Not a Cub, but an interesting question

In case you hid under a rock the last couple of days, Curt Schilling officially retired on Monday morning. It was a good idea - even if he was able to pitch, he'd lost his velocity, which makes the difference between his fastball and breaking pitches negligible, making him OK at best. And now the debate really begins - is Curt Schilling a Hall of Fame player?

Like most things with Schilling, this is controversial. Even Boston.com, the Internet mouthpiece of the Boston Globe, has writers with differing opinions. Schilling will never have to buy a meal in New England again based on his performance in 2004 alone, so I was kind of surprised the Boston sports writers didn't immediately put him up for deification.

OK, let's set out the argument - if you look at Schilling's career stats there's a lot to like and a lot to pick at, if you're thinking HOF. Stuff to like: 3.46 career ERA, 3116 strikeouts vs. 711 walks, for a K/W ratio of 4.38 (compare that ratio to Nolan Ryan's 2.04 and you'll get how significant that is). And then there's the postseason line: 11-2, 2.23 ERA, 120 strikeouts vs. 35 walks in 133.1 innings, good for a 3.43 K/W ratio. The man was money in the postseason (just ask the Yankees), and really remade himself late in his career.

Stuff to pick at: 216 career wins in 3261 innings, both of which are on the small end of things. He never won a Cy Young, though he finished 2nd three times. And I'm sorry, but you've got to point this out today: His three best strikeout seasons (1997, 2002, and 1998 respectively) came after he turned 30. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'...

Baseball-Reference.com says Schilling's biggest comparable player is Kevin Brown, which isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for HOF enshrinement. But he also compares well with HOFers Don Drysdale, Dazzy Vance, and Catfish Hunter, along with soon-to-be HOFer John Smoltz (minus the relief stats, of course).

I'm an admitted elitest when it comes to things like the Hall of Fame. In my mind, the Hall of Fame is for the greatest players of all time, not the best in their era. So, one question I'd ask is this: Could I take Curt Schilling in his prime, drop him into Game 7 of the World Series against the All-Century Team line-up and have him come out with a win? Another question: Could I take Curt Schilling, drop him into a Washington Senators uniform in a meaningless August game against the '27 Yankees and have him succeed? Basically, does he stack up against the best of the best all time?

Honestly I'm undecided about this. No question, Schilling is on my short list of players I'd want starting a game my life depended on it's outcome. Does that make him Hall worthy? Does longevity matter? Sure, he denied ever using steroids, but so has everyone until they got caught. Knowing Schilling through the media, do you think he wouldn't have looked that way? I dunno...

So what do you think? Does Curt Schilling belong in the Hall of Fame? I'd love to hear what you think.

(By the way, when Schilling was an unsigned free agent after 2007, I thought the Cubs should sign him. Glad they didn't listen to me...)

Not a lot of note here

Things seem quiet in Mesa and Wrigleyville - no major injuries, spring training games rolling along, guys getting in game shape - so I thought I'd take a trip in the way-back machine and bring up one of my favorite Cub players who seems to have left the reservation: Mark Grace.

Most Cub fans of the late 80s and 90's know about Grace and his career. He was one of those guys you dropped into the 5th spot or so in the order and forgot about, until the season ended and he had put up another .300/15/85 line with 30 or 40 doubles, 170 or so hits, and excellent defense at first. (Don't believe me? Check it out.) He topped out in 1995 with .326/16/92, 180 hits and 51 doubles, good enough for an all star appearance and a Gold Glove (one of four). I was glad to see him head to Arizona and win a World Series, but really hoped that would be just a stop-off on his way back to Chicago. Alas, it doesn't seem to be in the cards, as the Cubs are happy with milk-toast announcers on TV and happy-go-lucky guys on the radio. (No offense to the Santo is Awesome group out there...)

There was some debate as to whether Grace should be in the Hall of Fame, but I agree with the linked article. If there were an Honorable Mention wing he'd be there in a second, but the stats just don't add up. (Andre Dawson? That's a different matter, but I digress...) More than the stats, though, he just came across as an aw shucks kind of player. He played hard and played right but he PLAYED - remember his pitching exploits in a 19-1 laugher? (More on that here - it's worth remembering.)

There's something to be said for a player like Grace; low maintenance, solid productivity, great clubhouse guy, and willing to not take himself too seriously. Wish the Cubs had some folks like that now! (Not to mention his left handed bat...) I have happy memories of watching Grace on lazy summer days while Harry Caray talked about some new restaurant he'd found on Wabash Ave.

Got any similar memories of non-superstar players? Add a comment and let me know. It's nice to think about on cold March days.

Back from Florida...

...and none to happy about it.

Got to see three Red Sox spring training games, which was quite fun. Baseball in March is just a good thing.

Oh, and si.com finally got their Cubs camp postcard done. My impression? It was pretty fair. It's easy to forget the Cubs actually won 97 games last year. I take issue with the idea that they simply had a bad week against the Dodgers, though - LA's pitching staff was perfectly suited to neutralize the Cubs' bats, Lou rode his big boppers WAY too hard during the season, and Manny Rameriez was simply that locked in. It could've been a 15 game series and the Dodgers probably would've won. Just a horrible match-up all around.

One final thought - it seems everyone is being very quick to write off Kosuke Fukudome as a bust. Do folks realize that last year was his first in the Majors??? He had the inevitable culture shock, then made the mistake of having a great April, so the entire city annointed him the Next Great Savior. When his holes got exposed (it was gonna happen) and he wore down (also predictable), it seems everyone just assumed he was done. Now he's looking to platoon in center with Reed Johnson? I don't think he'll be a superstar, but don't be shocked at something like .280/20/75, depending on how many at-bats he gets and where he hits in the lineup. The guy's got talent...just you wait.

Man, I can't wait for the real games to start!!!

Greetings from Florida!

While New England is covered in one kind of white stuff, I've been happily playing in another kind of white stuff. Yup, I'm in Fort Myers, home of my lovely aunt and uncle (hooray for free lodging) and spring training for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins. So far I've been to two games - one on Sunday, which the Sox won 2-1, and one today, which, when I left at the end of the 7th, the Sox trailed 9-5.

Spring training baseball is a very different animal than the regular season, especially for teams like the Sox and Cubs. The usual angst, anger, and arrogance is replaced by an easy-going enjoyment of the game. Honestly, you end up rooting for the shirts, if you root at all, because by the 5th inning the players are all guys you've never heard of or who are ticketed for exotic locales like Rochester, Des Moines, and Pawtucket.

From a baseball perspective, I would much rather be in Mesa. I've actually never been to spring training in Arizona, though I've vacationed there twice in the past few years. The first time I actually saw the Cubs opening series against the D-Backs (got some really nice pictures of Greg Maddux's change-up grip - when I'm home I'll try and find them), which was very cool. They even lost, completing the experience. But, baseball in March is good no matter where it is, so I'm happy to be here.

Maybe next year I'll get to hit some Cactus League games instead of the Grapefruit Leauge.