The 2020 Hall of Fame Millhouse Ballot

Photo of Paul Konerko by Daniel Millhouse

It's two days away from the announcement for the new class of Major League Baseball players who will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Multiple classes have passed since some of the eligible players connected to the steroids accusations started popping up on the ballots, and still, to this day, are debates about whether some of these players should be inducted. 

Some make the case that Barry Bonds shouldn't get in, but then they voted for Mike Piazza, Jim Thome, and Ivan Rodriguez. Because they're more likeable perhaps, but that should not be a determination on whether a player gets in. Ty Cobb killed at least one person and was a known ass to so many. Several of the legends who played between the 1950's and 1970's have admitted to taking "greenies," which helped slow down the game for them. 

And the other debate of the baseball hall vote came to a close last year when Mariano Rivera became the first player to earn 100 percent of the vote. It's hard to justify why he is the first when so many players before him should have also earned 100 percent of the vote. How players like Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Ted Williams didn't receive 100 percent is beyond ridiculous. Hell, Cy Young, who the award for best pitcher of the season is named after, only received 76 percent of the vote. The Babseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) needs to take a look within and reassess how they determine who should get in and who doesn't. The writers hold grudges and aren't afraid to hide it. 

With that said, the following would be the players on my ballot if I was a member of the BBWAA. This is 2020:

1. Derek Jeter: The Captain led the Yankees through their most recent dynasty. Racking up almost 3,500 hits in his career, Jeter was on pace at one point to break the all-time hits record until his ankle injury slowed him down. He had a .310 career batting average and over 358 stolen bases to match. There are some that try to make the claim that he doesn't deserve to go, but they are wrong. Jeter not only should make it to Cooperstown, he should be the next 100 percent player.

2. Barry Bonds: It's his eighth year on the ballot. He's the all-time homerun leader, with a .298 career batting average, 514 stolen bases, eight Gold Gloves, seven MVP's, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had a career on base percentage of .444. One writer has argued that Bonds' stats are good enough to get in, but because he doesn't have a World Series ring, he shouldn't get in. That writer needs to be kicked out from voting.

3. Roger Clemens: Another player that the BBWAA has denied for eight years, Clemens has 354 wins, is third all-time on the strikeouts list, in the top 10 all-time in WAR (for the sabermetric nerds), had a career ERA of 3.12, and he won seven Cy Young Awards and one MVP. It has been cited that a reason not to vote him in is because he cheated on his wife with country music star Mindy McCready, but that is between him and his wife. If that's a reason not to vote a player in, I'm sure there's multiple current Hall of Famers who have done that and even worse.

4. Billy Wagner: Wagner is the most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, but he only managed to get 16 percent of the vote last season and is now on his fifth ballot. He has 422 saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than one, and a career strikeout ratio of 11.9 per nine innings, which is the best in MLB history. 

5. Andy Petite: He was the silent-type on a pitching rosters that included Clemens, Mike Mussina, C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, and Dwight Gooden. Still, he was not only consistent, he was a top level pitcher for so many years. He racked up 256 career wins, was in the top six in the Cy Young Award voting five times, and for those who factor post season play into their voting, he had a 19-11 record. Sometimes, a hall of famer doesn't need to be the loudest player on his team. It would also be nice to see Petite go in during the same years as his former teammate, Jeter.

6. Gary Sheffield: Speaking of Dwight Gooden, his nephew, Gary Sheffield, is another player looking to make it to the Hall. He had 509 career homers and drove in 1,676 RBI's. A .292 batting average and five Silver Slugger Awards also help make his case. Also solidifying his case is the fact that he finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting six times in his career.

7. Jeff Kent: The case against him is that he managed to find a way to be even less friendly to the press than his former teammate, Bonds. Jeff Kent hit the most homers in history for a second baseman. His modesty is unmatched (note the sarcasm) as he bragged that he was better than other Hall of Famer second basemen at fielding, except for Roberto Alomar. He wasn't as bad as his reputation, but he wasn't good either. Still, his offensive stats alone show that he still should be in based on his play on the field.

