starts and two piss-poor outings. I was temporarily proved wrong, and he snapped out of it. Now, here we are with him playing American Legion ball in Dayton. He should be stuck in Louisville for the remainder of the season.

I would like to see Maloney get another crack at the rotation. Before he was sent down to Louisville in June, he was doing quite well. In his last start with the Reds, he went six innings, allowing only four hits and one run. He also walked one and had one strikeout.

One thing is sure: There are only 23 games left, and some crazy stuff could still happen.

It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

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What appeared a few weeks ago as a two-man race for a potential Triple Crown has now become a three-man competition.

Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has been hitting the ball like he was mad at it lately. He is now comfortably ahead of Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds in batting average with a .340 mark. Votto is batting .321.

In his last nine games Gonzalez has had three hits in six of them, and is in the midst of a 14 game hitting streak. During those nine games he is batting a cool .553/.571/1.053 with 4 HR and 11 RBI while scoring nine runs.

Gonzalez is also first in H, SLG and second to Votto in OPS.

St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols is fading fast from the batting title scene. In his last seven games Pujols is hitting a miserable .087/.179/.130 going 2-28, setting his own personal streak of hitless AB. During that span he has dropped his average from .320 to .309. He has 0 HR and only 2 RBI with three runs scored.

He still leads the league in homers with 35, leading Washington National’s Adam Dunn by one. Votto is three off the pace and Gonzalez is four back. He is also setting the pace in runs scored with 95.

Votto leads the league in RBI with 98, while Pujols and Gonzalez are both tied for second with 97.

In his last five games Votto is batting a paltry .176/.364/.294 with only 3 H in his last 28 AB. During that span he has 0 HR and 1 RBI with two runs scored.

So at this juncture Gonzalez is red-hot. The other two are as cold as a couple of mackerels.

If the season ended today we would have a different winner in all three Triple Crown categories. In fact, I will go out on the proverbial limb and predict that it will end that way as well.

It looks like Gonzalez is going to walk away with the batting crown, regardless of what Atlanta’s Omar Infante does.

Pujols will probably win the HR crown and I think Votto will probably lead the league in RBI.

As many people wonder who will win the Triple Crown, I for one say that nobody will this year (in the National League). Ducky Medwick of the Cardinals was the last TC winner in the Senior Circuit in 1937.

He won it that year by hitting .374, with 31 HR and 154 RBI. Nobody has won it in that league for 72 years and it looks as though it will be stretched to 73.

In contrast the American League has had five Triple Crown winners in that stretch, with the last one being Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox in 1967.

In summation any of the three could still win it, but in my opinion nobody will.

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Are the Cincinnati Reds the best team in baseball?

Valid arguments could be made against it, but they are the hottest. Since the All-Star break they are 29-14, going 21-8 through the month of August, the best record in MLB.

They never give up, winning 19 games in their last at-bat. Don’t turn the TV off until the fat lady sings.

They are the youngest team with playoff aspirations, with an average age of younger than 28.

The Reds boast arguably the best player in the National League this year in first-baseman Joey Votto. In only his third full season in the majors Votto is among the top in virtually all offensive categories.

He is currently second to Carlos Gonzalez in BA at .325. He is third in HR with 32, and leads the league in RBI with 97. He is third in runs scored, first in OBP, second in SLG and first in OPS.

He has a legitimate shot at the Triple Crown, along with St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols and Gonzalez.

The bench has probably been the strongest point for the Reds this season. When players have gone down with injuries or needed a day off, their subs have done a tremendous job.

Miguel Cairo has filled in at every infield position this season and the team did not miss a beat.  The same holds true for shortstop Paul Janish. Orlando Cabrera was stuck on the DL and Janish filled in as though he belonged at the big league level.

Rookies Chris Heisey and Chris Valaika have played important parts in backup roles as well.

They have played 10 rookies so far this season, and most have been sensational. Mike Leake began the season and pitched good enough to be under consideration for Rookie-of-the-Year.

Southpaw rookie Travis Wood flirted with a perfect game until the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sam LeCure pitched so well during his first call-up that he is now the long man in the bullpen.

They have a very solid rotation, in Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Travis Wood, Homer Bailey and now Aaron Harang (if they don’t re-assign him to the pen).

Arroyo has been the workhorse of MLB the last few years, pitching over 200 innings five seasons consecutively. He now has 181 and is well on his way to the sixth season of 200 IP.

They have one of the best infields in all of baseball. Votto, Phillips, Cabrera and Scott Rolen have made plays all season that would fill a highlight reel.

