FanHouse MattWilliams

The 2009 Hall of Fame headlines rightfully belong to Rickey Henderson, who was elected the first year he was eligible, and Jim Rice, who was elected the very last year he was eligible. As for everyone else, well, there's always next year, right?

The short answer: it depends.

In Tommy John's case, no, there is no next year. Like Rice, this was John's 15th year on the ballot, the most that the Baseball Writers Association of America allows before ruling a player ineligible to be included on future ballots. Now, the only way John will ever be inducted is if the Veterans Committee votes him in -- that's the same committee that has inducted exactly one player since 2001.

The best part of the entire Hall of Fame voting process, to me, is the exercise of christening/laughing at the ballot's Mr. Irrelevant. The guy who could not possibly been included on the ballot with a straight face. The Otis Nixons, the Andy Van Slykes (sorry Lackey), the Gary DiSarcinas.

I hereby declare that this year's Mr. Irrelevant is Jesse Orosco. Please observe this picture of Mr. Orosco doing the Macarena.

Today's Dugout is after the jump. Parts One and Two of this series can be found here and here.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

The 2009 Hall of Fame ballot was released Monday, and with it is certain to come heated debate right up until and after the voting results are revealed on Jan. 12, 2009. This year's class of candidates is similar to last year's, in that it's a shallow group.

There is only one sure-fire Hall of Famer among the 23 candidates, which means this is a critical vote for the borderline players who have been up for election on multiple occasions. Now is the time for those borderline guys to get over the top or make a big push to lay the groundwork for election in future years.

After the jump is a breakdown of the ballot, complete with what I think will happen and what should happen with this year's class of Cooperstown contenders.

Today is the first test for Mike Leach and Texas Tech as they face Kansas. If the first half is any indication, the Red Raiders are up to the challenge. Leading 35-14 at the break, Texas Tech has moved the ball at will and played solid on defense.

One of the secondary stories of this game is that Leach is using a student at kicker today. Texas Tech student Matt Williams kicked a 30-yard field goal earlier this year during a break in the UMass game to win a free months rent. Seeing the kick, Leach had someone flag him down to see if he'd be interested in kicking for the team. Next thing you know, you have a story as odd as The Waterboy. So far today, he's 5-for-5 on extra points. No field goal tries yet. Given the way the first half went, he probably won't get any shots.

As the tides have slowly turned on George Mitchell's steroids investigation -- which has gone from seemingly worthless to potentially revelatory in the matter of six months -- so has the anticipation for Mitchell's findings grown. Who could it be? Matt Williams? Paul Byrd? Things have gotten so unwieldy, you might be on Mitchell's list. And wouldn't that be fun!

But now, the fun might be coming to an end ... or just beginning. In either case, Mitchell seems finished with collecting info:

George Mitchell set a Saturday deadline for evidence in his steroids probe as the sentencing of a former Mets clubhouse attendant and admitted steroids peddler was delayed until Dec. 14 so he can continue to assist federal prosecutors and baseball officials with their investigations.

Mitchell set the deadline to conduct interviews and receive documents and other information for his investigation, CBS News reported on its Web site Wednesday.

While I can't exactly parse what Mitchell's deadline for evidence collection has to do with steroid dealer Kirk Radomski having his hearing moved back -- one would think that would cause Mitchell to move the deadline back, not solidify it -- the end result is all the same. The Mitchell File is close to being filled, and thus revealed; here's hoping more names come spilling forth sooner rather than later.

While many of us have been pondering the impact the Mitchell Report will have on free agency, the latest report of baseball players using steroids has been filed. Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who also broke the news of Paul Byrd receiving HGH and co-wrote Game of Shadows, say that current player Jose Guillen, as well as former players Matt Williams, and Ismael Valdez, all bought performance-enhancing drugs. Fainaru-Wada and Williams base their report on business records for the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center. Chew on these quotes provided by Fainaru-Wada and Williams for a moment:

In February, [Jose Guillen] was quoted by ESPN The Magazine as saying he had been approached about using steroids earlier in his career but had declined.

"That is something I never considered in my life," Guillen is quoted as saying. "You're ruining your whole career. You're ruining your reputation. This really is hurting baseball right now, the image of the game."
...
Since retiring, Williams has publicly questioned the performance-enhancing value of steroids for baseball players. In April 2004, while the BALCO steroids scandal was beginning to unfold, Williams said he hoped Giants outfielder Barry Bonds would be exonerated in the case, and he downplayed the impact the drugs might have on a player's power hitting.