HOW MANY STUBBORN HALL OF FAME VOTERS WILL PASS ON MARIANO RIVERA?
Mariano Rivera – by far the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history – heads the list of first-time eligible players for the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
No player ever has been a unanimous selection for Cooperstown. The top five: Ken Griffey Jr. 437 of 440 votes (99.30 percent) in 2016...Tom Seaver 425 of 430 (98.84 percent) in 1992...Nolan Ryan 491 of 497 (98.79 percent) in 1999...Cal Ripken Jr. 537 of 545 (98.53 percent) in 2007...Ty Cobb 222 of 226 (98.23 percent) in 1936.
Does Mariano Rivera deserve to become the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame? Sure. But other players deserved that distinction in the past and were bypassed. Why?
A voter or two probably will reason that if Babe Ruth wasn’t unanimous, no one should be. For the record, Ruth received 215 of 226 votes (95.13 percent) when he was elected in 1936.
A few others might not give Rivera the credit he deserves because he was a relief pitcher. That would be sheer ignorance.
Rivera’s career regular-season pitching line for his 19 Major League Baseball seasons, all with the New York Yankees: 82-60 won-loss record; 2.21 ERA; 1,115 games; MLB-records 952 games finished and 652 saves; 1,283 2/3 innings pitched; 998 hits allowed; 286 walks; 1,173 strikeouts; 1.000 WHIP (walks+hits per 9 innings).
His astonishing post-season performance line is the icing on the cake: 8-1 record (.889); 0.70 ERA; 96 games; 42 saves; 1241 innings pitched; 86 hits allowed; 21 walks; 110 strikeouts; 0.759 WHIP.
Other first-time eligible players will include (in my preferred order of probability of eventually being elected – none on their first try): Todd Helton...Andy Pettitte...Miguel Tejada...Roy Halladay...Lance Berkman...Roy Oswalt...Vernon Wells...Michael Young...Juan Pierre...Travis Hefner...Freddy Garcia...Derek Lowe...Jason Bay...Livan Hernandez...Placido Polanco...Kevin Youkilis...Ted Lilly...Jon Garland...Ryan Dempster...Darren Oliver...Octavio Dotel...Ramon Hernandez.
NBA MOVE COULD BE THE SPARK FOR LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING IN USA
The NBA on Wednesday became the first pro sports league in America to formally push for a plan for nationwide legalized betting on pro sports.
An attorney for the NBA testified before a New York State Senate committee.
The NBA wants 1 percent of every bet on its games. We’re talking vast sums of money here. The NHL, Major League Baseball and even the NFL figure to jump aboard if this proposal gets anywhere.
My bet is that now that the legalized sports wagering ball is rolling, it isn’t going to stop. It is a revenue stream that many states – and maybe the federal government – would find too tempting to ignore.
The NBA attorney said the NBA wants easy access beyond casinos and racetracks to legalized sports gambling – including betting parlors, kiosks and smartphones.
The movement for legal billing on pro sports in America has a long way to go but took a huge step Wednesday. It might’ve been a very bad day for legal sports books in Nevada and illegal bookies coast-to-coast.
THE OPPOSING QBs THE BILLS LIKELY WILL BE FACING IN 2018
We don’t know who’ll be starting at quarterback for the 2018 Buffalo Bills.
But we have a much clearer picture of the quarterbacks who figure to be starting against the Bills:
Home and away – Tom Brady (New England)...Ryan Tannehill (Miami)...Josh McCown (NY Jets)
Home – Mitchell Trubisky (Chicago)...Matthew Stafford (Detroit)...Blake Bortles (Jacksonville)...Philip Rivers (LA Chargers)...Marcus Mariota (Tennessee)
Away – Joe Flacco (Baltimore)...Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay)...Deshaun Watson (Houston)...Andrew Luck (if Indianapolis is lucky)...probably Case Keenum (Minnesota).