The outfield is good but not great. Jonny Gomes is lacking in defensive skills but has power and is a good clutch hitter. Drew Stubbs is the fastest man on the team and an excellent defensive center fielder. He has power and should develop into a 30-30 player in a couple of years.

Jay Bruce is finally playing to the potential he possesses. He is arguably the best defensive right fielder in the National League, if not the entire MLB. He has awesome power and when he matures completely, I believe he can be a 40 home run man.

Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez have shared the catching duties all year. They both have done exceptionally well. Hernandez is batting close to .300 and is playing some of the best ball of his career.

Hanigan just won a game last night with a three-run shot in the upper deck.

The relief corps of the Reds has been bent a few times but refuses to be broken. Arthur Rhodes, 40, and Nick Masset have done a fabulous job in the setup role and Cordero has settled in and is now doing what he is paid to do – save games.

And last but not least, they possess the Cuban Missile. Rookie Aroldis Chapman has garnered so much attention in the baseball community due to the heat that he brings to the mound.

In this first appearance against the Milwaukee Brewers he pitched a perfect inning, with one strikeout and one pitch clocked at 103 mph. Of the eight pitches he threw, seven were strikes and at least three of them were arriving in triple digits.

So, are they the best team in baseball? I say yes.

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In Wednesday’s series finale with the San Francisco Giants, the Reds looked like they were going to beat them as if they stole something.

Joey Votto, Jonny Gomes, and Ryan Hanigan all homered to stake Homer Bailey to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. It looked like payback time for the boys from the Queen City.

Votto hit another homer in the third inning, his 31st of the season, to cap a four-run inning and the Reds were on top 8-1.

Adding one run in the fourth and another in the fifth gave the Reds what looked like a victory, with a 10-1 lead.

The Giants put up two in the fifth and chased Bailey in the sixth. He left the game leading 10-3 and handed the keys to Bill Bray with two on and one out. Bray allowed both to score, and suddenly it was a 10-5 game at the end of the sixth.

San Francisco jumped all over Logan Ondrusek in the bottom of the eighth. After he pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, he gave up singles to Jose Guillen and Pablo “Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval. Juan Uribe continued his hot hitting against the Reds with a three-run shot to left, making it a 10-8 game with nobody out.

Dusty Baker then made a triple switch. He brought in Arthur Rhodes to replace Ondrusek and brought in Jay Bruce to play right, moving Chris Heisey to left and sending Gomes to the bench.

In a performance that was probably due, Rhodes gave up what looked like the winning run, allowing three runs in one inning of work.

The Reds then scored a run in the top of the ninth to keep the game alive. Nick Masset shut the Giants down in the ninth to force the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 10th the Reds squelched a tremendous opportunity to score a run. With two outs, Scott Rolen doubled high off the left field wall and headed to second base. Cody Ross (why did we ever trade him?) played it off the wall like he worked there all year, and threw a strike to second.

Rolen attempted the worst slide I’ve seen in probably five years, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He was out by several feet, so kudos to Ross on a beautiful defensive play.

Laynce Nix pinch-hit for Masset in the top of the 11th. He hit a slow roller to second base and pulled up lame after about three steps toward first. Don’t look for him for at least two weeks, as he could barely walk after the re-injury.

My boy (Okay, I have mellowed on him a little) Coco Cordero pitched the last two innings to notch the well-deserved win, since Votto had singled Miguel Cairo in with the game winner in the 12th.

Votto had four hits, Paul Janish had three, and Gomes and Rolen both had two, as the Reds pounded out 16 of them. Sadly, they were out-hit by the Giants 18-16.

In the three-game set, the Giants scored 39 runs and collected 55 hits against the worn-out Reds pitching staff.

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Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco. I hope the Cincinnati Reds have not left their confidence there.

Regardless of today’s outcome, the San Francisco Giants have shown some serious flaws in the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff.

In two games they have been outscored by the Giants 27-7 and have given up 35 hits in the 16 innings the Giants have batted.

In the first game of the series, Edinson Volquez did not get out of the first inning. He was pasted for five hits, five runs, and issued three free passes in only 2/3 of an inning.

Last night, one of the best pitchers on the staff was given a similar inhospitable greeting, as he allowed the Giants to put up a three spot in the first frame. Rookie southpaw Travis Wood managed to stay around for four innings after giving up seven runs and seven hits.

Two of the Reds’ starters who have been relegated to the bullpen didn’t do any better.

