Bruce Sutter elected to the Baseball HOF

It happened on his 13th try, only the second time that has occured.(Ralph Kiner in 1975.) Sutter was a good choice, he was the premier reliever in baseball for at least five years.

Dr. Taylor over at Poliblog is disappointed in Jim Rice being passed over. Rice finished second in the balloting this year. Baseball stats guru Bill James called Jim Rice possibly the most overrated player of the last 30 years in Baseball. Rice hit into lots of double plays(leading the league four years in a row, and having one of the highest rates per At Bat lifetime) and his statistics were helped by playing in Fenway Park. I wouldn't have voted for anyone but Sutter on this year's ballot.

Pete Rose don't belong in either. His behavior and flaunting of the rules is a disgrace to the game.

Update- America Online has Rose's photo on its welcome screen with the headline. 'Shamed slugger wants to return.' Rose never was a slugger, his career high in homeruns was 16 and he hit 160 in his career.

Open Post- Third World County, Right Wing Nation, Adam's Blog,

NEW YORK - After falling short a dozen times, Bruce Sutter was relieved. He became only the fourth reliever given baseball's highest honor, gaining election to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

"When the phone call came and the caller ID said `New York,' I thought, oh, maybe this is it," he said.

And when he found out he had made it, Sutter flashed a signal, giving a "thumbs-up" to his wife, sons and daughters-in-law.

"They started screaming," he recalled, "and, actually, I started crying."

Becoming the first pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame with no career starts, the split-finger pioneer was listed on 76.9 percent of the ballots, collecting 400 of a record 520 votes cast by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America who have been in the organization for 10 consecutive years or more.

"It was a call that you always hope for, but you never really expect it to happen," Sutter said. "I didn't think it would affect me or hit me as hard as it did."

Players needed 390 votes (75 percent) to gain election. Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice fell 53 short, finishing second with 337 votes (64.8 percent), one ahead of reliever Goose Gossage.

Sutter was the first player elected on the 13th try or later since Ralph Kiner in 1975. Rice was appearing for the 12th time and has three years remaining on the writers' ballot. Gossage was on the ballot for the seventh time.

It might be difficult for Rice and Gossage to gain votes next year, when Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn and Mark McGwire appear on the ballot for the first time. Each voter may select up to 10 players.

"I was planning a hunting trip next year if I didn't get in this year," Sutter said. "I didn't need to be around the phone, I can tell you that."

Andre Dawson was fourth with 317 votes, followed by Bert Blyleven (277), Lee Smith (234), Jack Morris (214), Tommy John (154) and Steve Garvey (135).

Pete Rose, baseball's banned career hits leader, received 10 write-in votes in what would have been his final year of eligibility. Stricken from the ballot after going on the banned list for betting on Cincinnati while managing the team, Rose was written in on 249 of 7,207 ballots (3.5 percent) over 15 years.