Baseball: Bruce Sutter elected to Hall of Fame

releiver Bruce Sutter became the 4th releiver to be elected to the hall of fame, Sutter, the first pitcher elected to the Hall with no career starts, was selected on 400 of a record 520 ballots cast by 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for 76.9 percent.
Players needed 390 votes (75 percent) to gain election. Jim Rice fell 53 votes short, finishing second with 337 votes (64.8 percent), one ahead of Goose Gossage.

it should be interesting next year when "Big Mac" is eligible....

sports.yahoo.com...;_ylt=AiwUNy7EsRNJOYQ7OmyGRJM5nYcB?slug=ap-halloffame&prov=ap&type=lgns

That great he waited a while. Congratulations Mr. Sutter. Do you think "Big Mac" will be inducted. Certainly not first ballot I don't think.

I think he will be inducted, but it will cause me a lot of emotional pain when it happens. As I've said before, BONDS is the only one of that sorry lot who should get in, and him only because he was a H.O.F. member (indeed, first-rounder) BEFORE he joined in the b.s.

B.H.N.

It's good that Sutter got in, but if i were voting Jim Rice and Goose Gossage would have gotten in before him. I've heard on sports radio that Jim Rice is kind of behind the 8 ball because he always snubbed the sports reporters for interviews, it's a shame that the reporters react that way, when the reason he probably wouldn't give interviews is because of what they would write about the interview.

I think if any closer from today's era is going to get in all of those guys should get in. A closer now normally gives you 3 outs maybe 4 or in special cases (extra innings) 5 or 6. Those guys could give you 6 outs easy. Does anyone think anyone besides Riveria ( will he even get in) will get in as a closer.

Bill James' great, and enormous, book from 2000 has a long section on how modern relievers are NOT being used ideally. He outlines five different ways relievers can be used, and historically have been used, and says this routine of automatically bringing the ace in for the final three outs is garbage.

If anyone wants to know more, say so and I'll try to find that portion of The Big Book. (Sorry, any 12-Steppers out there, for ganking your term....)

B.H.N.

Unlike many members who aren't ancient ( ), I remember Sutter throughout his career. And when he first came up, and sprang that "split-fingered fastball" on hitters, they were lost and had to hope he either (1) hung it or (2) walked them. It really was that hard to hit.

I am squarely in agreement with Bill James about how comically overrated Rollie Fingers and many other relievers are, how uniquely unqualified for the Hall Fingers is, and how his primary attribute was that he had exceptionally good taste in teammates. Not so with Sutter; at least, not until 1982, and he was a HUGE part of that team's great season.

Other teams hated it. No, it wasn't like facing Ryan, Gibson, Clemens or, to go way back in time, the greatest of them all, Lefty Grove--who had Gibson's atttude, but about 5 times as much talent. Sutter didn't terrify hitters. He just made them look ridiculous and like poster material... and he did so for a long time.

Trust me, you younger ones. This guy was every bit as good as what you have heard about him. Not at the end, but for the many years it took him to get there.

B.H.N.