Mike Leake pitched one inning and gave up six runs, six hits and and two home runs, looking nothing like the ROY candidate he had been earlier in the season. It was his second terrible outing from the bullpen, making me wonder if he is going to work out in that role.

Fellow rookie Sam LeCure—who was just brought up from Louisville to fill the spot vacated by Jordan Smith’s departure—pitched the final three innings giving up five hits, three runs, including a homer.

Of the seven hurlers trotted out by the Reds in two games, only left-hander Bill Bray pitched scoreless ball.

If anyone wondered about the Giants being dead after losing a series to the St. Louis Cardinals, rest assured they are alive and well.

Brandon Phillips was 3-5 with two dingers as one of the few silver linings to the black cloud over their collective heads. Drew Stubbs added two hits and Scott Rolen hit his 19^th HR in the losing cause.

Rookie infielder Chris Valaika singled in his first MLB at bat after being called up from Louisville the same day.

The health of the Reds also took a hit as outfielder Laynce Nix twisted an ankle while running the bases, and Jim Edmonds had to go on the DL due to a strained oblique.

The Cardinals and ace Adam Wainwright were beaten by the forlorn Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3, leaving a 2.5 game gap between them and the division leading Reds.

Homer Bailey (3-2), impressive in his two starts since returning from the DL, will pitch in the final game of the series Wednesday afternoon. He will be facing southpaw Madison Bumgarner (5-4).

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For anyone who doesn’t think the Cincinnati Reds are for real, this article is for you.

They have just exorcised a demon that has tormented their souls since July 28, 2005. That was the last time the Reds won a game in Chavez Ravine, aka Dodger Stadium. Coincidentally, it was their second win in a row during that four game set.

The Reds used two Jason LaRue home runs and seven strong innings by Brandon Claussen to crush the Dodgers 6-1.

Winning that game and splitting the series, the Reds brought their record up to 13 games below .500 at Dodger Stadium.

You have to go all the way back to May of 2004 to find a Reds series win at the Ravine.

My, how things have changed.

You see, the Reds weren’t getting beat, they were getting outscored 2-1. In those 12 losses the Reds scored only 39 runs while allowing the Bums to score 78.

On Friday night, Homer Bailey tamed the demon with a four-hit outing in seven strong innings. The Reds used eight singles—three by Brandon Phillips—to whip the Dodgers 3-1. Phillips also drove in all three runs.

Yes, the joy was short lived as the Dodgers came back and launched four bombs in route to an 8-5 pasting.

In the rubber match on Sunday, war horse Bronson Arroyo pitched seven strong innings, allowing seven hits and only two runs while raising his record to 14-7. He is now tied for third with Chris Carpenter for wins in the National League.

Phillips continued his hot hitting with a 4-5 outing, scoring the Reds first run.

Joey Votto knocked in all three runs, ruining a very good outing by Clayton Kershaw by lofting an opposite field solo shot in the sixth inning. Votto is batting .350 with a HR and seven RBI on the current road trip.

Kershaw struck out 11 men in his seven innings of work, which was marred with five free passes.

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 9-0 to remain 3.5 games behind Cincinnati.

The Reds begin a three game series with the Giants Monday night, with Edinson Volquez facing Matt Cain. The Reds will be seeking vengeance against Cain who tossed a two hit shutout against them in June at the Great American Ball Park.

The Reds won their 29^th series of the season and third consecutive after being swept by the Cardinals.

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Since the dreadful series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Reds have reeled off six-straight wins, sweeping both the Florida Marlins and now the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In doing this, they have become the hottest team in the major leagues.

They are currently 19 games over .500 and have their biggest lead of the season in the National League’s Central Division.

They aren’t beating people with smoke and mirrors, but with old fashioned, hard-nosed baseball. They have played two suicide squeezes to perfection in the last few games.

Many people are calling for the head of Jonny Gomes, why?

Even with his less-than-stellar play recently, he is still third on the team in RBI, just two behind Scott Rolen at 66. His average with RISP is still fourth in the entire league. That is his job—drive in runs, not just get on base. Everyone knew he was a defensive liability from game one.

I have watched him get at least three infield hits in the last few weeks. He hustles every play (did you read that Brandon?).

Their are a couple of quaint sayings that certainly would apply here, right now.

First—if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Simple, but true and very self-explanatory. You don’t have to be Einstein or even His Holiness Bill James to figure that out.

Second—dance with the one who ‘brung’ you. An adage with some Appalachian vernacular for your reading enjoyment. If Sadie brought you to the dance, don’t go off dancing with the new girl because she is showing a little more cleavage.

