Burks' Season is Over

[Lips]

Now I know why Burks was so shitty for me, during the RBI Championship (outside of hitting the RBI Championship winning homer).  An excerpt from ESPN.com:

Ellis Burks knows his season is over. He's not ready to give up on his career, though.

Burks said Saturday he will have season-ending surgery to correct a nerve problem in his right elbow, which has bothered him since spring training and caused muscle degeneration in his hand.

He will have the operation June 23, when the Indians return from their next road trip.

Doctors are hoping to remove a bone spur or chip from Burks' elbow and transpose his nerve. Burks has experienced numbness and tingling in his arm for months and some of the muscles in his right hand have atrophied.

Burks, 38, finished the season batting .258 with six homers and 28 RBI, not the type of year he is accustomed to having and certainly not one he'd like to complete his career with.

"I don't want to end it on something like this,'' said Burks, who is in the final year of a three-year contract with the Indians. Cleveland has a club option for 2004.

Burks' numbers plummeted before he finally told the Indians about the pain and discomfort in his elbow. Before going on the disabled list June 10, he batted .179 (10-for-56) with no homers and two RBIs in 16 games since May 19.

"It's frustrating, but at least it gives me peace of mind to know that there was something wrong with my elbow, and not that I stunk,'' he said.

[Gantry]

Get well soon, good Ellis.  Many people think you are going to last the longest and this injury has gotta scare some people...

[Lips]

On the subject of lasting long, it looks like Clemens is gonna call it quits after this year.  Possibly one less RBIer...

And take a look at his choice of team for The Hall.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/news/2003/0615/1568234.html

[Gantry]

That's complete BS, a player should be able to choose his own team for the hall.  I've never heard this before...

[vgp100]

Didn't the hall choose Cary Carter's team. I think he wanted to go in as a Met, but they said he would go as an Expo. I think the Hall just wanted someone go be in there as an Expo.

I agree that Clemens should be able to choose his team, but that is a dick move to go in as a Yankee. What was he there for, three years? Actually, I don't think anyone in Boston wants him to wear anything Red Sox. There are no athletes that this town hates more than him. Tied for second on that list: everyone else on the Yankees.

[GDavis]

Shouldn't George Brett have gone in as an AL All-Star?  That's his team in RBI.

[vgp100]

The right handed George Brett would go in on team All-Star. The lefty can go in as a Royal.

[BeefMaster]

I'm not 100% positive about this, but I think that players actually used to be able to choose their own team for their cap in the Hall.  The policy was changed a couple years ago because Dave Winfield basically auctioned off his cap by not committing to a team until after allowing time for the teams to make nice with him (he eventually settled on the Padres, but not before he got George Steinbrenner to apologize for calling him "Mr. May").  Also, supposedly Wade Boggs has said that he wants to go in as a Devil Ray if he gets elected.

I think the player's preference should play a part in the case of a player who spent close to equal time with a couple of franchises.  But I also think that ultimately the HoF is a historical institution, and it should accurately represent history.  Rocket has probably had enough glory with the Yankees that it's not too horrible to let him wear that cap (I'll mentally replace the interlocked "NY" with a "B" whenever I look at his plaque, though).  As for Boggs and the Rays - yeah, right.  BoSox or nothing.

[Gantry]

I think the decision should be completely the choice of the player, no matter what.  You may not agree with some of their policies, but the Hall of Fame is truly an individual honor...

[sucka free]

I am 100 percent positive tha the hall of fame chooses the team that the play goe to.  However, this is a recent occurance because players used to be able to choose thier team.  I beleive reggie jackson was the last hall of famer who was able to pick his team.  The reason why the hall of fame committee decided to revoke the players choice in choosing their team, was strickly a money issue.  With the rise in free agency, new hall of fame players would have several teams in which to choose to be inducted as.  The committee feared that the players would choose the team that offered them the most money, thus makng a mockery of the whole thing.  Hell someone like ricky henderson might go in as a padre if they were the highest bidder.  CLearly, that shouldn't be the case.   All in all, I have mixed feelings about this issue.  On one hand, the players should decide which team.  Then again, they should freaking sell out like cheap whores.

[vgp100]

Good point, sucka. Actually, I don't know why they need to have a team to affiliate with. Do they have to wear a hat of any particular team? I don't think so. It's an individual honor. If they really feel the need to give respect to a team--let them talk about them during the speech.

[sucka free]

Great call vgp.  I have never been to the hall of fame.  I am curious to see how they group the players?  Does the hall group players by team?  by era?  If anyone has been and could shed some light on this that would be great.

[vgp100]

I was there a couple of years ago and they had plaques on the wall in order of year of induction, I think. So, as far as I know, the only representation of a team is the hat he's wearing while he's giving a speech.

[MarquisEXB]

I agree that Clemens should be able to choose his team, but that is a dick move to go in as a Yankee. What was he there for, three years? Actually, I don't think anyone in Boston wants him to wear anything Red Sox. There are no athletes that this town hates more than him. Tied for second on that list: everyone else on the Yankees.

Hated more than Bucky "Fu**ing" Dent?

Anyway I believe there are some players that chose no team, and are enshrined that way. Will have to double check that one.

Mike

[vgp100]

At least Bucky Dent had an excuse--he was a Yankee. Clemens is viewed as a traitor and coward. He laid down the last four years in Boston--then voluntarily moved to the Yankees.

[BeefMaster]

Just found this article (it's old, but I'm pretty sure it's accurate): http://espn.go.com/classic/s/2001/0802/1234345.html

Looks like the player gets the choice, but the hall can overrule him if they think his choice is dumb.  The reason is like sucka free said - to prevent players from auctioning off their cap in the Hall.  According to one article I saw, supposedly Barry Bonds did that last time he was a free agent, and it's widely believed that Boggs did the same thing when he signed with the Rays.

Also, I gotta agree with vgp - Clemens is the most hated man in Boston.  The Hall of Fame comments are just making it worse.  Check out Bill Simmons' archive on ESPN.com/page2 - he's got a couple of columns about just how much Sox fans despise the Rocket.

[jaylums]

Boggs isn't the only potential devilray to be a future electorate into the hall. Hoser Canseco had a clause in the contract he signed with Tampa from the Sox that he would enter the hall with their cap if elected.  Dude's gonna end up joining good Darrell Evans as the only two players with 400+ homers who won't make it, though.

[MarquisEXB]

And Dave Kingman.

[vgp100]

Andre Dawson?

[MarquisEXB]

400HR-500HR hitters not in the HOF:

18. Sammy Sosa (33) 499 R
20. Rafael Palmeiro (37) 490 L
21. Fred McGriff (38) 478 L
24. Ken Griffey Jr. (32) 468 L
26. Jose Canseco  462 R
28. Dave Kingman  442 R
29. Andre Dawson  438 R
30. Cal Ripken Jr.  431 R
32. Darrell Evans  414 L
34. Juan Gonzalez (32) 405 R

Sosa, Palmiero, and Ripken will all get in the HOF. If Griffey gets to 500, he's definately in. McGriff and Juan Gone has to get to 500 to have a shot.

Mike