how has the Closer mania damaged baseball? (Hardball Times)

(xost) Funny! I honestly don't think I've ever booed a player in person. I'd have to give that some thought. I did defiantly cheer Alomar a few times when he returned to Toronto as everyone around me booed him. (This was well before the charges that made him a pariah two years ago--his big offenses at the time were, of course, the spitting, and also sulking his way out of Toronto.)

I didn’t think I had it in me but I blame the environment

Other than Wagner/Jansen/Kimbrel, it will be a long time before another closer even has a shot. Edwin Diaz is the next active guy on the list with 209 saves.

This can only help them, in the same way that it helped Lee Smith. He wasn't viewed as HOF-worthy, but once enough time passes and nobody better is coming down the pipelines, the voters looked at his career more favourably in retrospect.

holy cow...didn't realize rivera had 652 saves! just a freakishly great career.

only thing about Lee Smith was he was a veteran's committee inductee, and i guess one could argue he held the career saves record for awhile. the other closers who are in the Hall have a kind of folk hero narrative, which Wagner has developed maybe even more in retirement, or they were pioneers like Sutter, Gossage, Fingers. Rivera had everything, plus just sheer statistical dominance beyond mere saves. i really do think w/closers these days, they need to be lights out the entire time for HOF consideration. i guess a career fade is permitted, but not mid-career meltdowns.

We're looking at you, Josh Hader.

Hoffman had 61 saves when he started his age 28 season and Rivera had 48, whereas Kimbrel had 186 saves at that point and Jansen had 142.

crazy

Only 11 innings, but schizo Kimbrel is back to the early-2010s version so far.

since that post, two consecutive blown saves and currently "day to day"!

I'm going to start hiring my services--I put the jinx on everyone I post about. Even the reverse jinx sometimes (the White Sox win two in a row).

"hiring out"

Someone had to take Sports Illustrated's place before they really do fold for good.

Emmanuel Clase is pretty impressive five years into his career. I didn't know who he was when he was suspended for PEDs (2020--good timing).