Here are just some random thoughts on a Thursday morning…

My new favorite show LOST returned last night after a six or seven week hiatus. ABC’s serial hit continues to shine as both a critical darling and a fan favorite. Last night we were treated to the back story of the newly introduced “Mr. Eko”. I’m not sure any other show is as consumed with the theme of redemption as much as LOST. And what the heck is the deal with the black smoke thing? Next week will supposedly answer the questions we have about Jack & his former wife, so stay tuned.
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The Baseball Writers’ Association of America finally elected Bruce Sutter to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame this week, in Sutter’s 13th year of eligibility. Sutter becomes only the 4th relief pitcher to earn such a distinction, joining Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers and Dennis Eckersley. He is the first pitcher ever elected to the Hall with zero career starts. At the time of his retirement, Sutter ranked 3rd on the all-time save list (he now ranks 19th). Sutter is also credited with “revolutionizing” the game of baseball as the father of the split-finger fastball, a pitch actually taught to him by Fred Martin, a roving minor league pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs. After suffering an arm injury in the early ’70’s, Sutter, who previously had been a typical fastball-curveball pitcher, noticed a precipitous drop in velocity on his fastball. Martin, who pitched for the Cardinals in the late ’40’s and early ’50’s, taught Sutter a derivation of the classic forkball in which the pitcher uses his thumb to push the ball out from between his index and middle fingers, exerting a wicked forward spin on the ball. The tutorial changed Sutter’s career. He became a dominant closer in an era when many firemen were called on to pitch two and sometimes three innings at a time to preserve a lead. (Today, major league bullpens employ as many as four or five such pitchers to accomplish a similar feat.)

Many HoF voters have notoriously refused to vote for relief pitchers (as evidenced by the complete lack of support for the candidacy of Lee Smith, the all-time saves leader with 478 career saves and a 3.03 career ERA). And to their credit, time was, the bullpen was the place you were banished to when you couldn’t cut it as a starter. But with the induction of Sutter, perhaps the baseball writers are slowly embracing relievers as viable contributors to their teams’ success. Let’s hope they’ll also recognize the contributions of Smith, Rich Gossage and someday Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. But Sutter’s induction opens a potential Pandora’s Box with regard to relief pitchers. For example, if Sutter is a HoFer, then a case could certainly be made for Tom Henke, who has more career saves and a lower career ERA. A quandry, to be sure.
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Speaking of HoF’s, the NFL announced the candidates for their Hall. Troy Aikman, Reggie White and Thurman Thomas appear to be locks. Among these players, who should make the cut? John Madden and Rayfield Wright, defensive ends L.C. Greenwood and Claude Humphrey; linebackers Harry Carson and Derrick Thomas; offensive linemen Russ Grimm, Bob Kuechenberg and Gary Zimmerman; quarterback Warren Moon; and wide receivers Michael Irvin and Art Monk.