#and yes I consider Omar a worthy winner

[omarera]

Breaking down the Aftonbladet article putting into Swedish context, at least my perspective. Markus is viewing the award as a music award and he has strong opinions on what his music taste is. People should vote as he wants lol. So a positive thing g here is that Omar seems to have a lot of votes. He is always very sarcastic and often have one line slaps sticks liners in his articles and is always straight forward. Markus wants it to be a his taste of “best music “ award but in reality fans are voting based on their own taste and dedication to vote. He needs to change his view of what Rockbjörnen is and why people vote.

Long post ahead…

Some nominations are the joke of the year. Doesn't just stand out. It sticks the eyes.

Ok, I have a few questions. La Gunilla? Fröken Snusk? Where did the musical taste go, dear audience? Is it out drunkenly riding a valley horse?

Since Rockbjörnen is Aftonbladet's prize, I should probably hold back.

It will be such a bad atmosphere otherwise.

The taste is different. After rain comes sun. It's always worse in Gällivare. Take pastors in Knutby with a grain of salt, and so on.

But one of the nominations doesn't just stand out. It sticks out the eyes of sensitive people.

Gunilla Persson? What is she doing here? Her contribution in the Melodifestivalen, "I won't shake (la la Gunilla)", was quite a lot. But "Breakthrough of the year"? What to say about it? Hawk tuah?

Nominating her is like watching the pole vault final at the Olympics, watching Armand Duplantis break a new world record and then giving the Gold of Achievement to a falcon.

I interpret everything as Aftonbladet's dear readers trolling us. If La Gunilla is the breakthrough of the year, you might as well give the bear to Babsan's chorizo ​​hit "Give me a Spaniard", even though the song was released in 2011.

That would be about as reasonable.

For context: Babsan you all know 🫠 but Gunilla Persson is known for being a “Hollywood wife reality star” and she is just loved or hated and just a strong character. She is not a music artist and the actual new breakthrough music artists gets in her shadow.

Another nomination makes me demand that Sweden should introduce a driver's license test before people can express themselves about music. Otherwise, there is a great risk that many people will accelerate backwards towards a red light on the left side of the traffic. That is, cogs in the run-up by voting for Fröken Snusk.Her mix of knight fun and epadunk in a pink robber's hat would only have been a given winner if Rockbjörnen introduced the category "Joke of the Year".

Then so. Now it feels easier to breathe.

For context: Fröken Snusk performes in a pink mask and have songs like “Ride me like a Dalahorse” and “the Gynecological”. Fröken Snusk kind of translates into Miss Naughty. She is though very popular among kids and teens mostly. A guy behind her pulls all the strings and she basically sings the songs. She wants to take a bigger role and is starting to change her image. The song she did in Mello she was a co-author on and she was also the winner of this year’s “The mask” showing off she has great voice. Taking of the mask having her pink mask on. Some songs were also taken down from Spotify due allegations of manipulation of streams. But many love her. Others hate her.

Otherwise, this year's gala seems to be a classic duel at dawn between two relatively young men: Omar Rudberg and Benjamin Ingrosso.Omar can win four Rockbears and Benjamin three, which is due, among other things, to the fact that "Benji" has not performed at Gröna Lund this year and therefore cannot be nominated in the category "Grönan live act of the year".

There is nothing wrong with Rudberg, but if the prize is still about music, Ingrosso should sweep home everything. This summer he took on a new giant leap as a stage performer.

For context: I won’t riot against Markus, so if that’s what you want to read, move on. He acknowledges that it is a duel between them and he has probably seen the numbers of votes. That is positive news for me. There are not just Omar and Beji nominated and Omar and Benji seems to be close in voter numbers (if that’s the reason he writes the article and want to prime Benji winning)

Stating “there is nothing wrong with Omar, but if the prize is still about music, Ingrosso should sweep home everything”.

Music is subjective, and Markus saying there is nothing wrong with Omar is like a compliment coming from him. I prefer Omar’s music and we all know he is not recognized is Sweden as any of us thinks he deserves. I fully agree with that. I also agree that Benji is the biggest artist this year and he has taken leaps both performance wise and with his music. He has done an outsold European tour ( similar to the one Omar will do) and he has had several hits dominating the charts with a little bit of, for him, music style and quality. He has also had a very successful summer tour ( designed by the same person who designed Beyonces stage performance). He has had arena show in Sweden, very few Swedish artists pull that off. He IS the biggest Swedish male artist atm. So I understand Markus viewpoints. Omar is still in the beginning of his career, he has just started performing on stages and has his first tour announced. It’s not possible to compare them. Benji has so much more experience and has released so much more music. Omar is already great but he will have more music coming out with better producers and he will ofc evolve even more on stage. I see many compare Benji with Harry Styles and that’s where my references goes as well. He kind of has similar stage clothes and also the reading signs and having people proposing on his stage. So he interacts with the audience in a similar way.

