By JOSH HELLER
Staff Writer
1. Baseball Hall of Fame Class Announced
With the middle of January passing, the annual Baseball Hall of Fame Class was announced, as Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez were voted into Cooperstown.
To be elected as a member of the Hall, a player must gather 75 percent of the votes of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWA). Bagwell was on 86.2 percent of the ballots, Raines was on 86 percent, and “Pudge” Rodriguez was on 76 percent.
Just missing Cooperstown were Trevor Hoffman (74 percent) and Vladimir Guerrero (71.7 percent). Both Edgar Martinez (58.6 percent) and Mike Mussina (51.8 percent) saw big jumps in their voting numbers compared to last year, and 2018 could be their year. Meanwhile, long-time Yankee Jorge Posada was the most notable player to fall off the ballot, after failing to meet the 5 percent vote requirement, as he landed on a measly 3.8 percent of the ballots.
Each player on this year’s three-man class decided the caps they will wear to be inducted, as Bagwell will wear an Astros cap, Raines will wear an Expos cap and Rodriguez will wear a Rangers cap.
While Rodriguez made it in the Hall in his first year of eligibility, it has been a long time coming for Raines and Bagwell, who have been on the cusp of the 75 percent mark for a couple of years, as both made jumps of nearly 20 percent between 2015 and 2016.
Looking forward to the 2018 class is interesting, as the locks seem to be Guerrero and Hoffman, while Martinez and Mussina could also strike. In terms of players in their first years of eligibility, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome look to be locks as well, and players like Andruw Jones, Scott Rolen and Omar Vizquel could all garner plenty of votes.
2. Raiders Officially File Paperwork for Relocation
The NFL may soon be joining the NHL as professional sports leagues to have a team in Sin City.
In addition to the Chargers, the Raiders have been in relocation rumors for what seems like forever. The Chargers leapt ship to Los Angeles nearly two weeks ago. The Raiders, meanwhile, have reportedly filed their relocation paperwork to move to Las Vegas.
The Raiders had a very strong season, and looked like strong contenders for the NFL playoffs, until star quarterback and MVP candidate Derek Carr went down with a broken fibula in Week 16. The Raiders went on to lose their Wild Card game to the Houston Texans, as rookie Connor Cook was under center for Oakland.
Although owner Mark Davis has submitted the paperwork, the Raiders’ relocation needs to be approved by the owners, and that won’t happen until March. And the Las Vegas stadium will reportedly not be completed until 2020, so the Raiders will definitely be in Oakland until then.
3. Capuano Ousted as Isles’ Bench Boss
After an Eastern Conference-worst first half of the season, the Islanders and General Manager Garth Snow decided some changes needed to be made, and the first of those changes was the firing of head coach Jack Capuano.
The Islanders had a good season in 2015-16, as they won their first playoff round since 1993. In the offseason, they lost some good pieces in Kyle Okposo (Sabres) and Frans Nielsen (Red Wings), but expected that production to be replaced by the large signings of Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera.
Chimera has 16 points in 43 games, which isn’t terrible for a bottom-six grinder, but Ladd has been one of the biggest free agent disappointments in the league, as he has just 12 points in 41 games.
Capuano has made some baffling lineup decisions with youngsters such as Brock Nelson, Josh Bailey, and Ryan Strome, not to mention his attempt (as well as Snow’s) to try to juggle a three-goalie rotation (Jaroslav Halak, Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube) which led to the demotion of Halak to the AHL.
With Capuano off the bench, Doug Weight has been promoted to interim coach, though the team has gained permission to speak with former Panthers coach Gerard Gallant about the vacancy.
4. Trumbo Re-Signs with Orioles
After striking out trying to cash in on free agency, slugger Mark Trumbo will be an Oriole once again.
Trumbo’s contract expired after a phenomenal 47-home run season in 2016, and was looking to cash in on a big free agent contract. Trumbo was reportedly looking for a contract between $70 and $75 million, but settled for a three-year, $37.5 million deal.
At 31, Trumbo is in the prime of his career, and hit his stride in Baltimore last year, with a .256 average and .533 slugging-percentage to add on to his 47 homers.
Trumbo was reportedly talking to teams like Colorado and Texas, but the Orioles played the waiting game, and it worked out for them.
5. Westbrook Not Named Starter
Apparently, averaging a triple-double doesn’t garner a start in the All-Star Game.
Russell Westbrook, who is at the top of the MVP race alongside James Harden, is putting together a phenomenal season now that he owns the spotlight in Oklahoma City. While being the top vote-getter amongst NBA players and media, Westbrook had a lower fan-vote total than Harden and Stephen Curry, so those two will be starters over “Bestbrook.”
As of last Thursday (after the game against Kevin Durant and the Warriors), Westbrook had already gathered 21 triple-doubles this season. Two players, Oscar
Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain, have ever totaled more triple-doubles in a season, and there is a chance Westbrook breaks Robertson’s record of 41.
In Oklahoma City, he has supporting pieces (Enes Kanter and Victor Oladipo, among others). But without Durant, the city is his, and he is owning it.
