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Colour commentary: Baseball Hall of Fame should be reserved for only the elite

Colour commentary
Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Why the Hockey Hall of Fame should replicate its baseball counterpart

To make the hall of fame in any given sport, an athlete needs to have a greatness and elite talent not many others have. In many cases, the hall of fame has abandoned the vision of the very best, and has become the hall of the very good.

This is evident with the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). Since 1959, the HHOF has inducted new members every year, including some controversial figures like Eric Lindros in 2016 and Paul Kariya in 2017. While both were fantastic hockey players throughout their respective careers, some argue they didn’t produce Hall-of-Fame-worthy numbers. Granted, both were plagued by many injuries. Despite their setbacks, Lindros and Kariya are two of the few forwards, not known for their defensive play, who did not reach 1,000 points in their careers.

In contrast, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHOF) has been much more selective when inducting players. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America submits their votes every year, and a player is only inducted if he receives 75 per cent of votes. Since the first class of members in 1936, which included Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, the BBHOF has generally been reserved for the best. Cooperstown, New York, the home of the Hall of Fame, has over 300 inductees added throughout its nearly 83 year existence, and as the game has changed, so have the standards for induction.

Granted, the BBHOF has been mired in controversy surrounding the absence of several noticed stars of the game, like all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, as well as Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens for their alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. This proves the BBHOF will typically only induct players who’ve truly earned their spots as legends. With the most recent class featuring Harold Baines and Lee Smith, the standards remain the same.

The HHOF usually has a class of two to five NHL players each year, with the 2018 class featuring Willie O’Ree, Martin Brodeur, and Martin St-Louis. The BBHOF has had year-long stretches when no members have been inducted, specifically because there have been no worthy players up for induction.

The 2019 BBHOF class has several worthy members up for induction, such as all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera, and the late former Blue Jay and two time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. The BBHOF must maintain its standards, and the HHOF would be wise to alter their standards of admission. The hall of fame in any sport is reserved for the best of the best, and it must be kept that way.

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Sports

Blue Jays set sights for playoffs

By Zeze Le Lin.

90-win season is realistic for Toronto after a losing 2017 season

As the Toronto Blue Jays prepare for the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, The Concordian takes a look at how “Canada’s team” will line up in the field, on the mound and behind the plate.

After a disappointing 2017 season where the Blue Jays finished with a record of 76-86 and missed the playoffs, the 2018 team is looking to improve. It was a very busy off-season for general manager Ross Atkins. Long-time Blue Jay and fan-favourite outfielder Jose Bautista will not return after nine seasons in Toronto, prompting Atkins to revamp his outfield.

The Jays acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the St-Louis Cardinals in a trade, and signed Curtis Granderson for $5 million in free agency. The Blue Jays outfield, centred by defensive dynamo Kevin Pillar, combined for 64 home runs (HR) and 165 runs batted in (RBI) last season. The problem with the Jays outfield is their lack of on-base percentage (OBP). Grichuk, despite his power numbers, had a OBP of .285 last year, and Pillar’s OBP was .300. Granderson’s OBP was decent at .323, but not good enough for a player of his calibre. If Granderson is leading Toronto’s hitting line-up at the beginning of the season, he will need to up his OBP in order for the Blue Jays to compete.

In the infield, other new faces will add depth to a very injury-prone group. The Jays acquired the versatile infielder Yangervis Solarte from the San Diego Padres and 2016 All-Star shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the Cardinals. Both of these acquisitions are meant to be back-up options for injury-prone infielders such as Troy Tulowitzki (who will miss the start of the season) and Devon Travis. Don’t be surprised if Solarte or Diaz take their place in the line-up at some point in the season.

Despite being insurance policies, both Solarte and Diaz have the potential to become very serviceable infielders for Toronto. Both are capable of hitting 15-plus HRs in a very hitter-friendly ballpark at the Rogers Centre. Diaz in particular has the chance to return to his 2016 form, when he finished fifth in votes for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The pitching line-up remains largely unchanged, with the exception of a new starter and setup man. The Jays signed Jaime Garcia in free agency to a one-year contract worth $8 million. Garcia has never been able to replicate the success he had with the Cardinals in 2010 and 2011, and will be the team’s fifth starter. While looking good in spring training, don’t expect Garcia to be a dominant force in the Jays rotation.

The American League (AL) East division produces some of the most potent offences in baseball. In Garcia’s first taste of AL East play last season with the Yankees, he had a 0-3 record, with an earned runs average (ERA) of 4.82 in eight starts.

The Blue Jays didn’t make significant moves with their relief pitchers in the bullpen. They signed Seung-hwan Oh, who will act as a setup pitcher ahead of All-Star closer Roberto Osuna. Like many of this season’s acquisitions, Oh will try to return to his previous form, when he dominated with the Cardinals in the 2016 season.

The Jays do have several players returning, including 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson and All-Star first baseman Justin Smoak, who hit career-highs last season with 38 HRs, 90 RBIs and a .355 OBP. Many of the Jays pitchers will be returning, such as starters Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada. Injuries have hurt the Jays in the past, and if the team intends to compete for a playoff spot, they will need to stay healthy.

There are several ways this season could go. If Donaldson plays like he did during the 2015 season, and the starting rotation is effective enough to win games, the Blue Jays will be able to compete for the second wild-card position. However, if injuries become a problem again, and Smoak regresses to his pre-2017 level of play, the Jays will become a basement-dweller in the American League under the thumb of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

All in all, should the cards fall in their favour, the Blue Jays could expect to win 90 games and fight for a playoff spot this season.

