Hall of Fame

Now that the new year is upon us, it is almost time for the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting to be revealed.  I wrote extensively about the process about a year ago, so feel free to check out that post if you want some background information.  Last year, no one received the minimum 75 percent of the votes needed for induction, so over a dozen deserving candidates are back, along with a few very deserving newcomers (a player must be retired at least five years in order to be eligible).

I believe that there are at least 15 players on this ballot who are worthy Hall of Famers, but each voter can only vote for a maximum on ten.  Therefore, if I had a vote, my ballot would be as follows (in alphabetical order):

Jeff Bagwell - feared hitter with a career cut short by injuries
Craig Biggio - Bagwell's long-time teammate; has 3,000 career hits and just missed induction last year
Barry Bonds - all-time leader in home runs for career and single season;
Roger Clemens - one of the best pitchers of all time
Tom Glavine - 300-game winner
Greg Maddux - won over 350 games
Mike Mussina - great pitcher; won 20 games in his last season
Mike Piazza - best offensive catcher of all time; didn't throw well, but was fine in other aspects of defense
Tim Raines - excellent leadoff hitter and base stealer
Frank Thomas - one of the most  feared hitters of his generation

Note: Glavine, Maddux and Thomas are all eligible for the first time this year.

Others who I feel are deserving include Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa and Alan Trammell.

Based on what I'm reading, it looks like Maddux, Glavine, Thomas and Biggio will all get enough votes to be inducted this summer.

NFL Playoffs - 2014

Another NFL season is in the books.  My Steelers were a disappointment this year, starting the season with four straight losses.  They were 2-6 at the midpoint of the season, but rallied to finish 8-8.  They even entered the last week of the season with a chance at making the playoffs, and would have been successful if not for a missed field goal in the Chiefs-Chargers game.  Without further ado, here are my predictions:

Wild Card Round
Colts 31, Chiefs 17
Bengals 27, Chargers 10
Packers 17, 49ers 14
Eagles 21, Saints 20

Division Round
Bengals 24, Patriots 20
Broncos 35, Colts 16
Seahawks 20, Packers 10
Panthers 28, Eagles 14

Conference Championships
Bengals 20, Broncos 10
Panthers 24, Seahawks 23

Super Bowl
Panthers 24, Bengals 21 in overtime in the snow