The trolling part when it comes to Benji is that Benji has been/is by some hated just bc he is a nepo kid and his family. He had a FB group with 9000 members called “we who hate Benjamin” when he was 9yo. And yes he has benefited a lot from his family background and the benefits that comes with that but he also gets hate. And he still has that feeling with him it seems and seem to consider himself as a kind of an underdog needing to prove himself. So him being the biggest artist atm, and if he doesn’t win some will see it as people voted on other artist to make him not win and build on the narrative that it is bc he is a Wahlgren/Ingrosso. He also gets votes for that reason ofc, people loving him and his family, rather than people loving his music.

But all together, La Gunilla and Fröken Snusk might win, loved by the people but maybe not the best music. Omar is loved and have dedicated fans even though Benji is the biggest artist this year. And has the music that has been recognized. Markus seem to prefer his music, I prefer Omar’s music.

Regarding the trolling history for Rockbjörnen, last year Hooja won four categories, they are also liked and loved by kids and people all ages I guess, they wear masks and do fun songs with kind of silly lyrics. Listen below. But they were also “outed” and their names and life’s were written about by Aftonbladet last year which was quite controversial since they wanted to be anonymous for their sake and also their families. They live north in Sweden and lead somewhat just normal family life. So, that was also probably one reason people voted for them. A way of trolling as well.

[cle-guy]

Hall of Fame Thoughts: Active Players & the 2019 Ballot

I have spent too much of my life considering who should, and should not, enter the Hall of Fame, especially since I missed the 2018 induction ceremony when Jim Thome spoke this year.  As a lifelong Indians fan it is possible Thome is the only player to enter Cooperstown as an Indian in my lifetime; I hold out hope Vizquel, Lofton, Sabathia and Lindor prove me wrong in the future.  However, with the largest class since 1936 entering the Hall of Fame I want to jot down several miscellaneous thoughts on baseball’s repository of immortals.

Class of 2019

Compared to 2018, 2019 seems boring.  There are three parts to the ballot worth reviewing: returning BBWAA ballot players, new BBWAA ballot players, and the Today’s Game Ballot.  To start let’s look at returning BBWAA players; here are the remaining candidates from last year’s ballot who rolled over into 2019 by vote percentage:

Edgar Martinez (10th):   70.4% Mike Mussina (6th):       63.5% Roger Clemens (7th):    57.3% Barry Bonds (7th):         56.4% Curt Schilling (7th):       51.2% Omar Vizquel (2nd):      37.0% Larry Walker (9th):         34.1% Fred McGriff (10th):      23.2% Manny Ramirez (3rd):   22.0% Jeff Kent (6th):             14.5% Gary Sheffield (5th):     11.1% Billy Wagner (4th):        11.1% Scott Rolen (2nd)         10.2% Andruw Jones (2nd):    7.8% Sammy Sosa (7th):       7.8%

Overall not a ton of noise here, although there are a few interesting storylines to follow:

1.  Barry Bonds & Roger Clemens are creeping up the ballot, but may stall.  I have been bullish on their chances in the past, but am less certain at this point.  Joe Morgan’s letter to Hall of Fame voters was less than well received in most circles I read regularly.

2.  Omar Vizquel’s debut of 37% on a crowded ballot is encouraging for him.  As a comparison: Jack Morris debuted at around 20%.  I am not certain there is another 37% of the electorate which will find Omar as a definite yes on their ballot space, but we shall see.  

3.  Curt Schilling made up all the ground he lost.  I am an ardent Schilling fan, and hope he can jump up to where Mike Mussina finds himself this year, speaking of which....

4. Mussina wont make it in 2019 (barring an truly exceptional jump), but he will make the Hall of Fame some day.  I’m happy for Mike.  His debut of 20% was concerning, but (similar to Blyleven), the sabermetrics crowd went to bat for him, and he’s made progress in bounds.

5.  Scott Rolen, Jeff Kent, Fred McGriff, Gary Sheffield & Andruw Jones seem screwed.  They’re all deserving candidates.  I think Jones and Sosa fall off the ballot this year.

