Um...

Did UTC lose to Division II Carson-Newman last night?

So Long, Sylvester

Candidates for the soon-to-be available head coaching position at Mississippi State:

1) David Cutcliffe - UT Offensive Genius; would love to stick it to the Rebels up-state.
2) Tommy West - turned University of Memphis around, ought to leave now that cupboard (i.e. DeAngelo Williams) is empty.
3) Houston Nutt - he is always a candidate anytime there is a job opening.
4) Nick Saban - does anyone actually think he is going to stay at Alabama long?
5) Jackie Sherrill - sounds pretty good right about now, doesn't he?

Seriously, did Mississippi State look pathetic last night or what? You knew after their first offensive play from scrimmage that LSU was going to kill them. How sad is that - their very first play? It was a pass play into the flat that was so slow in developing that the LSU corner who read it had to throw on the brakes so as not to interfere with the receiver. It never got better from there - at least that pass was incomplete and not intercepted...

Sylvester Croom's tenure in Starkville has produced few wins and about as many points. In his fourth year, there is still no pop in the offense despite a defense that is pretty good (don't let the 45 points LSU hung on them fool you - the offense put the D in awful positions). They did not look ready to compete last night at home. Yes, LSU is good, but Mississippi State is really bad.

Let's all hope Croom can hang onto his job through 2008...because Tennessee plays the Bulldogs in each of the next two years.

Scrap-Iron Deserved Better Than the Scrapheap

"Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life."
- Napoleon Hill

Phil "Scrap-Iron" Garner was fired Monday, two years after leading the Houston Astros to their first World Series in franchise history. The former Vol took over the 'Stros at the All-Star break three years ago from the greatest 3rd base coach/worst manager ever Jimy Williams and managed them all the way to the NLCS before losing in 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals. The next year, the Astros conquered the Cards (and my Braves beforehand) before getting spanked by the White Sox in the Series. Last year, the Astros made a dramatic run down the stretch to come within one game of making the playoffs, falling short of the Cardinals (who went on to win the World Series).

To me, the hallmark of Garner's tenure as Astros skipper was his loyalty to his players. When Houston sports radio was overwhelmed with 'the sky is falling' rants from frustrated fans, Garner would come onto the air to say that a hit here or a good start there would turn things around. He was calm and steady, remembering that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. And the Astros responded each year.

Until this season.

The Astros have struggled this year, thanks largely to injuries (Jennings, Everett, Pence, Backe), exits (Clemens & Pettitte) and slumps (Berkman, Ensberg, Lidge). If anyone is to blame for the struggles in Houston, it is now-former GM Tim Purpura who made a series of moves in the off-season that all fell flat. Signing Woody Williams and trading for Jason Jennings have both been disasters, though I'll admit I liked both moves coming into the year.

Carlos Lee has been a nice addition, but the offense hasn't improved with Biggio's diminishing skills, Morgan Ensberg's free-fall since his All-Star appearance and the continued non-production from the leadoff hitter as well as catcher and shortstop positions. Pupura's inability to add offensive punch (post-World Series big move? Preston Wilson...) over the past couple of years helped doom Garner.

So did Roger Clemens. For the past three years, the Astros have been hamstrung by Clemens "maybe I will, maybe I won't" routine, unable to sign free agents, losing games while Clemens does his Spring Training during June, and then this year ending up with nothing as Clemens bolted for the Big Apple for a chance to win (how's that going for you, Rocket?).

Or you can blame Carlos Beltran, who broke the heart of the entire city when he turned down Houston's money after his magical post-season in 2005 to play for the Mets. The Astros put all their eggs in the Beltran basket, letting other free agents be signed away in the hopes of keeping their star center-fielder, and came up empty.

Or you can blame Jeffrey Skilling. He really screwed things up for a bunch of Houstonians.

But blaming Garner? Where is the loyalty? Garner salvaged years of work in 2004 that was ready to be blown up as the 'Stros were under .500 and out of contention with the likes of Bagwell, Biggio, Kent, Berkman, Oswalt, Clemens, Pettitte, etc.. It was Garner who got them turned around and into the post-season, one win away from the World Series.