Maybe the second is not as eloquent as the first, or even as understandable. The point remains the same: If the food is fit for a king, don’t switch cooks.

All year long the substitutes have come through remarkably well. When someone goes down, another man steps up.

Miguel Cairo has been so valuable stepping in for Rolen or Joey Votto when he needed a day off.

Paul Janish filled in so well for Orlando Cabrera that the “O.C.” may have difficulty getting his job back when he crawls off the shelf.

Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan have spelled each other behind the plate admirably. Hats off to Corky Miller while he was up in place of Hanigan earlier in the campaign.

I have fought all year long against Coco Cordero being lifted as a closer. It was actually to my delight that Dusty Baker pulled him from a game recently, while Nick Masset effectively cleaned up his mess.

The fact remains that Coco is still the closer and round and round we go.

I have to say that Baker and Walt Jocketty have done a tremendous job juggling the talent—especially the pitchers this season. I believe we have seven or eight starters here and at Louisville that could start for many other MLB teams.

Until the wheels start wobbling like they are about to give out, keep the course steady.

The Reds appear to have one of the best teams in the National League. Please don’t tinker with success.

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Rookie Mike Leake has been relegated to the bullpen effective immediately.

Leake came straight to the Reds from Arizona State University without stepping foot in a minor league dugout. He has been a pleasant surprise all year to a rotation that looks nothing like it did to start the season.

Much as been chronicled about innings pitched for the young right-hander. Obviously, baseball seasons at the college level are not nearly as long as in MLB.

He pitched 121 innings in 2008 and 142 in 2009. So far in 2010 he has logged 135.2 frames for the Reds.

He has a record of 8-4 with a 3.78 ERA.

In his last few outings he has proved to be easier to hit and less effective in the later innings.

Manager Dusty Baker said, “It doesn’t take him long to get loose. We can monitor his innings. It shouldn’t be a horrible transition.”

He will most likely be used as a long reliever along with Carlos Fisher and Logan Ondrusek.

Homer Bailey has just been reinstated to the rotation and appears to be in pretty good shape. The remainder of the rotation as it stands is Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and rookie Travis Wood.

Aaron Harang is on the rehab circuit with the Louisville Bats and probably will be ready for a look in the not-too-distant future.

Micah Owings was Designated for Assignment to make way for catcher Yasmani Grandal, who just signed a four-year Major League contract.

GM Walt Jocketty said, “When we sent Micah down a couple of weeks, he requested that we try to trade him to another club that would have a better future for him. He’s a versatile guy—he can go both ways [as a starter or reliever].”

Jocketty continued, “Micah did a nice job for us, but some guys jumped past him in the rotation. He’s a great guy, a great teammate, and a good guy to have on a club. Maybe there will be a better opportunity for him somewhere else.”

The Reds will have 10 days to trade Owings or he will become a free agent.

I hate to see Micah go. He is a good pitcher and has a very good bat as well. He was 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA this year in 22 games.

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How can you pull a man from a no-hitter? Ever?

You say you pulled him because his pitch count was too high and you were saving his career?

What about his possible immortality in baseball history?

I am not saying he would have pulled it off, but at least let him pitch until he gives one hit up.

Geez, if I hear another word about pitch counts I am going to puke my guts out. I know I am old school, but my God, who was the man who decided 100 pitches was all a pitcher could take?

In 1963, not when they were throwing balls of sox or pitching from 40 feet, Juan Marichal pitched a 16-inning shutout over the Milwaukee Braves, 1-0. Warren Spahn picked up the loss after going 15 innings of shutout ball.

Marichal faced 59 batters and Spahn looked at 56.

Maybe age or maturity was the factor? I don’t think so. Marichal was 25 and Slowey is 26.

Pitch count? Pitch count, is that what you said? Pitch count? I don’t want to hear pitch count ever again, do you mark me well?

Kevin Slowey was working on a no-no for the Minnesota Twins yesterday while leading the Oakland Athletics 4-0 in the seventh inning. Manager Ron Gardenhire rode out to the mound on his white horse and told the youngster that his day was done. His tryst with immortality a thing of the past.

Unfortunately for Slowey, he had reached the dreadful 100 pitch count—yea surpassed it by six.

If I were the pitcher and had any competitive bone in my body, I would have said “Hell no! You can’t be serious.”

Wonder how many pitches Marichal threw? 200-250? Oh yeah, he came back and pitched seven innings five days later.