6.  Edgar Martinez will enter the Hall of Fame, possibly resoundingly.  It is highly unusual for a candidate to come as close as Edgar and drop: only Jim Bunning has done so in the past and he faced an excruciating ballot.  The new crop this year largely boils down to a few candidates, nobody in Edgar’s class.

The newcomers to the 2019 Ballot are:

Mariano Rivera. He’s the class of the ballot, and arguably the classiest player from the New York Yankees 1990s Dynasty, and their long 2000/2010s playoff run.  With the saves record, the best ERA+ of any pitcher over 2,000 IP, and an astonishing post season record: he will top 90% of the vote.

Roy Halladay.  The best pitcher of the 2000s in my opinion.  His recent death, morbidly, will probably help his case.  The sabermetric crowd will probably all forcefully press his case.  In an era with few workhorses: Halladay threw a ton of innings.  Halladay posted eight seasons with over 200 innings pitched, and led the league in innings pitched four times.  He led the league in complete games seven times.  He won two Cy Young Awards, and could have easily won at least another award.  Overall: his peak is clearly Hall of Fame worthy, and the best of his peers.

Todd Helton.  An underrated first baseman and his peak JAWS score exceeds the average.  His offense was buoyed by Coors Field in its hey day, but he (like Larry Walker) slaughtered pitchers at Coors.  He posted a .300/.400/.500 slash line for his career, and was an excellent first baseman.  He probably could have won an MVP four or five times, but was eclipsed by Barry Bonds as a young man.  It doesn’t help that he played for generally poor Colorado Rockies teams, and only played in the Playoffs twice.  I think Helton deserves a full look, and would strongly consider voting for him.

Andy Pettitte.  I’ll admit being annoyed by Pettitte.  He was a great pitcher: better than Jack Morris, and thus has a credible Hall of Fame case.  However, I think this (like Morris’) is entirely due to the fact he played for great Yankees teams.  I expect Pettitte to get a decent amount of support, probably around 20%.  

The Today’s Game Ballot has not been announced yet, but I do not expect anything exciting.  Most of the interesting recent players are either not up for induction yet, or are on the BBWAA ballot currently.  It will be interesting to see if they add any non-players to the ballot, or reconsider Mark McGwire.  Other than that nothing to see here.

In conclusion: we can expect at least a two person ballot in 2019, with Mariano Rivera & Edgar Martinez getting nods.  There’s an outside shot at a four player class, with Halladay & Mussina being the favorites there.  We will also need to monitor the cases of: Schilling, Helton, Bonds, Clemens and Vizquel to see how the electorate reacts.

Active Players

It may be a cliche but it is possible to determine whether a player merits Hall of Fame induction before he retires.  For this list, I will use JAWS as my main guide.  I will rank the players by how positive I am they will enter the Hall of Fame, and use a score during the game to rank them, without further ado, here they are:

Game Over Edition:

Albert Pujols, First Base, 2nd All time

We’ve known for a long time Pujols will enter the Hall of Fame.  Pujols is not only among the best first baseman ever: he’s among the best players at any position ever.  Only the Iron Horse ranks ahead of him in the JAWS rankings.  There is little to say about Pujols, which better writers have not written already.  

Adrian Beltre, Third Base, 4th All Time

The ranking here continues to amaze me.  Adrian Beltre is an amazing player, who truly blossomed late, despite some excellent seasons as a young man.  He might make it to 500 home runs, but at 39 he’s running out of time.  He probably deserved at least one MVP during his career.  

Miguel Cabrera, First Base, 11th All Time

I was a little hesitant to put Miggy here, but let’s not lie to ourselves here: Miguel Cabrera is a slam dunk, first ballot, Hall of Famer.  Two MVPs, four batting championships, Triple Crown winner: he’s amazing.  He’s an even better hitter than Jim Thome, who was a slam dunk Hall of Fame hitter himself.  Here I’ll add some personal thoughts.

Miguel Cabrera played for the Detroit Tigers, who tortured the Indians during his career.  Even as he got older it seems like the Tribe could never get Miguel Cabrera out.  He’s hit walk off home runs, he’s wrecked our good pitchers, he’s done EVERYTHING against the Tribe.  He reminds me of a David Ortiz, in many ways, except we played him more often.  Manny Acta intentionally walked him with the bases empty and nobody out...just because he tortured us so badly.  While I never liked the man: the man could hit, and he moved around the diamond to make room for players.  I will applaud when he reaches Cooperstown.

