R.I.P.: Entertainers That Passed Away in 2017

Screencap of Tom Petty from the music video for "Don't Come Around Here No More"

As with every year, entertainers who have brought some sort of joy to your life pass away. This year was no different. In fact, there were some big names that passed away this year.

I bring you a list of the top 10 celebrity deaths that hit me the hardest. This is not to take away from those I don't mention below. For everyone, this list can be different and in a year crappy year like 2017, I could have easily made this list longer than 10 names. People like Nelsan Ellis, Chester Bennington, Mary Tyler Moore, Michael Parks, Robert Guillaume, and Malcolm Young could have made this list in any other year.

Rest in Peace to following 10 entertainers who made big impacts on me. (in no particular order)

1. Chris Cornell - This death was a big one for me. Chris Cornell was the front man for Soundgarden and eventually went on to Audioslave. Much of his music could have been the soundtrack for my high school and college years. He was behind hit songs such as "Black Hole Sun", "Blow Up the Outside World", "I Am the Highway", and much more. He was nominated for 15 Grammy Awards and had won twice, but his impact on the rock music world was substantial.

2. Fats Domino - Newer generations of music fans may not appreciate Fats Domino's impact on rock and roll, but he did sell over 65 million records before his passing this year. His hits include "Blueberry Hill", "Ain't That a Shame", and "I'm Walkin'". He was one of the premier piano players of his time and had a voice that went perfectly with the music he played. Because of his music achievements, rock and roll, blues, and R&B were forever changed.

3. Tom Petty - Tom Petty took music to another level. He not only recognized that the music was important, but during the time of MTV's music video domination, he also put out some of the best music videos of his time. His music was great for road trips and cruising the California coast. Selling over 80 million records, Petty was one of the best selling music artists of all-time. His hits include "Runnin' Down a Dream", "Refugee", and "I Won't Back Down". His music video for "Don't Come Around Here No More" is perhaps one of the best music videos ever produced.

4. Hugh Hefner - Not necessarily an entertainer himself, Hefner did contribute to igniting the sexual revolution via Playboy. He also hosted Playboy After Dark which opened the door to entertainers who may have never got a chance to make it in the mainstream. A popular joke, "I only read the magazine for its articles," was not necessarily untrue. Playboy featured interviews with political and civil rights leaders, featured short stories by legendary writers such as Hunter S. Thompson and Truman Capote, and more.

5. Jerry Lewis - Lewis was the slapstick comedian who partnered with Dean Martin to form the comedy duo of Martin & Lewis. Unfortunately, they ended up splitting up. Lewis didn't let this hurt his career as he moved on to star in movies such as The Nutty Professor, King of Comedy, and The Bellboy. Later on, he would become known for his telethons that raised money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

6. Adam West - Quite simply, Adam West was Batman for children who grew up from 1966 until the release of Tim Burton's movie. Yes, his portrayal was campy, but it was supposed to be. A Western actor before his three-year stint as the Caped Crusader, West would eventually become forever adored by comic book geeks all over the world.

7. Roger Moore - Not the best actor to portray James Bond, Moore was still a prominent enough actor to be knighted by the British Empire. His stint as 007 was longer than any other actor including Sean Connery and Pierce Bronson. He starred in Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, and The Spy Who Loved Me.

8. Don Rickles - Quite possibly the biggest entertainer death this year for me besides Adam West, Rickles was one of the last surviving unofficial members of the Rat Pack. His comedy made him a favorite and close friend to Frank Sinatra. So close, that Rickles was one of the last people to see Sinatra alive. He made over 100 appearances on the Tonight Show and rounded out his career by taking on voice acting roles in movies such as Toy Story. He can easily be argued as being one of the top standup comedians of all-time.

9. Chuck Berry - Another legendary rock musician, Berry was a member of the Chess Records stable. His hits include "Johnny B. Goode", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Rock and Roll Music", and "Maybellene". His guitar skills were unmatched at the time of his peak. His music was so significant that his song "Johnny B. Goode" is the only rock song that was included in the Voyager Golden Records that were sent to space and intended to be listened to by any future intelligent life forms to listen to.

10. Powers Boothe - Gaining notoriety for playing TV Detective Phillip Marlowe, Booth went on to play Curly Bill in Tombstone, Cy Tolliver in Deadwood, and Senator Roark in the Sin City movies. Nominated for various acting roles, Boothe was both an underrated actor and a star actor during his lifetime.

2018 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

Vladimir Guerrero swings at a pitch that bounced before hitting it for a double

Another year goes by and the Baseball Writers Association of America nears another vote for the Major League Hall of Fame. The new class features a couple of possible future hall of famers, but it's those who still are eligible from previous seasons that may demand more attention.

The new class of players that are first-time eligible include Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Andruw Jones, Johan Santana, Jamie Moyer, Johnny Damon, Omar Vizquel, and more. Players from previous years that are still eligible include Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Martinez, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mike Mussina, Manny Ramirez, Larry Walker, and more.

Despite the many choices, the BBWAA seems to be able to only agree on one or two players for the last several years despite each member possessing the ability to vote for up to 10 former players. 

