What should baseball’s Hall of Fame be?

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The rejections of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens by BBWAA voters raise this question.

Today in The Athletic, Jayson Stark posted a mailbag column in which he answered questions from readers about the Hall of Fame. Not that the Hall is a polarizing topic or anything like that, but Stark ended his article with this:

What kind of Hall of Fame do we want to have?

Just remember that if that answer is going to be “a Hall of Purity,” then...

Today in Cubs history: The Cubs trade for Ryne Sandberg

Ryne Sandberg with the Phillies in September 1981 | Photofile/MLB Archives via Getty Images

He was a little-known minor leaguer at the time. But this deal changed Cubs franchise history.

The Cubs finished 1981 with a 38-65 record, a .369 winning percentage that would have translated to a 60-102 record if not for the players’ strike that year. (And the way the team was playing before the strike, that 162-game record probably would have been worse.) They’d lost 98 games the year...

Former Cubs player and coach Gene Clines has passed away

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He played three years for the Cubs and later returned as a coach.

Gene Clines was an outfielder for the Cubs from 1977-79, and also played for the Pirates, Mets and Rangers, notably for the Pirates’ 1971 World Series champions.

Clines has passed away. He was 75 years old:

Former Pirate Gene Clines passed away at 75. Here’s a statement from Bucs president Travis Williams. pic.twitter.com/k0H9hQiT6F

Are MLB players and owners making progress in talks? It depends on who you ask

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

There’s still a wide gulf that has to be crossed to end the lockout.

MLB players and owners met twice this week and discussed some of the issues keeping them from making a deal. They’re supposed to meet again, though no specific date has been set.

I found two articles published not long after the second of these meetings happened, and depending on which one you read, you’d either be wildly optimistic or glumly pessimistic about baseball’s...

Cub Tracks’ votes are counted

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

The latest in our long-running series of #Cubs-related news articles. #MLB, #MiLB, too. This edition has some wolves.

Before we jump into the rest of Cub Tracks I wanted to take a moment to share a more personal link. As you know, our fellow writer Duane Pesice who normally runs this column has been sidelined due to illness. His friends have been helping take care of his feline companions while he’s away, but they’ve set up a GoFundMe to help...

BCB After Dark: Should the Cubs sign Suzuki?

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The hip party for night owls, early-risers and Cubs fans abroad asks whether the Cubs will and should sign Japanese star Seiya Suzuki.

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the swingin’-est hangout for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s our last party of the week and we’re so glad you could stop in. I see you’ve gotten our exclusive invitation. Dress is casual tonight. Make yourself at home. Pour yourself a beverage....

David Ortiz is the only player elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA in the last two years

David Ortiz hits a two run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during Game Two of the 2013 World Series | Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images

The process to enshrine baseball’s greatest stars is broken

For the first time in two seasons the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) elected a player into the Hall of Fame, with 77.9 percent of their voting members casting ballots for Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in his first year of eligibility. You will get no argument...

Cubs One of Four Finalists for Japanese Star Seiya Suzuki

The MLB lockout continues to persist as we creep into February. However, there is some encouraging news out of Japan. According to a report, Japanese star Seiya Suzuki has a short list of three or four teams and the Chicago Cubs are one of those four.

Wrigley Field historical sleuthing: Old scoreboard edition

This is a fantastic photo with great detail.

Credit where credit is due, here’s where I found this photo:

I came across this old photo in my uncles box. I love the scoreboard. pic.twitter.com/4EtNlFfVSO

This is a great look at the original pre-expansion board, and I’ve got a few comments on that but first let me tell you what date this is from.

On the NL side you see Brooklyn. On the AL side you see Kansas City. That means this...

‘Sudden-death baseball’ is going to be tried in the Frontier League in 2022

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... and I don’t hate the idea.

The Frontier League is an independent baseball minor league with teams in the Midwest and Northeast. Two of their clubs are based in the Chicago area (Joliet and Schaumburg).

