Sports Then and Now

Will Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine enter the Hall of Fame when they become eligible in 2014?

Now that Frank Thomas and Tom Glavine have both officially retired from Major League Baseball, it is time for that time honored tradition of debating whether they are Hall of Fame bound.

In both cases, I don’t think it is a matter as much of ‘if” they will get the call from Cooperstown, but instead “when” they will actually receive the prestigious honor.

With first-year nominee Roberto Alomar just missing selection in 2010, it served as a reminder that not everyone who seems a lock to get into the Hall of Fame will receive enough support in their initial year of eligibility.

In fact, when you look at players with comparable careers to both Thomas and Glavine, it might actually be considered a surprise if either of these great players actually reach the 75% mark during their first year of eligibility.

Given that he eclipsed the magical 300-win plateau, it might be a bit of a surprise to suggest that Glavine is not a first ballot lock.

However, both the history of similar candidates and the other candidates on the ballot in 2014 could conspire to hurt Glavine’s chances of first time induction.

Of the 20 pitchers with 300 or more victories and who are now eligible for the Hall of Fame, all 20 have plaques in Cooperstown.

However, of the eight pitchers who have reached 300 victories since 1950, only three (Tom Seaver, Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan) reached the Hall of Fame in their initial year of eligibility. Read the rest of this entry →

It all started with a thunderstorm.

On June 16^th, I was all set to attend the first game of the Crosstown Classic between the Cubs and the White Sox at Wrigley Field.  Then Mother Nature struck, postponing the game.

Instead of playing a double header, the game was rescheduled for the first mutual off day, September 3^rd.  As fate would have it, the Chicago Bears, the team for whom I hold season tickets, just happened to be playing their fourth and final preseason game on that same day.

I’ve been racking my brain, and I can’t think of another time when a Chicagoan, or a fan from any city for that matter, would have the chance to attend a full game of three major sports teams from their hometown in the same day.  While I’m lucky enough to be the one going, it would be rude of me not to share it with those of you in the Sports Then and Now community.

So get ready, because starting with my arrival in Wrigleyville and lasting until the final whistle in Soldier Field, I’ll be coming to you live from both games via the World Wide Interweb.  Using just my phone and that fancy Twitter application, I’ll be live blogging from in and around both Wrigley Field and Soldier Field, bringing you all the action and perspective from a fan lucky enough to be at both games (in increments of 140 characters or less).

I’ll be posting the updates to the site as often as I can, but for the most up-to-date posts, check out the LIVE BLOG. Read the rest of this entry →

Mark Buehrle becomes only the 18th pitcher in baseball history to throw a perfect game.

There might be rarer events in sports than the “Perfect Game” in Major League Baseball, but there are none that have the same magic as when a pitcher and defense combine to hold the opposition without a single base runner in a nine-inning game.

The perfect game by Chicago White Sox hurler Mark Buerhle on Thursday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays was the result not just of Buehrle’s fine work, but also of the “magic” of the entire team.

A grand slam home run in the second inning by Josh Fields gave Buehrle the cushion he needed and the lefty masterfully held the Rays in check.

Read the rest of this entry →