8. Paul Konerko: Another silent-type of player, Konerko blasted 439 homers, appeared in six all-star games, and earned MVP votes in five seasons. He also had 1,412 RBI's. No, he was not as loud of a home run leader like Sammy Sosa, Bonds, or McGwire, but he did have seven seasons in which he hit 30 or more homers, two of which he hit over 40. For the voters throwing other players on the steroids bus, Konerko was one of the few power hitters of his generation not to be accused of using anything.

9. Larry Walker: This one was a hard one for me, but for different reasons than what the BBWAA cites. They opening ding Walker for playing for the Colorado Rockies and in the Mile High Stadium air. My reason for years was different. Out of his 17 seasons, playing at a position such as outfield, he only played over 145 games in a season once. In fact, in five of those seasons, he played in about half a season or less. This is why I had so much internal struggle in whether or not to vote for him. But despite the injuries, he still hit 383 homers, had a career batting average of .313, and had a career on base percentage of .400. His arm was legendary, he earned three batting titles, and he won the MVP in 1997. He played over half of his career games on the road, and while yes, he hit better while playing at home, so did many other players. He also boasted seven Gold Glove Awards, showing that he was more than just offense.

2019 Millhouse Major League Baseball Awards

Photo of Alex Bregman - Taken by Daniel Millhouse

So, now that the season is done, it's that time of year for me to announce the winners of the Millhouse 2019 Major League Baseball Awards. Yes, I usually announce them before the official awards are announced, but I was pretty set on my picks and promise that I was not swayed by the official vote. I've also included a list of my preseason picks for comparison purposes.

To those that have won a Millhouse Award, feel free to email and the next time you're in the Menifee, California area, I will buy you a coffee or beer, your choice.

Also, worth noting, my preseason prediction for the World Series was the Houston Astros vs. Washington Nationals/Philadelphia Phillies during the preseason.

American League:
MVP - My pick is Alex Bregman. This one was a neck-to-neck one for me because Mike Trout deserved it just as much about. If you're a sabermetrics guy (which I am not), Trout let the American league in Offensive Wins Above Replacement (Offensive WAR), but Bregman led the American League in Overall WAR. Bregman played both third base and shortstop this season and was the most important position player on a star-studded team that nearly won the World Series. Trout had more homers (45 to Bregman's 41), but Bregman scored more runs, drove in more RBI's, and had a slightly higher batting average. 

Overall Picks - Alex Bregman, 2. Mike Trout, 3. DJ LaMahieu, 4. Marcus Semien, 5. George Springer

Preseason Picks - Alex Bregman, 2. Mike Trout, 3. Aaron Judge, 4. George Springer, 5. Mookie Betts.

Cy Young - Justin Verlander is my pick, but his teammate, Gerrit Cole, was pretty close to winning this one as well. Definitely one of the best one-two punches in the American League in the last several years, both pitchers were key to the Astros going to the World Series; between the two of them they started 77 of the 162 regular season games. Verlander nudges out the award over Cole, although Cole established himself as possibly the most desirable free agent this off-season.

Overall Picks - Justin Verlander, 2. Gerrit Cole, 3. Charlie Morton, 4. Shane Bieber, 5. Lucas Giolito

Preseason Picks - Justin Verlander, 2. Chris Sale, 3. Corey Kluber, 4. Charlie Morton, 5. Mike Clevinger

Rookie of the Year - Yordan Alvarez is my pick and was a pretty clear-cut winner for this one. I usually ding rookies who don't get a large portion of their first season on the Major League roster, but Alvarez squeezed a whole season worth of stats into his partial season. Called up in June, he still hit .313 with 27 homers and 78 RBI's.