It was Garner who dealt with Clemens' self-serving schedule and demands for three years, keeping both him and his teammates happy throughout.

It was Garner who managed the team to its only World Series appearance. Ever.

Garner was rewarded for his loyalty to guys who failed to get the job done with a pink slip. Brad Ausmus. Brad Lidge. Morgan Ensberg. Jason Lane. Craig Biggio. It might have been Garner's loyalty to Biggio that hurt him more than anything. He batted Biggio leadoff despite his inability to get on base. He played against right-handed pitching despite hitting below .200 against it. He failed to set the table for Berkman and Lee on a nightly basis. Yet Garner remained loyal, batting him 1st and believing the future Hall of Famer would get it going soon. He never did. If Garner had used his baseball brain, he would have sat Biggio or at least moved him to 7th in the line-up. But then, Garner would have been attacked for treating the greatest Astro of all-time so shabbily. Now Garner's loyalty to Biggio has cost him his job.

Drayton McLane's logic of the Astros needing a "fresh start" in late August is laughable.

The current Astros line-up can't compete in the weakest division in baseball. How is it Garner's fault? Perhaps a fresh start at GM, but not in the dugout. Garner, who at times is certainly a perplexing game manager, is not the problem with this team. He was once the solution to McLane's problems. Now he is the scapegoat.

The irony is that Garner was the voice of loyalty to his team and then was shown none when his team struggled. There is a reason the Astros have only won 2 playoff series in their existance and it was on display Monday.

The Forgotten Hall of Famer

When I was a kid, I had a baseball book that became my Bible for the summer. I don't remember the name of it, but it had a dark blue cover and more individual information about each MLB player than I had ever seen before. It told me where they were from, their career stats, where they got their hits, how to get them out, even where they did their dry-cleaning. I devoured the thing from April to October.

I remember one page in particular that was highlighted in the top corner by the exclamation, "Hall of Famer." Not "Maybe" or "Potential" - just "Hall of Famer."

Today, that player trails the likes of Steve Garvey and Don Mattingly in Hall of Fame voting and seems destined to be left out of Cooperstown. The man?

Dale Murphy.

What was happened to Murph? When I was a kid, Murphy was the man. The Braves may have stunk - and man, did they stink - but Murphy was a superstar in the middle of the line-up, hitting home runs, winning Gold Gloves & MVPs and being the type of athlete that parents wanted their kids to admire.

My friends and I used to play Home Run Derby, and Murphy was always a popular pick. If you were #3, you got to do the pre-swing bat waggle down at your feet (just inviting that low-inside fastball that you would turn on into the Fulton County Stadium seats), then lift it high over your head with a slight cocking motion toward the over-matched pitcher. We all practiced his stance because we all wanted to be him - a Hall of Fame ballplayer.

So why isn't Murphy in the Hall? He isn't even close to being in the Hall. He isn't even in the conversation of being in the Hall. The list of Who's Out But Ought To Be In includes Goose Gossage, Andre Dawson, Jim Rice...but where is Murphy's name? Where is the outcry for #3?

First, let's make the case for Murphy:

*From 1981-1990 - led the majors in HRs and RBI
*1982 & 1983 MVP (the only 2-time MVP other than Roger Maris who isn't in the Hall)
*7 time All-Star
*5 Gold Gloves
*4 Silver Slugger awards
*398 career HRs
*Led league in HRs twice
*30/30 season in 1983

That resume doesn't get a sniff of the Hall?

Let's compare Murphy to Andre Dawson, who has the best chance of an offensive player of getting into Cooperstown in 2008. Dawson hit 438 HRs to Murphy's 398, but Murphy hit more than Dawson from 81-90 during both player's primes & Dawson played about 3 seasons longer than Murphy. Dawson also outhit Murphy (2774 to 2111), but Murphy's OBP of .346 is higher than Dawson's .323. Murphy won 2 MVPs; Dawson won only 1 (though he did win Rookie of the Year). Both hit in hitter-friendly parks (Wrigley for Dawson; the "Launching Pad" for Murphy). Both went to All-Star games on a consistent basis. Both won multiple Gold Gloves (Dawson had 8 to Murphy's 5). Both players also hit in the middle of lousy line-ups, so their numbers are hurt by years of seeing nothing to hit with no protection behind them.

