Jorge Posada is not a Hall of Famer

Peter Gammons tries to make the case that Jorge Posada has Hall of Fame credentials. I think Gammons is either doing public relations for the Yankees and Posada (who may be a friend of Gammons) or that Peter is just being willfully ignorant.

For example Gammons touts the fact that Posada is 6th in OPS+ among catchers since 1901. Problem is Gammons doesn't count Joe Mauer among the 6 and Mauer has a career OPS+ that is 15 points higher than Posada. Who else did Gammons neglect to include?

The article doesn't even mention Ivan Rodriguez who was a contemporary of Posada's but who has a much better case for the Hall of Fame. Pudge had 13 Gold Gloves and an MVP. Posada was a defensive liability and had just 2 Top 10 MVP finishes.

Jorge Posada is not going into the Hall of Fame. I gave the 4 reasons why last August.

Sosa and Pudge

Often when I'm on the road, I'll turn ESPN or ESPN 2 on the TV in the hotel room and just leave it on during the night while I sleep (or try to sleep). Doing that has made it hard to escape the news that Sammy Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight all leading with Sammy testing dirty with anchors taking about the news accompanied by a video montage in the background. What's been amusing to me is once they are done talking about Sammy eventually the program gets to Ivan Rodriguez and how he just tied the record for most games caught by a catcher. A video montage paying homage to Pudge Rodriguez playing in the background while the praises and hosannas are sung.

What amuses me is the question whether the same video montage played last night for Pudge will be used when the news breaks that Pudge used performance enhancers too. I can't help but remember that Ivan Rodriguez was one of the players that Jose Canseco singled out by name in his book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big Time and again players who Jose Canseco specifically named has proven to have been dirty. Why should anyone think that Pudge Rodriguez will be any different?

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Traditional powers Miami (FL) and Notre Dame may be down this year but it looks like help is on its way. Of the top 100 high school recruits - according to Rivals.com - the Irish and Hurricanes have already snagged 6 players each. That bodes well for a return to the top for each program... Hats off to the ESPN ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber who rightfully points out that making controversies out of nothing is getting out of hand in the sports media. I especially like her take-down of Greg Easterbrook:

Easterbrook is entitled to his opinion, to his logic, to his analogies, however strained I think they are, but what is not OK is cloaking opinion in the camouflage of reporting.

Ouch! Personally I gave up reading Easterbrook long ago. His verbal diarrhea style of writing is just not my cup of tea... Some people may be surprised at Ivan Rodriguez having his $13 million option picked up by the Tigers but when you consider that the free agent alternatives are Michael Barrett, Paul Lo Duca and Jason Kendall the decision look much less surprising. Some people thought that the Tigers would buy out I-Rod for $3 million and then move Brandon Inge back behind the plate from 3rd base. That would have just left a hole at 3rd base... Betsy has a nice look at how Anita Hill's testimony at the Clarence Thomas confirmation meetings does not hold up to scrutiny. In some people's minds a black man can be anything he wants to be in this country - as long as he's not a Republican.