Ichiro Suzuki, Right Field, 17th All Time

I deliberated even writing about Ichiro in this column as well.  Ichiro is, in my opinion, retired.  He stopped playing because he simply couldn’t continue (although he found ways to torture the Indians at the beginning of the year as well).  He was a magician in his time, and a terrific fielder.  I have less to say about ichiro than Miguel, but if you include his time in Japan he is the all time hit leader for the Major Leagues.  

A Three Run Lead in the 9th Edition

Joe Mauer, Catcher, 7th All Time

It’s a shame Mauer must languish below the list above: but there’s serious doubts about whether Mauer will make it to Cooperstown, among some.  The issue? Mauer did not remain at catcher long enough in the eyes of a few.  While in some ways I see their point, his peak in my opinion simply screams Hall of Fame.  No, Mauer was not quite in the Johnny Bench territory, but his peak had more value than Yogi Berra.  At 39.0 7JAWS: he ranks 5th all time in peak value at Catcher.  He also crossed the 2,000 hit plateau, which Jay Jaffe correctly points out is a barometer for many in the BBWAA community.  I think if Mauer posts a few more decent seasons he’ll get 60.0 WAR, and be fine.

I will add a few more words about Mauer as well.  Mauer was an amazing presence for the Twins.  I remember his 2009 season, when he won the MVP (should have won in 2006 as well).  He miraculously developed power, as if his contact and fielding abilities were not enough.  In the beginning of the year, when the Indians had pretensions of contending, he effectively ended the Tribe season before it began in an early season.  That season: he batted .365 with 28 homeruns, while winning a Gold Glove!  It was an epic season which I will not forget. 

Clayton Kershaw, Starting Pitcher, 48th All Time

The fact Kershaw ranks this high is impressive.  For the record: he already ranks AHEAD of Koufax.  Now, I am not saying Clayton Kershaw is Sandy Koufax, he isn’t, and it’s why he’s not quite in “slam dunk” territory...yet.  However, what Koufax has accomplished is historic.  He’s won three Cy Young Awards, and missed out on Cy Youngs three times, despite superb seasons.  At age 30, Kershaw may be slowing down, but he’s effective enough to collect some counting stats.  He’s already pitched 2,000 innings and 2,221 strikeouts, which is impressive at 30.  He only has 148 wins, which could hurt him, and his post season record is pitiful (which is why Koufax is incomparable), both of which could hurt him.  However, barring a meltdown Kershaw should get a plaque in Cooperstown.  Unfortunately for me, I have yet to see Kershaw pitch in the big leagues (being in Cleveland in all), so I have little to add here.

Justin Verlander, Starting Pitcher, 62nd All Time

I wavered on Verlander but....I am becoming convinced.  He probably wont win the Cy Young this year, leaving him with the single victory (he was robbed, as far as I am concerned, by Boston pitcher Rick Porcello in 2016).  However, he has a Cy Young, he has an MVP, and he has a World Series ring.  Overall, there is little left for Verlander to do in a career.  I think he needs 200 wins, which he’ll get, and I think he needs one more strong season (or 4-5 decent to good ones).  If he can add some postseason glory to his resume, he’ll be good.

Amusingly enough, as an Indians fan, my fondest memories of Verlander are all the starts the Tribe pummeled him.  And in his career: Verlander has had numerous clunkers against the Indians. 

A One run lead in the 9th Edition

Zach Greinke, Starting Pitcher, 51st

Wait a minute, didn’t I just rank Verlander higher?  Yes, yes I did.  It comes down to consistency for me.  Greinke posted some better seasons than Verlander, but Verlander’s been more consistent.  I’d say Greinke has won one Cy Young, and probably has never quite deserved another.  Verlander has had an argument numerous times, got robbed once, and I’d probably give the 2012 Cy Young to him over David Price.  Greinke also lacks much of a post season resume.  Overall, I’d put Greinke’s chances high, but I feel his case is missing something, not unlike Kevin Brown’s.  

Yadier Molina, Catcher, 26th

There’s another catcher on this list I will discuss later, but Molina I think may already have punched his ticket to Cooperstown.  He’s already regarded as one of the best catchers ever, defensively, and he’s been decent offensively at times.  Unlike Mauer, he’s managed to stay behind the plate (which helps his case), and he’s packed a ton of hardware: eight Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and two World Series rings (four pennants).  The statistic minded crowd may give him deference, as catching stats are less understood than other fielding metrics, which helps.  Unlike other glove first candidates (AHEM: Omar Vizquel), his bat has not been as big a drawback.  Barring a collapse, he should be in good shape.