Overall Picks - Yordan Alvarez, 2. John Means, 3. Eloy Jimenez, 4. Luis Arraez, 5. Brandon Lowe

Preseason Picks - Jesus Luzardo, 2. Yusei Kikuchi, 3. Vlad Guerrero Jr., 4. Eloy Jimenez, 5. Brandon Lowe

Fireman of the Year - Aroldis Chapman

Manager of the Year - Rocco Baldelli

Breakout Player of the Year - Tim Anderson (preseason pick - Tim Anderson)

Silver Sluggers - C Mitch Garver, 1B Jose Abreu, 2B DJ LaMhieu, 3B Alex Bregman, SS Marcus Semien, OF Mike Trout, George Springer, Mookie Betts, DH Nelson Cruz

National League:
MVP - Christian Yelich is my pick for the National League. He was a 40/30 player (homers/stolen bases) who led the National League with a .329 batting average, had 100 runs scored, 97 RBI's, and had an incredible .429 on base percentage. Bellinger won this award, but Yelich meant more for his team and carried them on his shoulders for a while.

Overall Picks - Christian Yelich, 2. Anthony Rendon, 3. Cody Bellinger, 4. Nolan Arenado, 5. Ronald Acuna Jr.

Preseason Picks - Nolan Arenado, 2. Christian Yelich, 3. Manny Machado, 4. Freddie Freeman, 5. David Peralta

Cy Young - Jacob deGrom is my pick. Not too many times you'll see a Cy Young Award winner with 11 wins unless he's a reliever, but deGrom pitched on the Mets and still put up great numbers. If he played on a playoff team, he would have put up more wins, easily.

Overall Picks - Jacob deGrom, 2. Kirby Yates, 3. Max Scherzer, 4. Hyun-Jin Ryu, 5. Jack Flaherty

Preseason Picks - Max Scherzer, 2. Aaron Nola, 3. Jacob deGrom, 4. Patrick Corbin, 5. Walker Buehler

Rookie of the Year - This was a pretty big no-brainer with Pete Alonso smacking 53 homers in his rookie season. The Polar Bear edges out Matt Soroka who would be one of my top-10 picks for the Cy Young this year. Breaking the rookie record for homers while having 120 RBI's pretty much solidified this for me.

Overall Picks - Pete Alonso, 2. Matt Soroka, 3. Fernando Tatis Jr., 4. Dakota Hudson, 5. Bryan Reynolds

Preseason Picks - Chris Paddack,  2, Pete Alonso, 3. Brendan Rogers, 4. Victor Robles, 5. Luis Urias

Fireman of the Year - Kirby Yates

Manager of the Year - Craig Counsell

Breakout Player of the Year - Ketel Marte

Silver Sluggers - C JT Realmuto, 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Ozzie Albies, 3B Anthony Rendon, SS Trevor Story, OF Christian Yelich, Cody Bellinger, Ronald Acuna Jr.

Bullpen Days are Pointless

Photo of Kevin Quackenbush by Daniel Millhouse

Baseball is a game of traditions, but everything changes with time. Of course, there should be adaptations as the game progresses on. New changes to the baseball glove, new types of wood used for the bats, no smoking in the dugout - Keith Hernandez is still probably angry about this one.

But as the game progresses, there have been some changes that make no complete sense. I've wanted previously about the shift and still hate the damn thing.

Today, I rant about bullpen days. This is the turn in the rotation in when a team starts a relief pitcher instead of a starter. Depending on the tram, they follow up by pitching a starter in the second and subsequent innings or use more relief pitchers to get through the game.

Sabermetrics advocates argue that since relievers tend to have better stats on average than starters (e.g. ERA), that facing an opposing team's top three hitters with a reliever will lower a the odds of a team scoring throughout the game. These stats posted by the relievers incorporate all their experiences in facing hitters of all spots in the batting order. Put a reliever with a 2.50 overall ERA against a team's top three hitters every time and their ERA would not continue to be 2.50 ERA.

Secondly, it hurts a team's bullpen. Using relievers too much tires them out, especially when they're being asked to pitch multiple games in a row. Teams that use multiple relievers in a game, intentionally, can find themselves hurting in the games that follow, especially if the starters in the following games falter and the team needs to turn to their bullpen to get through those games.

To make up for the increased usage in relievers, over the years, teams have placed more relievers on their rosters and reduced the number of position players. Being a former pitcher myself, you would think I would be for this, but I'm not. It reduces the strategy it tight situations when it comes to bringing in a pinch-runner or hitter. It also can weaken some teams as they have to develop a player to be a super-utility player, hurting a team on defense when their player is forced to play a position they have no business playing.