Main graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

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Sports

Alex Rodriguez: a hero or zero?

Flickr – MissouriStateArchives

Baseball: it’s the dirt that flies off your hand when you slide into second base. It’s the crack of the bat, seeing the ball fly in the air as it carries away over the fence for a game-winning home run. Baseball is the sound the catcher’s glove makes when you hear the umpire yell “Strike three, you’re out!”

Baseball has been referred to as America’s pastime since it became prominent in the United States in the later half of the 1800s. Although baseball is still considered an American pastime, one can argue that football is now America’s biggest sport. The reason for this is debatable. One prominent reason is the use of steroids in Major League Baseball.

Steroids began becoming an issue after former baseball All-Star Jose Canseco released his book titled Juiced in 2005. According to ESPN.com, Canseco claims that more than 85 per cent of baseball players used steroids when he played. Many baseball players have been the constant target of steroid allegations throughout the past decade. Beginning with Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds, and now New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

“It taints the game,” said Howard Schwartz, head coach of the Concordia baseball team. “I’m embarrassed to be a fan of the game, all the cheating and lying that’s gone on it really disturbed me.”

Many players have been suspended for using steroids, but Rodriguez is the one who takes the spotlight today with the recent Biogenesis scandal that saw him awarded a 211-game suspension, although he is currently still playing while appealing the suspension.

“I don’t think he deserves to appeal, especially with what he’s done to the fans and everybody, and all the lying,” said Alex Kechayan, one of the veteran pitchers for the Concordia baseball team.

However this was not the sentiment shared by all Concordia players.

“With any appeal you should be playing, it’s just part of the policy and you can’t go against it,” said rookie Dan Connerty who also added that there should be a limit to the appeal process. “I think he should be able to play during the regular season, but not in the playoffs.”

One thing that most of the ball players agreed upon was the current MLB policy on steroids.

“Yes it is [tough enough] but personally, I would make it two strikes and you’re gone for life instead of three strikes,” said Concordia second baseman Andrew St-Denis.

Assistant coach Mark Nadler shared a similar opinion. “I think it’s going in the right direction, they’re cleaning it up,” he said.

While the majority of the Concordia baseball team appear to be satisfied with the current MLB drug policy, none of the players shared any sympathy towards Rodriguez.

“He’s a really good ball player but cheating helps you out and I’m not very fond of the guy,” said Kechayan, although he doesn’t believe it to have a major impact. “He always chokes in the playoffs so he’s not really a team player.”

“I’ve never really had a good opinion of A-Rod, then when I found out he did steroids the first time, I did not like him from that point on,” St-Denis added.

“You see him hitting home runs and being at the top of the league and kids want to emulate that,” said St-Denis of how the use of steroids is affect young baseball players. “People see him as a good role model in that respect but the truth is, he’s not.”

All of these players agreed that steroids need to be taken out of the game with no exception and coaches and parents need to inform young players of the dangers of steroids and the repercussions that will follow.

“Not only [will] your reputation [be ruined], but also health problems [might come up],” said Connerty.

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Opinions

There’s no place like home

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan.

Graphic by Jennifer Kwan.

Another Major League Baseball season has come to a close, with the San Francisco Giants winning their second World Series in three years after sweeping the Detroit Tigers. Their manager, Felipe Alou, celebrated with his players as they won the most prestigious title in baseball.

What does this mean to Montreal? Well, Felipe Alou was part of the Montreal Expos organization from 1976 to 2001, going from batting coach to team manager in just a few years. This is just another reminder of how much Montrealers miss the Expos.

Our city made a grave mistake. It’s true, the Expos didn’t have the most fans, they never made it to the World Series and they played in a crumbling stadium: it’s no wonder they ended up relocating to Washington. But like any successful business, money needs to be invested in the team; to acquire star players, to fix stadiums and to win seasons. That’s how a good business is run, and that’s how you attract fans. The Expos just needed an enormous push in the right direction, not an unceremonious relocation.

As you walk around the city today, vintage Expos hats and shirts can be seen everywhere worn by old and especially young. This tells me one thing: that despite the Expos being long gone they are still not forgotten, and they are sorely missed.

Tony Portolese, lifelong Expos fan, said it best when he said “there’s an emptiness” in the summer. No more ball games. No more rooting for the home team. No more Expos.

Montreal needs a baseball team. More precisely, we need the Expos back. In such a diverse, enormous metropolis, the more sports teams, the better. They bring the city together. Despite having made the move to Washington eight years ago, the past year has seen many rumours about potentially bringing a baseball team back to Montreal.

It all started when Expos legend Gary Carter passed away from brain cancer in February. Thousands of fans mourned, and a park in Montreal was renamed in his honour.

The hype was back. Even in a province like Quebec, which has many European characteristics compared to the rest of North America, baseball was a sport that helped define our city. We had the Expos in the summer and the Habs in the winter. What do we have now? After 35 years of representing in the MLB, Montrealers haven’t simply forgotten about the sports they loved.

“You have to start somewhere, and what better time to start than now?” former Expo Tim Raines told The Canadian Press. “So hopefully we can get a team back here in the near future.” Raines explained that the city should immediately build a small league team, that can move up to the big leagues in a few years.

Montreal summers need more life. I want to see dads bring their kids to a ball game. I want to see life again in the Olympic stadium. More importantly, I want to see the Expos back in Montreal.

There’s no better feeling than watching a baseball soar out of the parc and being the one to catch it in the stands. It’s every kid’s dream. Watching baseball games was an important part of my childhood, and I don’t want Montreal’s youth to miss out on one of the greatest sports ever created.

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