GUN RUNNER IS THE HORSE TO BEAT
Gun Runner is the 4-to-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s world-richest thoroughbred horse race – the $16-million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Florida (4:30 to 6 p.m. on NBC).
Gun Runner has won four straight Grade 1 races: the Stephen Foster Handicap, the Whitney Stakes, the Woodward Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. In 18 career starts, he has 11 wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds. He has $8,988,500 in career earnings and could earn $6 million more with a victory Saturday.
Gun Runner will break from the No. 10 post position in the 12-horse field. Most horses have fared poorly in 1 1/8-mile races at Gulfstream this winter but Gun Runner is no ordinary horse. He has the class and versatility to overcome his unlucky starting spot.
Top challengers include Sharp Azteca, Collected, West Coast and Gunnevera.
It will be the final career start for long shot 2015 filly champion Stellar Wind. She’s scheduled to be bred to American Pharaoh. It also will be the final start for Gun Runner. He’ll be retired to stud at Three Chimneys in Kentucky.
REMEMBERING CLEM DREISEWERD
Clem Dreisewerd would’ve celebrated his 102nd birthday on Wednesday. He died in 2001 at age 85.
Clem’s two-year career as a right-handed pitcher with the Rochester Red Wings has fascinated me for a long time.
Allow me to pass along a few tidbits on Clem. This might be the last time anyone notes his time spent with the Red Wings.
Early in his pro career, Clem felt trapped by the New York Giants. He bounced around and felt he never get a fair shot to advance and try to reach the majors. He wrote a letter to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who declared Clem a free agent on New Year’s Day 1938.
In 1941, Clem had a fine 15-6 record with a 2.91 ERA for the Red Wings. He was the ace of the staff and must have been dreaming of a bright future with the St. Louis Cardinals.
But in 1942, despite some of the International League’s top hitters departed for military duty, Clem plunged to 1-14 with a 5.19 ERA. He set a team record with 14 consecutive losses and his only victory was in the final week of the season. The Red wings finished in last place and drew only 72,891 fans.
Clem was 9-20 with Sacramento (Pacific Coast League) in 1943 but had a spectacular 1944 season for the same team. He won 20 games with a 1.61 ERA to earn promotion to the Boston Red Sox. His best season with the Red Sox was 1946: 4-1, 4.18 ERA in 20 games.
In 46 major-league games with Boston, St. Louis Browns and the New York Giants, he was 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA. In 140 2/3 inning, he allowed 160 hits, with 39 walks and 39 strikeouts. He obviously was a control pitcher with less than overpowering stuff.
In 1947, he had his last productive minor-league season: 18-7, 2.15 ERA with Louisville (American Association).
He encountered “severe arm problems” in 1949 and reluctantly retired shortly thereafter.
Be built houses in the New Orleans area for decades, became legally blind in 1999 and died September 11, 2001 at age 85, from head injuries suffered in a fall.
SOME NWSL NEWS AND NOTES...(REMEMBER THE WNY FLASH?)
FC Kansas City of the National Women’s Soccer League has folded and was replaced by Utah Royals FC, owned by the Major League Soccer Real Salt Lake. FC Kansas City averaged 1,788 per home game last season. It won the NWSL championship in 2014 and 2015.
The Boston Breakers reportedly folded Thursday and the NWSL will operate with nine teams this season.
There was a huge three-team trade last Thursday night at the NWSL draft: Two-time FIFA women’s Player of the Year Carli Lloyd from the Houston Dash to Sky Blue FC (she’s 35 years old and wanted to finish her pro career in her native New Jersey), U.S. national team scoring star Christen Press from the Chicago Red Stars to Houston, and 24-year-old Australian and Sky Blue FC star Samantha Kerr (a NASL-record 17 goals last season) to Chicago. Lloyd and Kerr are former WNY Flash stars.