If bullpen days actually worked, as well as the shift supposedly does, there would be a decrease in the MLB'S offensive numbers. Instead more homers are being hit, teams are scoring more runs, and baseball in general just starts getting too micromanaged. The fun of the game is taken away and it slows down each time a new reliever gets brought in. The MLB wants to try to speed up games...this is one of the reasons it's slowing down.

2019 Millhouse Major League Baseball Predictions

Photo by Daniel Millhouse of Luis Urias (using filter)

A new baseball season is upon us and as usual, it's prediction time for the upcoming season. Last season, my predictions included Christian Yellich being a top five candidate for MVP (he won). This year, we'll see if I'm right again at the end of this year.

American League:

AL East: 1. New York Yankees, 2. Boston Red Sox, 3. Tampa Bay DEVIL Rays, 4. Toronto Blue Jays, 5. Baltimore Orioles...

The Yankees were already a power house last season, butt they found themselves in the same division, let alone league, that featured the other most powerful team in baseball. This past offseason, the Yankees loaded up. They improved their starting pitching with the additions of J.A. Happ and James Paxton, retained Zach Britton to form the best bullpen in baseball with Aroldis Chapman, Dellin Betances, and Chad Green added to the mix, they obtained DJ Lemahieu to fill in until the summer when Didi comes back, and they retained Luke Voit, to strengthen their corner. The Red Sox lost their closer and their bullpen is a little shakier this season, which is still good enough to get into the playoffs possibly, but not good enough to stave off the Yankees. The Rays will give the Red Soz a run for second place. On a side note, the Orioles are my pick for the worst team in the MLB this season.

AL Central: 1. Cleveland Indians, 2. Minnesota Twins, 3. Chicago White Sox, 4. Detroit Tigers, 5. Kansas City Royals...

The Indians will take the division again behind a stacked starting pitching staff and the great hitting from Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez. What should be taken note is that the Twins will rise up and win over 90 games. Their hitting approved with the additions of Nelson Cruz, C.J. Cron, Marwin Gonzalez, and Jonathan Schoop. Jake Odorizzi also should have a step-up year that will improve the team as a whole. This year is make or break for Bryan Buxton and Miguel Sano. Both have shown flashes of talent and of horror. The White Sox will hit middle ground, but may have a breakout player in Eloy Jimenez.

AL West: 1. Houston Astros, 2. Oakland Athletics, 3. ANAHEIM Angels, 4. Seattle Mariners, 5. Texas Rangers...

The Astros again are the favorite to win the AL West. Despite losing Marwin Gonzalez, they still managed to improve their offense by adding Michael Brantley and upgrading at catcher by adding Robinson Chirinos. Their pitching staff is a top three in the MLB and their bullpen is even stronger by retaining Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly. The Oakland A's are in a high ceiling/high reward scenario. They have rookies and younger players who are now in place to break out. Ramon Laureno, Jesus Luzardo, and Jurickson Profar will either step up or fall flat on their faces. If they do, the Angels will be right there to take second and would have been a more sure bet to take second if they had improved on their pitching. The Angels wisely signed Trout to a long term contract, but failed to pick up free agents pitchers such as Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Wade Miley, Marco Estrada, or Tyson Ross.

Award Winners:
MVP - Alex Bregman...the easy answer is to say Mike Trout, but Bregman will be in his age 25 season, fresh off a 30+ homer season and appearing to have improved even more during this past offseason. 2. Mike Trout, 3. Aaron Judge, 4. George Springer, 5. Mookie Betts; next 5 in no particular order, J.D. Martinez, Matt Chapman, Tommy Pham, Eddie Rosario, and Jose Altuve.