Most pitchers don’t ever get past the fourth or fifth inning with a no-hitter intact during their careers.

Truth be told, he would have probably lost his bid the next inning, but we will never know, will we?

“We’re not going to come close to risking this guy,” Gardenhire said. “It’s the way it is. It’s sad. I’d be booing too because I want to see a no-hitter, but I also know I’m responsible for this guy’s arm.”

Letting a shutout go to the wayside is one thing—happens every week. But a no-hitter or perfect game is another animal altogether.

As Lady Fate had her way, the reliever Jon Rauch gave up a double to Cliff Pennington after striking out his first batter.

The Twins went on to win 4-2, so I guess all is well in the Twin Cities.

It was only the fourth time in 20 years that a pitcher had been relieved of his duty while crafting a no-hitter.

In 1990, Mark Langston of the California Angels was the only one of the four whose bullpen did its job and finished what he started.

So you can say what you will—arm injury, Tommy John surgery, torn rotator cuff—hell, say it all. The point is history was flirted with yesterday, and someone will have to dig through the archives to pull out the facts that Slowey was pulled while fate held her breath.

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Is Chipper Jones bound for Cooperstown?

Don’t answer just yet—think for a moment. No knee-jerk reactions because he did this or didn’t do that.

He is on the DL now, and his season is apparently over. Many think his career is over as well.

Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones has had a fantastic 17 year career (thus far) with the Atlanta Braves. He is one of the now nearly extinct players to have done all their time in the same place.

It was clearly more frequent before Curt Flood raised the curtain on the quasi-slavery that the owners held over the players.

That 17-year tenure is exceptional, but obviously that alone doesn’t make one Hall of Fame worthy. Just ask Bernie Williams.

I personally love Jones and think he should be a first ballot walk-in. In fact, I rated him the second best Switch Hitter in the history of baseball.  But, I want to remain objective in this article and allow you to decide for yourselves after being shown the facts.

Let us examine his statistics

Only Mickey Mantle, Lance Berkman, and Roy Cullenbine (who?) have a higher career OBP (.405) among switch-hitters than Jones.

Frankie Frisch is the only switch-hitter in the history of MLB to have a higher career BA than Jones at .306. Another year like this one, and he will be forced, like Mickey Mantle, to watch his career average slip below the .300 mark.

He comes in third on the all-time HR list for switch-hitters, trailing only Mantle and fellow Hall of Famer Eddie Murray at 436, 37th among all players.

He trails Murray and Mantle in career RBI at 1491, 52nd on the all-time list.

In hits, he doesn’t fair quite as well, ranking 8th among switch-hitters with 2,490.

For you Sabermetic junkies, his WAR of 8o puts him behind only Mickey Mantle among switch-hitters, 36th overall. His career OPS+ of 142 is only eighth among active players.

How about awards?

He was MVP in 1999 when he batted .319 with 45 HR, 110 RBI, and 116 runs scored. He also won two Silver Slugger Awards.

In 2008, he won the National League batting title with an average of .364 and had the highest OBP in the league at .470

He was named to six All-Star teams.  In 20 post-season series, he has an average of .288/.411/.459 with 13 HR and 47 RBI.

I was actually surprised that he didn’t win more awards than he did, or lead the league in any more categories.

If you apply the yardstick of yesteryear to his numbers, he doesn’t quite make the grade. Don’t cuss me, just keep reading.

The number 500 used to be a barometer of which, if surpassed, would land you in the Hall of Fame. Of course, that no longer holds water. It didn’t mean you had to have 500, but anybody that did was enshrined. His 436 HR is anemic compared to others.

Another number is 1500 RBI. Again, he pulls in a little short.

Total hits required to get in used to be 3000. If you got 3000, they couldn’t (or wouldn’t) keep you out. Nobody that hit safely 3000 times (and was eligible) was left out. He is well short of that mystic number as well.

In summary, has he done enough to land himself in the Hall of Fame? Forget the fact that he is a switch-hitter—I don’t believe they award extra points for that.

He never lead the league in HR, RBI, hits, runs, or anything other than BA, OPS, and OPS+.

The Baseball Writers Association of America needs some criterion developed for admittance. Whether they like a player or not, whether a player snubbed them their entire career or not should have no consequence on their fitness to be admitted into the Hall of Fame.

It is not a place for Altar Boys or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir unless they can play excellent baseball. What goes on outside the white lines should have NO bearing whatsoever on a players report when being evaluated for the Hall of Fame.

So, again I ask you—is Chipper Jones going to be enshrined in Cooperstown?

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