Both are Hall of Famers.

What is shocking to me, even more so than Murphy not being in the Hall already, is how far away he is from ever getting there! Steve "He's not my Padre" Garvey? Alan Trammell? Dave Parker? Don Mattingly?

Murphy was always in a different class from these guys. They were nice players - Murphy was a superstar. He was the face of the Braves franchise. He was a pure slugger who could field his position. He was a Hall of Famer.

But he isn't.

Why not? The knocks on Murphy deserve consideration & debunking.

1) 398 HR - Murphy failed to reach the 400 milestone. Many voters and fans remember how he tried to hang on with the Colorado Rockies at the end to get it, despite having dramatically lost his bat speed. 400 does not sound like much today, when players are eclipsing 500, 600, 700..., but Murphy is 45th all-time and hit more dingers than Joe DiMaggio, Bobby Bonds, Johnny Bench, Orlando Cepeda, Gil Hodges and Ozzie Smith - all Hall of Famers (joking about the Wizard).

2) Post-season - Murphy never won a championship, never won a pennant and only went to the playoffs with the Braves once (1982). He wasn't around for the magical 1991 season or any of the thirteen subsequent ones when the Braves were a playoff staple. Murphy's Braves were awful - post-season hopes were usually dashed by the All-Star Break if not Spring Training. No starting pitching, no bullpen, and no offense around Murphy on those teams. Not only did this hurt his numbers, but it also kept him from gaining recognition the way an Ozzie Smith, Kirby Puckett or even Steve Garvey got it. Murphy's numbers were compiled in lots and lots of meaningless Braves losses.

3) .265 batting average - Murphy was not a .300 hitter. He struck out often and could be icy cold at the plate - sometimes for entire seasons. His average, like all his numbers, is hurt by having no help in the line-up throughout much of his career. Murphy had Bob Horner & Gerald Perry hitting in his line-up; Jim Rice had Boggs & Yaz, Dawson had Raines & Sandberg, etc. Murphy's .265 is also higher than many Cooperstown residents, including Reggie Jackson (.262), Ozzie Smith (.262), Gary Carter (.260), Bill Mazoroski (.260) and Harmon Killebrew (.256).

4) Career decline - Murphy's was dramatic. He was a dominating player from 1982-1987, but after those six seasons, his production fell substantially. His batting average dipped toward Mendoza line levels, his RBI production slipped and his Hall of Fame luster started to wear off. There is no denying this decline. It was hard for me as a kid to watch Murphy struggle to catch up to inside fastballs he once crushed. In his defense, those were the worst of the worst Braves teams. After years of being pitched around, Murphy started swinging at bad balls and, combined with his deteriorating bat speed, his production suffered. He was terrible for the Phillies and worse for the Rockies.

Knowing what we now know about steriods and baseball, Murphy's decline deserves some reconsideration. There is no doubt Murphy was a clean player - he is one of the squeaky-cleanest players who have ever played the sport. A devout Mormon, Murphy was strict in his on and off the field behaviors. The same cannot be said for many of his contemporaries. 1988 saw the beginning of Murphy's decline - Jose Canseco was the AL MVP that season. Though the steriod boom would not explode until the 1990s (it becomes difficult to find an MVP from the decade who doesn't raise at least a little suspicion), there is no doubt it had leaked into the game during Murphy's final years. What if Murphy took some of the juice that was prevalent among his offensive contemporaries as well as the pitchers who were suddenly blowing it by him? What if he put up 400+ HRs, raised his career average and played another 3-5 years? Is he in the Hall then?

2008 is the year for Dale Murphy's Hall of Fame credentials to be re-examined. There are no Ripkens or Gwynns on the ballot in 2008 (though Tim Raines ought to get more consideration than he will...), so this is the best opportunity for Murphy's career to get new consideration. In an era clouded by scandal and steriods, Murphy's numbers are without question or controversy. Let's save our breaths debating the merits of Rose, McGwire and Palmerio and finally put a true Hall of Famer into Cooperstown where he belongs.