Cy Young - Justin Verlander...fresh off signing a contract extension, the ace pitcher for the Astros was second place in the voting last season. If he can lead the Astros to the World Series, the writers will surely consider Verlander one of the top candidates. 2. Chris Sale, 3. Corey Kluber, 4. Charlie Morton, 5. Mike Clevinger; next 5 in no particular order, Gerrit Cole, Blake Snell, Matt Boyd, Yusei Kukuchi, Marcus Strohman

Rookie of The Year - Jesus Luzardo...his rise to the Majors has caught the attention of everyone. Match that with a great Spring Training and the A's feel like they have a potential future star for years to come. 2. Yusei Kikuchi 3. Vlad Guerrero Jr., 4. Eloy Jimenez, 5. Brandon Lowe

Breakout Player - Tim Anderson

Comeback Player - Gary Sanchez

All-AL Team - C Gary Sanchez, 1B Matt Olson, 2B Jose Altuve, 3B Alex Bregman, SS Francisco Lindor, OF Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, George Springer, DH Khris Davis, P Justin Verlander

National League:

NL East: 1. Philadelphia Phillies, 2. Washington Nationals, 3. Atlanta Braves, 4. New York Mets, 5. FLORIDA Marlins...

The Phillies have risen and have their best roster since they were led by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Additions of Bryce Harper, Jean Segura, J.T. Realmuto, and Andrew McCutcheon to their everyday staff and an established closer in David Robertson, boost the Phillies to a neck to neck finish with the Nationals. The Nats lost Harper, but are still strong in the outfield with Victor Robles, Adam Eaton, and Juan Soto. They also added Patrick Corbin to their pitching staff, who makes for possibly the best number three pitcher in baseball this season.

NL Central: 1. Milwaukee Brewers, 2. St. Louis Cardinals, 3. Chicago Cubs, 4. Pittsburgh Pirates, 5. Cincinnati Reds...

The Milwaukee Brewers hold on to the NL Central, but not by as much as last season. They managed to upgrade at catcher by adding Yasmani Grandal, but their pitching staff is still full of good pitchers, but not great pitchers. Moose Moustakas will be moving over to second base now, which should provide for an interesting experiment, especially when someone slides hard into him while breaking up a double play.  The Cubs may drop down but still can play spoiler and take second place if everyone plays up to their potential. The Cards upgraded by adding Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller to their roster which should be enough to boost them to second place.The Reds made some noise during the offseason but may now feature a dysfunctional clubhouse if they let Yasiel Puig influence the younger players making up their team.

NL West: 1. Los Angeles Dodgers, 2. San Diego Padres, 3. Colorado Rockies, 4. Arizona Diamondbacks, 5. San Francisco Giants...

The Dodgers will take the NL West again, but their southern neighbors have done enough to close the gap between the two. The Dodgers blew some better trade offers they had in the past for Puig, but they still managed to clear him out of the way, leaving room for them to add AJ Pollock. Once untouchable, Clayton Kershaw's back is giving out on him, possibly due to his unique pitching style, which leaves a giant hole in the Dodgers' starting pitching. The Padres feature the top minor league system in the MLB and some of those minor league stars will be on the roster this season, led by their unsuspected pickup of Manny Machado. The pitching staff is their biggest question mark, but the several of their youngsters have potential to break out this season. If not, the Rockies hitting will lead them into second place.

Award Winners:
MVP - Nolan Arenado...Leader in the National League for home runs last season, Nolan is about as complete of a player one can be. Not only does he hit for power and average, but he has the best glove at third base in Major League Baseball. After being top five in the MVP voting the last three seasons, it's about time for him to take home the award this season; 2. Christian Yellich, 3. Manny Machado, 4. Freddie Freeman, 5. David Peralta; next five in no particular order, Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Trevor Storey, Anthony Rizzo, Max Scherzer

Cy Young - Max Scherzer...For the past six years in a row, Scherzer has finished in the top 10 in the Cy Young voting, including winning it three times. He hit the 300 strike out mark last season and could approach that number again this year; 2. Aaron Nola, 3. Jacob deGrom, 4. Patrick Corbin, 5. Walker Buehler; next five in no particular order, German Marquez, , Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Zack Greinke, Jameson Taillon.