The league is going to experiment in 2022 with what they are calling “sudden-death baseball”:

The @FLProBaseball has announced it will use "sudden death baseball" to settle tie games. After one extra inning if game remains tied, the home team chooses to hit or...

Outside The Confines: He’s Hall of Famous

Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images

Former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is heading to Cooperstown.

The Hall of Fame votes have been tallied, the numbers are in, and there will be one man and one man only going into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown this year from the BBWAA election, and that man is David Ortiz.

Ortiz, who has a slew of accolades to his name (three World Series rings, 10 All-Star appearances, seven Silver Sluggers, a WS MVP title, and even a Home Run Derby win) had the...

Baseball history unpacked, January 26

William Wrigley, Cubs owner, in 1928 | Photo by Chicago History Museum/Getty Images

A thrice-weekly look at #Cubs, #MLB, and #MiLB history.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue brings a you a light-hearted, Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past, with plenty of the lore and deep dives into various narratives that expand over the course of time. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow along.

Today in baseball history:

BCB After Dark: Who’s second-best?

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The late-night music club for night owls, early-risers and Cubs fans abroad asks you who the Cubs’ second-best prospect is.

It’s another edition of BCB After Dark: the baseball, music and movie club for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. So glad you could join us again tonight. Please come in and get warm. Let us take your hat and coat. No cover charge tonight. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to...

Cubs Ink RHP Eric Yardley to Minor League Deal

While the top story in baseball is the ongoing CBA negotiation between the owners and players, the Chicago Cubs continue to ensure their minor league group is being improved.

David Ortiz elected to Hall of Fame; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens fall short

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“Big Papi” is headed to Cooperstown.

David Ortiz, slugging DH for the Minnesota Twins and Red Sox who helped lead Boston to three World Series titles in 2004, 2007 and 2013, was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America in the vote revealed Tuesday, with 77.9 percent of the vote.

Ortiz, a 10-time All-Star, batted .286/.380/.552 with 541 home runs in a 19-year MLB career that began at Wrigley Field in September 1997. He hit 17...

Cubs Ink RHP Eric Yardley to Minor League Deal

While the top story in baseball is the ongoing CBA negotiation between the owners and players, the Chicago Cubs continue to ensure their minor league group is being improved.

MLB players and owners met again... and actually made some progress

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Not MUCH progress. But it wasn’t nothing.

The second day of negotiations between MLB players and owners took place Tuesday in New York City and there were actual concrete proposals made. Here’s a summary:

MLB proposed today to raise the minimum salary for players with 0 to 1 year of service time to $615,000. Previously had proposed $600,000. No change to 1-2 years (650k) or 2-3 (700). MLB also withdrew its proposals to...

Cubs historical sleuthing: Fergie Jenkins warmup edition

No clues here, you’re thinking. Again, you’d be wrong.

Before we begin, again, credit where it’s due. Here’s where I found this one:

"Old Days"Under the watchful eye of Mgr.Leo Durocher,
Chicago Cubs HOFer Ferguson Jenkins warms up for an early 1970s start at Wrigley Field..#Cubs #WrigleyField #chicago #Hof #1970s pic.twitter.com/xp7oBcOq6M

And I know what you’re thinking: C’mon, Al, you can’t possibly figure this one...

Announcement: A new commenting system is coming to Bleed Cubbie Blue

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Coming Thursday, comments will look different.

Hey everyone. I’m Tanya, and I oversee all of our baseball communities for SB Nation.

This Thursday will be a big day for our community: we’re moving our comments to a new platform, developed especially for SB Nation. All of our MLB communities will be moving to the new platform, and I’m excited about the change.

Some of you may already be familiar with this new platform as it rolled out to our NFL...

MLB owners are willing to miss games. Guess who that hurts? Right, we the fans

Photo by David Banks/Getty Images

Baseball owners seem to have forgotten one very important part of their business — their customers.

If you were cautiously optimistic over Monday’s report that MLB players and owners would meet for CBA negotiations for a second straight day, you might want to think again after reading this, via Evan Drellich at The Athletic:

In a meeting with the Players Association on Monday, Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Dan Halem said that MLB is...