Baseball

[Valmy]

I expected him in the AL East...just not there 

[Barrister]

It was a big fake-out.

Ohtani signs with the Dodgers for an eye-watering $700 million over 10 years.

[Sophie Scholl]

The "deferred salary" thing makes such a mockery of the luxury tax/cap in MLB. There *needs* to be some serious changes made to competitive balance in MLB as it just keeps getting worse. After witnessing the awfulness in Oakland and now Ohtani's contract to the already big spending Dodgers, it is blatantly obvious that a salary cap and floor are so badly needed it isn't funny. 

[Grey Fox]

You really don't. It's a poison pill.

[The Minsky Moment]

Tommy John is up for HoF consideration through the Classic Era Committee.

He is a perfectly decent candidate: long career, very consistent above average 2nd/3rd starter, three top 5 Cy Young finishes, 4 all-star games.  He is not the best candidate not yet admitted, either among pitchers generally (Clemens, Schilling) or pitchers from his era (Reuschel).  There are many pitchers of equivalent success as well, such as the recently departed Luis Tiant.  It would be a defensible selection, but far from an obvious one.

However, it appears that his candidacy may be in part because of his role as the first recipient of the surgery that bears his name. John deserves credit for showing guts and courage coming back from a novel procedure, but that is already reflected in his post-surgery record.  I don't think having your arm operated on, even in a novel fashion is a HOF worthy accomplishment. 

TJ surgery was enormously impactful in baseball and does deserve recognition, but the way to do that is admit Dr. Frank Jobe, not his famous patient.

[Barrister]

Tommy John is up for HoF consideration through the Classic Era Committee.

He is a perfectly decent candidate: long career, very consistent above average 2nd/3rd starter, three top 5 Cy Young finishes, 4 all-star games.  He is not the best candidate not yet admitted, either among pitchers generally (Clemens, Schilling) or pitchers from his era (Reuschel).  There are many pitchers of equivalent success as well, such as the recently departed Luis Tiant.  It would be a defensible selection, but far from an obvious one.

However, it appears that his candidacy may be in part because of his role as the first recipient of the surgery that bears his name. John deserves credit for showing guts and courage coming back from a novel procedure, but that is already reflected in his post-surgery record.  I don't think having your arm operated on, even in a novel fashion is a HOF worthy accomplishment. 

TJ surgery was enormously impactful in baseball and does deserve recognition, but the way to do that is admit Dr. Frank Jobe, not his famous patient.

It the Hall of Fame - not the Hall of Really Good Baseball Players.

Tommy John, through the surgery, is famous.  More people probably know his name than a bunch of his contemporaries who are in the Hall of Fame.

Homer Simpson is in the Hall of Fame - and he's an animated character.

Sometimes you just shouldn't overthink these things.  If I ever visit Cooperstown I'm much more likely to go check out Tommy John's plaque than I am some other player from his era.

[The Minsky Moment]

BB I think you are confusing the list of individuals elected as Hall of Famers with individuals who have exhibits dedicated to them in the museum.  For example, Pete Rose is famously ineligible for the Hall of Fame, but the museum has a display case dedicated to him breaking the hit record.  Similarly, Homer Simpson was never elected into the Hall of Fame, but there is a plaque dedicated to his character in the museum.  I have no problem with the museum having a TJ exhibit but that's a separate question from whether he merits election.