Rookie of the Year - Chris Paddack...One of several Padres rookies that could be potentially top five rookie of the year picks, Paddack is the most suited to keep his position for the entire season due to his readiness; 2. Pete Alonso, 3. Brendan Rodgers, 4. Victor Robles, 5. Luis Urias

Breakout Player - Franmil Reyes

Comeback Player - Sonny Gray

All NL Team - C J.T. Realmuto, 1B Freddie Freeman, 2B Ozzie Albies, 3B Nolan Arenado, SS Trea Turner, OF Bryce Harper, Christian Yellich, David Peralta, P Max Scherzer

Playoffs:

Wildcards: The wildcards for the American League will be the Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. If the Twins feature several breakouts as they hope they do, they could even find themselves as the Cinderella team in baseball at the end of the season.

In the National League, the wildcards will be the Nationals (or the Phillies if the Nationals can survive the season without any major injuries) and the Chicago Cubs. The Padres have an outside chance if the stars align just right and their youngsters all break out at the same time, but that is a big if.

World Series: The Houston Astros are the team to beat in the American League, though the Yankees will give them a run at some point in the playoffs. The winner will go against the Washington Nationals. What about the Phillies or Dodgers? Well, the Phils will be a great regular season team, the Nationals have a pitching staff made for the playoffs and youngsters who are too dumb/brash to think they're not ready to make it all the way. The Dodgers health will be their problem and the lack of a stable Kershaw in the playoffs will hamper their chances to go all the way.

It should be noted that Mike Trout will enjoy his new found fortune by watching the playoffs on his theater style screen he's surely to put in his new mansion he'll buy.

In the end, the Astros will take the Series in six games against the survivor from the NL East who makes it that far.

Music for Private Investigators

Screencap from the music video for Beastie Boys' "Sabotage"

While performing surveillance, private investigators can sometimes find themselves in down times while waiting for their subject to appear. Some pass the time by listening to audio books, others by listening to talk radio, but music can often be the most common choice for auditory entertainment. And why not? Music has been known not only to make time pass quicker, but also to affect the mood of those who are listening. 

A song can motivate a person to work out; a song can create the ambience of a romantic night for a couple; and classical music is said to aid students while studying for tests.

But what about private investigators? The following is a soundtrack for the private investigator. Whether it's a P.I. sitting in a sweltering hot vehicle on a summer day, or sitting behind a computer screen, attempting to find the one tidbit of information that could make or break their client's case, the following songs could help set the tone of their day and bring them a little enjoyment.

1. Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me" - Released in 1984, this song nearly hit number one on the music charts in the United States, only if it weren't for Van Halen's "Jump". It shouldn't be a huge surprise this song did so well. It was released by the Motown label and written and performed by Kennedy "Rockwell" Gordy, son of Motown's founder, Berry. 

2. Daryl Hall & John Oates "Private Eyes" - Released in 1981, this song may feature a cheesy music video featuring the band dressed in trench coats, but it was number one on the charts for two weeks. This song also featured G.E. Smith as the lead guitarist, known for being the music director and lead guitarist for the Saturday Night Live Band for a decade. 

3. Police "Every Breath You Take" - The biggest hit of 1983 and the only number one hit on Billboard's Hot 100 chart that the Police ever had. Even Sting has used the word surveillance in reference to this song, albeit it, in a more sinister matter than some fans took it. 

4. Peggy March "I Will Follow Him" - On the surface, this 1963 pop song seems more love song than anything else, but it's more than that. The main character of the song is determined to follow her subject known as "him" anywhere he goes. What may be a little disturbing is that this song was sung by a 15-year-old, making Peggy March the youngest female artist to have a chart-topping hit in America.

5. Dire Straits "Private Investigations" - This 1982 release was a number one hit...in the Netherlands. It's not a fast paced song, but it was inspired by Raymond Chandler's novels, so it makes this list.

6. The Coasters "Searchin'" - This 1957 hit is a song about a man searching for a woman. Not only is the topic private investigator relevant, it also mentions Sherlock Holmes and Sam Spade with the lyrics. This song has also been covered many times by bands such as The Beatles all the way to the Muppets (not really a band, but still).

7. U2 "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" - Okay, so maybe not the best title for a successful private investigator. Still, this 1987 release received two Grammy nominations and does have the repetitive title line that will be long stuck in your head past the end of the song. Now, if you could only get that annoying U2 album off of your iPhone. 

