Another Cub makes the Hall
Former Cub Bruce Sutter was elected to the Hall of Fame today. Congratulations to Bruce. I was too young to remember him pitching for the Cubs, but I do remember him pitching for the Cardinals and Braves. He was the premiere reliever in all of baseball for about six or seven years, was the first “closer” in a modern sense, and he's been credited for popularizing the split-fingered fastball. Looking at his stats, though, I can't really figure out why he's been elected to the Hall ahead of a couple of other former Cubs relievers. Goose Gossage and Lee Smith. Gossage pitched much longer and had a longer period of dominance, and Smith is the all-time Saves leader. They both deserve entry at least as much as Sutter, in my opinion.
A couple of other retired Cubs deserve entry as well. Andre Dawson and Ron Santo, chief among them. Santo has to rely on the Veteran's committee for admission, but The Hawk will have another chance with the BBWAA next year. 61% of the voters etched his name down this year, while 75% is required to make the cut. Better luck next year, Andre.