Another Cub Heads to the Hall....

It's taken only 13 years, but Bruce Sutter has finally made into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Sutter is credited with being the first pitcher to effectively use the 'splitter' (split-fingered fastball) which he had to learn after he lost bite on his fastball and other breaking pitches after having elbow surgery early in his career. Although his career was over by age 35 and he was 'done' by age 32, Sutter was truley dominant from the inception of his career (1976) through the 1984 season. Although his best years, including a Cy Young win in 1979, were with the Cubs he seems to be remembered most for playing with the Cardinals - where he won a World Series title in 1982.

A long under-appreciation of old-time closers and a short period of play probably help keep Sutter out of the hall for so long, but his inclusion will probably open the door for other relievers including former Cubs Goose Gossage and Lee Smith.

With all respect to Mel Rojas, Bruce Sutter was the best closer in Cubs history and in line with the thought process of the franchise in the last half century they promptly traded him to the Cardinals for Leon Durham, Ken Rietz, and Ty Waller in the offseason of 1981. Although Sutter only went on to have 4 more good seasons, it was unaquivically another bust of a deal. Yes, Durham did put up decent to good numbers for 6 seasons playing at 1B before his drug habits caught up to him, but he also provided one of the worst memories for Cubs fans when the ball went through his legs in Game 5 of the '84 NLCS. Rietz and Waller were both third basemen but combined to play less than a full season in Cubbie Blue. Rietz was known as an excellent defender winning a Gold Glove in 1975 and was somehow an all-star in 1980, he even holds the National league record for single season and career fielding precentage. However he only played half a season for the Cubs at age 30, and was out of the game after spending a couple of weeks with the Pirates in the next season. Waller was a marginal prospect at the time who wound up playing only 63 games in his career over 4 seasons.

Sutter probably wasn't the most deserving of the players of the players left on the ballot but he did deserve to be in the hall. So congradulations to yet another Cub elected to the the Hall.