I guess we escaped this cycle (let’s asterisk Fernando as that rare whole-exceeds-sum exponent; maybe there’s another path for him), but, yeah: seeing this Sub-5/16 Rule in practice, I’d be scared for any SP not named Schilling in ‘29, whether it’s Santana or one of the Lost Gen ‘80s/‘90s guys.

3/3: So, a 2:3:3 mix?

A 1:1 mix of dicks and preferreds would logjam results, so the sacrificials function as Metamucil.

I’d’ve expected Shef and Carlos switching results, mind. Figured Carlos for a sacrificial.

So tired of BB/RC/CS. They’ve earned more attention than they would’ve as HOFers.

2/3: iii) A second ballast cohort I hadn’t quite twigged on: 40-49WAR/sub-45JAWS sweethearts with weak paths to HOF, whose <5/16 returns won’t ruffle feathers as they’re sacrificed to this present cutthroat system.

As such, Delgado’s 9/16 surprises. Proof Era Comm still loves its counting stats.

1/3: Hells bells, now I know how the next nine years’ll look. (H/T for introducing the notion of ballot ballast a while back.)

i) Preferred candidates: 2-3 unproblematic 55+WAR, ~50JAWS types in battle of best fit

ii) Stagger the dickheads (rinse/repeat RC+BB, then CS+Raffy/Manny/Albert/A-Rod)

Good one, Mike! Sadler sounds like a nice guy, gracious about Saga’s career.

Liked the ‘82-‘87 CHUM/Much hits as they happened. Finally bought the core LPs years later, and they’re good.

The Rupert Hine stuff’s cool. Concurrently he was producing The Fixx’ and Howard Jones’s early albums.

My PT (got an achy knee) treated Garth once at a music festival. In his motel room, he asked, “should I take my shoes off?” when told to climb up on the bed. Aww, a gentleman.

A pre-marriage Dad ‘n’ Mom had most of the Hawks back to Dad’s folks’ place for drinks once. ‘63-‘64? Lovely times.

The FG reader citing SPs with a 10-year bead on the field in WAR knows where it’s at. Or, where it’s headed!

The 5/7/10 rollovers should become canon, a player profile feature.

Jay, have you cooled a little on Felix this time? I’ll have to re-read ‘24’s. Maybe his 20% showing’s clouded my memory.

I’ll bet my lunch money at some point someone’s going to realize that Hamels is a pretty fair Stieb comparable, modern-day K:BB ratios notwithstanding.

Cole joins a distinguished list of Stieb, Appier, King Felix and Cone types whose five per cent viability is a litmus test of BBWAA wisdom.

“It’s worth pushing the envelope.”

Cheers, man. I can think of a few top-shelf historians with a bounce in their step this week.

Never mind the likes of me trying to rationalize ~40WAR cases. Nope - FV was a unicorn, hero, icon, altogether decent man, and this is the time to revel in possibility.

Ha!

Some think *that* event was meant to put Bell in his place, as it occurred one day after *this* sorry bit of disrespect:

bsky.app/profile/dave...

(Bois also essays it, ~13 minutes into Ahab Pt. 4.)

Pitt fans have Operation Shutdown. Toronto fans have lockergate. The guy was something else.

Fantastic - h/t to the LLWS ‘80 link! That was an entertaining watch. Sheff’s offensive instinct even then is top-shelf.

Found myself retroactively cheering for Taiwan, though, because of this dink. 📷Toronto fans of a certain age and stripe have long memories. #IYKYK

Oop! There it is.

The C.M. wing of the Et library is my weakest link. Have only seven or eight of those.

D’you have mostly/entirely everything?

London Winter’s fun. Every year I go through at least one 24-hour period singing Wally Whyton’s Christmas Land ad nauseum. It’s got that lullaby quality.

Less perfect for early onset winter, given today’s unwanted snowfall! Should haul out Songs For A London Winter instead.

(Is that in the discog? Didn’t see it there just now.)

My first job: the Consumers Distributing across the street from Talbot Park @ Bayview & Eglinton, 1986-87!

Think I got $3.75/hr?

The universal hazing ritual involved having to fill an order for an, uhhhhh, personal massager (bottom left!).

(FWIW, cheers, that’s a really balanced Murph piece. He IS a little short. He WAS great. He DID get hurt.)

We’ve got the rolling WAR notion to give SPs a chance (cripes, I hope this picks up steam); maybe it’s not the worst idea to consider a Puckett clause, too: if the candidate’s (deservedly) snagged some hardware, peaked high and stoked the iconography meter, how many coats of What If? can we apply?

Thanks for re-running the Monte Carlo piece. I’ve re-subbed to FG for awards season reading as a result.

Playing a very long game to rid the panel of this cohort. BB/RC wouldn’t be perma-punted until after ‘31, CS and the like even later.

And that’s provided the HOF EC hews to its current rules…

(And I’m aware of the sub-5/16=skip-a-cycle element in place.)

The ‘22-‘23 cycle is a great case study: five undesirables and three sweethearts - and it wasn’t that surprising the fresh face among that trio sailed through.

You know I’m pitcher-focussed. My regret this time is Schill’s been held back and probably scarfs Roger’s ballast spot in ‘28-‘29.