Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
It’s great that last week the Baseball Writers Association of America finally woke up — enough, anyway — and voted Rich “Goose” Gossage into the Hall of Fame. Gossage was the most fearsome reliever of his time, with a rear-back-and-heave-it windup distinguished by an elegant little flick of the glove on his left hand toward home plate. (Jim Palmer had a similar small gesture, in the midst of a much more methodical delivery.) In addition to a blazing fastball, Gossage also developed a wicked slider. What’s more, I’m old enough to remember when Gossage arrived in Chicago as a flame-throwing wunderkind after an incredible 18-win season at Class A Appleton, joining a staff that included Terry Forster and Bart Johnson. (Too bad the White Sox squandered those pitching resources.) Following Bruce Sutter‘s induction in 2006, Gossage’s election displayed a growing appreciation for relievers within the BBWAA electorate.