I may not be a member of the BBWAA, but I give to you my votes for this year's ballot. Hopefully, other BBWAA members will act rationally and forget their biases against players that they did not like personally or want to accuse of using performance-enhancing drugs with no proof.

1. Trevor Hoffman - Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader, yet has been passed over twice so far. He received 74 percent of the vote last year. With 601 saves and a career ERA of 2.87, it seems beyond belief on how the BBWAA has passed him over, especially in an ERA when relief pitching has become predominant.

2. Vladimir Guerrero - Passed over last season, Vladimir Guerrero spent his career as one of the more feared hitters in the MLB. He hit 449 homers, had 181 stolen bases, a .318 batting average, and a cannon for an arm. Sure, he swung at everything, but he also hit everything. It is feasible that Guerrero is the last former Montreal Expo to be inducted to the hall if he is voted in.

3. Roger Clemens - Arguably one of the greatest pitchers of all-time is now up for his sixth go-around. 354 wins, a career ERA of 3.12, and 4,672 strikeouts. He's won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, is 9th all-time in wins, and 3rd all-time in strikeouts. His fastball inspired the nickname, Rocket. Accused of taking performance enhancing drugs, the biggest argument that voters are writing about is not the pharmaceutical help the claim he had, but the fact that they just thought he was an ass of a human being. There's nothing in the rules saying that attitude is a determining factor for the hall. The articles of late cite Roger Clemens cheating on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready and incidents like his toe-to-toe confrontation with Mike Piazza. If that is enough not to be inducted to the hall of fame, then players like Ty Cobb should be booted out as he may have killed two people and attacked a handicapped spectator during a game. Is Clemens an angel? No. Is he a hall of famer? Yes.

4. Barry Bonds - The other legend the BBWAA is holding a grudge against, Bonds is arguably one of the best hitters of all-time. He has the most homers of all-time with 762; 514 stolen bases; 1,996 RBI's (fifth of all-time); the most walks taken at 2,558; and the most intentional walks ever issued at 688. He also holds the single season record in homers with 73. He has won 7 MVP's, 8 Gold Gloves, and 12 Silver Sluggers. If other players such as Mike Piazza and Jeff Bagwell can be inducted to the hall of fame despite the accusations of performance enhancing drugs, Bonds should be eligible as well. No one seems to hold the admitted use of "greenies" by Hank Aaron and Willie Mays against them, so it even seems more unfair that Bonds should be held out of the hall for the accusations against him.

5. Fred McGriff - Silent in terms of headlines, McGriff was a scary hitter to face. He hit 493 homers, had a .284 career batting average, and drove in 1,550 career RBI's. Even though he played first base at the same time as Jeff Bagwell, Will Clark, John Kruk, Will Grace, and Andres Galarraga, McGriff still won three Silver Sluggers. If McGriff played in any other generation, he would be considered a hall of famer. What's even better, he's one of the few power hitters not accused of taking any PED's. 

6. Mike Mussina - Other than his rookie year, Mussina was a double digit winner in every season he ever played, retiring after winning 20 games in his last season. Mussina won 270 wins overall and had 2,813 career strikeouts. He was a top six candidate for the Cy Young Award 8 times in his career, but Mussina never placed better than second. He had also won 7 Gold Gloves during his career. Mussina was the ace for the Yankees and Orioles during his career and is worthy of hall consideration.

7. Billy Wagner - Able to reach 100 MPH on the radar, Wagner is sixth all-time in career saves with 422. That is only two less than the all-time lefty saves leader, John Franco. Wagner dominated as a closer and was one of the most feared relievers of all-time. His career ERA is 2.31, his career WHIP is 0.998, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Not once in Wagner's career did he ever have an ERA over 3.00 in a full season. 

8. Chipper Jones - This should be proof that the BBWAA should be able to vote for a player to make it to the hall, even if they don't like them. I'm not a fan of Chipper, but he is hall of fame worthy and he receives one of my 10 votes. Jones hit 468 career homers, had a career batting average of .303, and an on base percentage of .401. He also had 1,623 career RBI's. Jones won the MVP award in 1999 and led the National League with a .364 batting average in 2008. Like McGriff, Jones played at the same time as other top level third basemen such as Scott Rolen, Matt Williams, Robin Ventura, Ken Caminiti, and David Wright. This caused him not to get as much attention as being a star player at his position. 

9. Jim Thome - A power hitter who finished his career with 612 homers, in 22 seasons Thome never won an MVP award and only won one Silver Slugger. Despite being known for his power, Thome also only led the league once in homers. Still, Thome drove in 1,699 career RBI's and is 7th all-time in walks taken. He was often the left-handed power hitter that protected other all-stars such as Manny Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Paul Konerko, and more. 

10. Gary Sheffield - The nephew of Dwight Gooden, Sheffield hit 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. Sporting a .292 career batting average, Sheffield won five Silver Sluggers and was the cleanup hitter on the Florida Marlins team that defeated the Cleveland Indians in the World Series in 1997. Sheffield was also in the top 10 in MVP votes 6 times in his career. Sheffield also played at least 300 games at third base, left field, right field, and designated hitter. This will be Sheffield's fourth attempt at being voted in.