8. Foo Fighters "All My Life" - This 2002 Grammy Award winning song is about a person is so close to finding something. He's so close that he knows what he is looking for is just right there, almost within his reach. 

9. Beastie Boys "Sabotage" - This 1994 song featured one of the better music videos of all-time. The Beastie Boys parodied 1970's police detective television shows and the lyrics featured a screaming singer determined to find the answers despite someone working against him.

10. No Doubt "Detective" - This 2001 song was not released as a single by No Doubt, but it did feature someone who plays detective to find that the significant other may be cheating on them.

Anti-Valentine's Day Rock Songs

Screencap from Alanis Morissette's music video for "You Oughta Know"

It's Valentine's Day and it's the time of year where people couple up and enjoy each other's company. Unfortunately, this doesn't work out for everyone. Due to circumstances, love isn't in the air on that particular holiday. A few years ago, I wrote a blog with recommended music for putting you in the mood and for those who aren't so fortunate, here's a list that will help you out.

1. "Love Stinks" by J. Geils Band
This song, originally released in 1980, really hit home with the heartbroken crowd when Adam Sandler sang in in the movie The Wedding Singer. There's anger, pain, and even vengeance in this song and is a good way to kick of this list.

2. "Cup of Coffee" by Garbage
Shirley Manson has a wide range of emotions that can be found in her lyrics, but "Cup of Coffee" may be the best. The lyrics, along with perfectly matching music, set the mood for a breakup song. The emotion that comes through can be felt by and sympathized for by anyone who has ever been dumped. This song expresses what it's like for one person of a relationship to not have full closure in their relationship. Sadly, this song had no music video, but I can imagine a real dark, black and white one could have been shot.

3. "Completely Miserable" by Lit
The Orange County band's music video for this song took on public attention when they got Pamela Anderson to star in it. The band is eaten alive by a 50 foot woman-sized version of the former Baywatch star. Lyrically, the song reveals a guy who knows the relationship is bad for him and that he's giving up everything that makes him happy at a shot to be with the girl. Yes, he may get the girl in the end, but it can be asked if it is worth it in the end?

4. "Pictures of You" by The Cure
The goth rock band which released a ton of songs about love and breakups, really hit a chord with this song. The song focuses on a person who is essentially reliving memories with a past loved one by looking at the pictures he has of his former loved one. The lyrics reveal a person who regrets his relationship ending with his significant other.

5. "The Thrill is Gone" by BB King
You can make a list such as this without including a good blues song and it doesn't get much better than BB King when it comes to blues music. A legendary blues artist and one of the best guitarists to ever live, BB King's "The Thrill is Gone" is an essential song on any good anti-Valentine's Day list.

6. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt
It wasn't their first hit song, but it was the song that solidified Anaheim's No Doubt into becoming a A-list rock group. Written by Gwen Stefani after her breakup with bassist Tony Kanal, the song pulled on the heart strings of everyone going through a breakup in the 1990s.

7. "You Ougtta Know" by Alanis Morissette
Released around the same time period as No Doubt's "Don't Speak", Alanis Morissette took a different approach to her famed break up with Full House star Dave Collier. She ripped him apart and empowered women to be able to express their anger for being left for another woman. Morissette's lyrics were sharp and memorable. This song had lyrics such as:
"Does she know how you told me you'd hold me until you die, 'til you die, but you're still alive"
"And are you thinking of me when you fuck her?"
"And every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it"

8. "I Will Survive" by Cake

Yes, Gloria Gaynor performed the more successful version of this song, but it was too dance-able for me to include on this list. Cake, who also released a hit cover to this song, added a more angry tone to it, even dropping F-bombs where Gaynor probably should have.

9. "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley

Originally inspired by a man who leapt out of a window to commit suicide, the lyrics of a broken-hearted person were added to this song to make it one of the biggest break-up songs of the 1950s. 

10. "Crying" by Roy Orbison
Another member of the early rockabilly movement which included Elvis, Roy Orbison released this song in 1961, which became one of his biggest hits over his Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame career.

