Since Tuesday, the media has focused on the election of Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. to the Baseball Hall of Fame (BHOF) near the Tank's hometown in Cooperstown, New York.  No argument here.  By all accounts, they are good guys who stayed true to their teams.  In the era of free agency, they are a dying breed.  Congratulations Tony and Cal!

Mark McGwire, the other best known first-time player up for nomination to the BHOF, was thankfully not elected to the BHOF and only received 23 percent of the votes.  Where do I begin about the case about McGwire?  There was his infamous March 17, 2005, Congressional testimony where he didn't want to talk about the past only to be outdone by Sammy Sosa needing a translator and Rafael Palmeiro waving his finger in front of Congress ala President Clinton during the 1998 Monica Lewinsky Scandal.  The Tank noticed that MLB tried to put it on Saint Patrick's Day while everyone was drunk (except the Tank) and/or watching March Madness (ok, I was).  Ever since his Congressional testimony, McGwire has been less visible than Osama Bin Laden.  Did McGwire murder thousands of innocent people?  No, but he did cheat on baseball.

However, just in case McGwire got elected, Steve and The Tank have made the necessary preparations to protest his election and block his induction to the BHOF.  The only question was where we would protest first, i.e. the BHOF, outside MLB offices, Congress, or the United Nations.  Since the Tank is from the Cooperstown area, I already started mapping out the road blockades and double-checked some of the routes while coming back from Christmas services that past Sunday.  Road blocks will be manned by the Tank's State Trooper and other law enforcement friends.  The local airports will be patrolled by agents of SteveAndTheTank.com.  Lake Otsego would be patrolled by the Tank's brother-in-law's Jim's fishing boat.  Hey, it's a very scenic lake but not big enough for a Coast Guard vessel sailed by the Tank's college friend Bill.  You don't even want to know what I have in mind for Pete Rose if he gets in while alive, God Forbid.  Since Pete is serving a lifetime ban, I may consider letting him in after he passes from the Earth since I am a compassionate person and idolized him as a player even though he betrayed me and others by betting on baseball.

I could go on all day about McGwire and even longer about Pete Rose who I protested at the 2001 BHOF Induction Ceremony.  However, I want to focus on a more worthy candidate, Goose Gossage.  Goose was a lifesaver of a CLOSER for the Yankees of the late 1970s.  Goose didn't always strike out Hall of Famer George Brett everytime but he got Brett out most of time, usually with lots on the line.  (BTW, The Tank attended Brett's BHOF induction in 1999.  It was a great class along with other Brett and Gossage contemporaries like Nolan Ryan, Robin Yount, and overdue inductee Orlando Cepada.)

Goose is discriminated against because he got the two or three INNING, not out, save.  He sometimes had more wins than starting pitchers because he worked so hard and often.  Therefore, he doesn't have as many saves as even Mariano Rivera, the greatest reliever of all time, nor Trevor Hoffman, the so-called greatest reliever of all time according to once great but now journalist rag "Sports Illustrated" which the Tank still boycotts including the Swimsuit Issue. 

In my research, it's hard to find writers who publicly vote against Goose as opposed to Red Sox slugger Jim Rice who also belongs in the BHOF but who had a very acerbic relationship with the media.  The Tank finds some solace and hope for Goose.  In 2006, Rice had one more vote than Goose but Goose overtook him in 2007 to have 71 percent of the vote, just short of the necessary 75 percent for induction.  Whoever has gotten 70 plus percent one year normally gets in the next, touch wood.  Barring a tearful McGwire mea culpa on Orpah or ESPN and the writers drastically changing their minds (you have to keep in mind who else is on the ballot and garnering votes), Goose will hopefully get in 2008, God Willing.  Whenever you argue on behalf of Goose, please keep his career statistics and against opposing batters in mind and please keep lighting the candles and praying for Goose's BHOF induction -- many thanks in advance.

Posted by The Tank in NY.

P.S. Since the Tank is a firm believer in freedom of speech, please check out "Medford Bob Says..." in the next post for an alternative view -- many thanks in advance.