Glad to see Murray and Carter get in. Very puzzled about Gossage, Sutter, LSmith, Sandberg and Blyleven. I'd also not complain about Rice, Kaat and John getting in, but I am usually for restricting entry to the top 10-12 at each position, and I think left fielders and right-handed starters are overrepresented as it is.

What about Rich Goosage of the Yankees? He was a pretty damn good reliever.

Eddie Murray deserved the trip to Cooperstown, but I never really thought that Gary Carter was Hall of Fame material. But it is surprising that Ryne Sandberg only got named on 49.2 percent of ballots (you need 75% to get voted in). Although I doubted he'd get in on the first ballot, I expected him to get much closer than that.

And it seems that the Baseball Writers Association of America doesn't give much respect to relief pitchers. Bruce Sutter was one of the pioneers of late-inning closers, as was Goose Gossage (and he was one of the most feared relief pitchers in his day). Lee Smith saved more games than any pitcher in the history of baseball. And only Sutter got more than 50% (Gossage and Smith hovered around 42%).

And what about Mitch Williams?? He's got to hold some kind of record for the most number of specularly blown saves. Come on! Who's in charge here?? :)

Gossage and Sutter!!!! They get my vote.

I was suprised at least one voter from Toronto didn't vote for Mitch Williams...

Gossage should be in, hands down. Sutter, too. Smith gets points for longevity but he was really never as feared as the other two relievers.

I was also bummed Fernando Valenzuela didn't get more support. I mean, the guy's still pitching now in Mexico. That should count for something. :) I still remember the Fernandomania song from the 80s...

"Fernando Valenzuela.. doo doo doo doo doo..."

The save is hard to quantify. It always will be.

THAT'S why they are having trouble getting in.

Sandberg is a Hall of Famer, but his journey will resemble Carter's.

He was great, but not overpowering great.

The thing about Ryno is that he was a prototype for today's second basemen....his stats today would be average, but during his time he dominated all other second basemen.

Sutter should go in just by virtue of his mastery of the split fingered fastball. Some pitchers throw it today, but nobody comes close to throwing it with the velocity and accuracy that Sutter did...damn thing looked like it was rolling across a table and then just dropped to the floor...at 90 miles an hour...made a lot of good hitters look like little leaguers....

Just think about what's going to happen 20 years from now when people will start pushing middle relievers for the hall of fame.. it's bad enought they're getting into the all-star game. Talk about hard to quantify.

If there's a worse "stat" out there than saves, it's definitely holds...

Too right, tcjsavannah! Do 'holds' get charted currently? I've never officially seen it in the boxscore, s o I'm wondering.

And when do you think Pete will finally be freed to get in?

Pete should never go in. Ever. Ever. Did I mention Ever? His gambling is enough to exclude him, but the undignified way in which he has handled himself since he was banned should leave no doubts whatsoever. A despicable man whose actions violated the integrity of the game, the Hall, and every player who played with or for him. Truly an ugly episode in a troubled sport.

CpnJim: Holds show up in the extended boxes (like the ones you see in USA Today or online) but not in your normal paper's page-two boxes.

Basically, any time you enter the game as a reliever and your team is leading and you exit the game with the lead still intact, you get a hold. So you could come in with a four-run lead, walk a batter, get taken out and you still get a hold. Bogus.

And I don't think Pete Rose will get in while he's alive because he's too arrogant to admit publicly that he did, in fact, gamble. After he's dead, he may get in - assuming there's still a Hall of Fame around by then.