Barely leading in the 8th Edition

C.C. Sabathia, Starting Pitcher, 72nd

OK.  Sabathia’s case is far more personal to me.  He’s a little older than Greinke & Verlander, and he started younger.  So overall he’s been around a lot longer, and pitched more innings.  Sabathia was drafted and started as an Indian.  He grew up in Cleveland, and finally put it all together in a Cy Young campaign in 2007.  In 2009, with the Yankees, he won a World Series and started a strong string of seasons where he went 59-28 with a 134 ERA+, pitched 705 innings and struck out 624.  Sabathia’s biggest problem?  He was never quite the best pitcher in the league.  In 2009 Zach Greinke was otherworldly.  In 2010 Felix Hernandez was damm good.  In 2011 Verlander went off.  It also doesn’t help that, his best season (2008) was split between the AL & NL.  In 2008 Sabathia led the league in innings, shut outs, and complete games, striking out 251 while dragging the Milwaukee Brewers into the post season.  He reinvented himself in 2016 as a solid back end starter.  Sabathia’s case is being a workhorse, in an era with precious few of them.  He will get to 3,000 strikeouts (and may be the only one to do so), and 250 wins as well.  The problem?  His peak was just a touch short.

I have several favorite Sabathia stories, but I’ll share two.  The first is his shutout of the Yankees.  That was a fun start, where Sabathia reared back and showed his raw emotion and fastball.  The second: his near no-hitter in Pittsburgh. I would have called the lone hit an error on his part...but I am biased. 

Chase Utley, Second Baseman, 11th

Many may challenge me for being bullish on Utley: but I think I am right.  Utley lacks hardware, yes.  He lacks counting stats (no 2,000 hits), yes.  But the sabermetric community is strong around him (they’re already preparing the battlegrounds here) and unlike sabermetric darling Scott Rolen: he’s only played for two teams (Philadelphia & Los Angeles).  I sense something different about him.  He already exceeds both the career and peak scores in JAWS, and he played a critical role in the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series.  I think he’ll surprise, and sneak in.

Buster Posey, Catcher, 16th

The best argument for Posey is his peak: he’s already past the catching threshold.  Then again, so is Thurmon Munson (a Yankees legend), Gene Terrance and Ted Simmons and they’re not in yet.  Posey has some things they don’t, however: youth.  He’s only 31.  He’s still hitting well, and he’s won three World Series.  Overall, the portents lead to enshrinement, but if he gets injured and falters he wont make it.   

Tied in the 6th Edition

Joey Votto, First Baseman, 17th

He’s already cleared the 7JAWS threshold for first baseman.  However, Votto is short on counting stats (1,693 hits & 266 HR), and his resume is pretty bleak outside of some stunning on-base percentage seasons.  People still do not respect the walk, and while Votto did win an MVP, he will drop down because he spent his entire career on largely middling Reds clubs.  He’s still going strong at age 34, but he’s going to need several more good years to earn entrance in my opinion.  

Evan Longoria, Third Baseman, 21st

Two bad things happened to Longoria recently: 

1.  He got traded to San Francisco (so he wont spend his whole career in Tampa Bay)

2.  He got old.

The first is mildly comical.  However, it is true players who spend their careers in one place get an advantage over those who play for many ballclubs.  The second problem is larger: Longoria has been underrated in his career, largely since the Rays have fallen off a cliff since his debut.  More importantly, however, Longoria is old.  He’s not hitting as much anymore, and this season his on-base percentage dropped below .300.  His power is sapped, and his glove inconsistent.  He needs to rekindle what he had in 2016 if he hopes to reach Cooperstown.

Ian Kinsler & Dustin Pedroia, Second Baseman, 18th & 19th

These two guys are largely in the same boat.  Both have peaks not quite amazing enough to get in on their own.  Both are middle aged (36 & 34), but both are so dang close they cant be written off yet.  Of the two, Pedroia has the better chance at glory with an MVP and two World Series rings to his name.  At 34 he’s hurt, again, and may not recover.  Kinsler is older, but remains a spry defensive player at 36.  However, Kinsler has never won a ring or an MVP.  Both should get to 2,000 hits, but both need to age a bit more gracefully to stay the course.

Max Scherzer, Starting Pitcher, 87th   

I am going to catch flak for this, but I don’t think he’s there yet.  Largely due to age.  Scherzer has been stunning since his emergence at age 28: winning 3 Cy Youngs, and deserving them. However, Scherzer does not have age on his side in my opinion and I think he may be falling off a hair.  If he stays the course, he can make it.  If not...he’s another short lived pitcher like Johan Santana.