11. "Are You Happy Now?" Michelle Branch
The 21st century saw its share of breakup music as well, but it was really Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?" that kicked off the breakup music in the pop/rock genre in the 2000s when it was release in 2003. Used to her more hopeful tracks released on her previous album, Branch released this song as her second hit album's lead single, showing she had more depth in her musical repertoire.

12. "Foolish Games" by Jewel
The Alaskan acoustic guitarist really changed things up when she released this single which is accompanied by sad piano music. Jewel's voice really conveys her depression after a hurtful breakup and was one of many breakup songs released by strong female lead singers in the 1990s.

2019 Millhouse Baseball Hall of Fame Vote

2010 Topps National Chicle card of Roy Halladay

As with every year, a new crop of retired baseball players become eligible for the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Of course, every year for about the last decade or so, the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) seems to mess up the vote. And how? Each writer has the ability to vote up to 10 players a year, and yet, they seem to leave out the most deserving. 

If I were given a vote for the class of 2019, I would vote the following:

1. Mariano Rivera - The all-time closer in Major League Baseball history. That should be enough said. He had so many saves in his career that he even had 42 more in post season play. He was a failed starter during his rookie season with a 5.51 ERA. The next season, he was third in the Cy Young Award vote with an 8-3 record, 130 strikeouts in a 107.2 innings, and he had a 2.09 ERA. He only had 5 saves that season, but after John Wetteland left the Yankees, Rivera never looked back.

2. Roy Halladay - He retired with 203 wins and 105 loses and had six seasons with under a 3 ERA. Halladay won the Cy Young Award twice and was in the top 5 of the Cy Young voting in 7 times. He also was voted an all-star 8 times. What should be noted is that he did the majority of this while playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that not once made it to the post season while he was on their roster.

3. Andy Petite - Never one to be considered the headlining pitcher on his team, Petite quietly racked up 256 career wins and was in the top 6 in Cy Young Award voting 5 times in his career. In his 18 seasons, he only had less than 10 wins twice. Not that I buy into post season play being a factor in a player being voted to the Hall, but Petite did have a 19-11 record in postseason play.

4. Roger Clemens - Speaking of pitchers that have played for the Yankees and the Astros, there's Clemens. Perhaps the best pitcher of all-time, Clemens is still looking to get into the Hall of Fame. He's taken tons of drug tests, never failing one. His reputation was smeared by a former athletic trainer whose evidence would have never stood in court (he claimed to have keep cotton balls/swabs of injections he gave Clemens in a beer car underneath his kitchen sink). Did Clemens cheat on his wife with country music star, Mindy McCready? Yes, but that shouldn't preclude him from the Hall. He had 354 wins, was third all-time in strikeouts, won 7 Cy Young Awards, an MVP award, and had a career ERA of 3.12. 

5. Barry Bonds - Another one of the accused, and arguably one of the greatest hitters of all-time. He's the all-time homerun king, the all-time walks king, won 7 MVPs, 12 Silver Sluggers, and had 8 Gold Gloves. For the sabermetrics fans, he was also the number position player in wins above replacement. Is he the most trustworthy when it comes to reporting his earnings from baseball card show signings? No. Once again, this shouldn't preclude him from the Hall of Fame, nor should his standoffs with the press. If standing off with the press should count against you, then Donald Trump should have never been the President of the United States.

6. Fred McGriff - The Crime Dog was one of the few power hitters of his generation to not be accused of juicing. He hit 493 homers and received votes for MVP in 8 different seasons. Despite also having 2,490 career hits, McGriff seems to slipped under the shadow of other first baseman that played at the same time as him. What's even more tragic is that this is McGriff's ninth season on the ballot and he's never received over 24 percent of the vote.

7. Billy Wagner - The most dominant left-handed closer of all-time, hands down. He had 422 career saves, a 2.31 career ERA, a career WHIP of less than 1, and a career strikeouts-per-9-innings of 11.9. Only John Franco has more career saves as a lefty, but he wasn't as dominating as Wagner.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. Michael Young - That's right, Michael Young. A career .300 hitter who collected 200 or more hits in a season 6 times, made 7 all-star games, and was a star at second base, shortstop, and third base during his career. No, he was never a major power guy, but he was the guy that got on base so his teammates could drive in the runs.