SHORT SHOTS
The retirement of center Eric Wood due to neck concerns is a shocker to Buffalo Bills fans. He was a very good player for nine seasons and a solid contributor to the team in the locker room and in the community. I wonder if the departure of his buddy might convince defensive tackle Kyle Williams to call it quits, too. They finally got to play in a post-season game.
The Ringer conducted an on-line poll asking what the Super Bowl February 4 should be called. The results (5,779 total ballots): Super Bowl 52 51 percent (hooray)...Super Bowl LII 29 percent...2018 Super Bowl 15 percent...2017 Super Bowl 5 percent.
The Minnesota Twins have signed 29-year-old first baseman Andy Wilkins for the Rochester Red Wings, Last season, with Double-A Chattanooga, he hit. 254, with 12 HRs and 44 RBI in 61 games. In 402 career Triple-A seasons, he has hit .264 with 67 HRs and 250 RBI in 402 games. His best season was 2014 with the Charlotte Knights: .293 (144-for-491), with 38 doubles, 30 HRs (led the International League; no one else had more than 23 HRs) and 85 RBI (tied for the IL lead). His manager was Joel Skinner, now the manager of the Red Wings. Fortunately, Wilkins is a left-handed slugger and shouldn’t be hurt by the cavernous left-center field alley at Frontier Field.
Athlon Sports 2018 Major League Baseball Preview is on the newsstands. Aaron Judge is 2-for-2 as the cover subject (he’s also on Street & Smiths). The Athlon World Series pick is the Houston Astros over the Washington Nationals.
Cheers to Craig Rybczynski for calling his 300th radio play-by-play game for the National Lacrosse League Rochester Knighthawks. The team presented him with a game ball.
Is this a baseball first? The Miami Marlins arguably had baseball’s best all-around outfield last season – Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. They’ll be starting on Opening Day 2018 for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively.
The NHL expansion Vegas Golden Knights are 19-3-2 at home this season. Do visiting teams spend too much time on The Strip before games?
The Buffalo Sabres surrendered the first goal in their three-game trip to the West Coast and then scored the last 11 goals to beat Calgary 2-1 in overtime Monday night, Edmonton 5-0 Tuesday night and Vancouver 4-0 Thursday night. It is their first three-game winning streak this season.
Will the outcomes of the games in Vince McMahon’s second coming of the pro football XFL be scripted?
HARRY BIRTHDAY TO...
Friday, January 26
Sasha Banks (26)...Emily Hughes (29)...Gerald Green (32)...Luo Xuejuan (34)...Vince Carter (41)...Tim McDonald (53)...Merril Hoge (53)...Wayne Gretzky (57)...Bob Uecker (83). Ellen DeGeneres (60) is invited to the birthday party...Actor/auto racer Paul Newman was born on this date 93 years ago (1925) and died in 2008 at age 83.
Saturday, January 27
Julio Teheran (27)...Tim Beckham (28)...Gavin Floyd (35)...Marat Safin (38)...Rhett Warriner (42)...Bryant Young (46)...Eric Wedge (50)...Woody Austin (54)...Cris Collinsworth (59)...Brian Engblom (63)...Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (66)...John Lowenstein (71). Red Winds Hall of Fame third baseman Steve Demeter was born on this date 83 years ago (1935) and died in 2013 at age 78.
Sunday, January 28
Hunter Renfroe (26)...Andre Iguodala (34)...WWD’s Sheamus (40)...Daunte Culpepper (41)...Lyle Overbay (41)...Jermaine Dye (44)...Magglio Ordonez (44)..Barry Minter (48)...Dwight Stone (54)...Michael Cage (56)...Normand Rochefort (57)...Nick Price (61)...Colin Campbell (65)...Gregg Popovich (69)...Paul Henderson (75). Alan Alda (82) is invited to the birthday party...Amerks Hall of Fame goalie Bobby Perreault, who often kissed his ring after a good save, was born on this date 87 years ago (1931) and died in a car accident in 1980 at age 49,