Not Beverly Hills Cop -- the Other Guy

There was a time when being mistakenly called Eddie Murphy was pretty much of a good thing. No longer. It used to be the former "Saturday Night Live" funnyman who was miffed. Not any more.

Now, Eddie the actor is just another former SNLer with a string of bad movies, and Eddie the ballplayer is going to the Baseball Hall of Fame, where he belongs.

And let there be no further confusion. It's Eddie Murray who is the star.

500 homers and 3000 hits gets you in every time, and says a ton. So he never won an MVP or hit 40 home runs in a season. BFD. Doesn't matter.

504 and 3255, to be precise, and 1917 RBIs, along with a World Series ring, flies well past Hall of Fame standards. Always. "Quiet," "sullen" or whatever you want to call him, Eddie Murray is in on the first ballot. Totally the right decision. Congratulations, man…

Ryne Sandberg is Chicago's other number 23. He's the one who couldn't retire early and just stroll back in on his own terms, and win his way into a shrine of his choosing. In fact, Sandberg didn't win at all, and might just be remembered for quitting at his first real sign of struggle.

Had Sandberg proved 1994 a fluke instead of bailing, perhaps he would have carried the momentum he'd had throughout his career all the way to Cooperstown. We'll never know…

I'm still not sold on Gary Carter particularly, but ESPN's Jayson Stark makes a good case by comparing Carter's numbers to Carlton Fisk's.

On the other hand, this business of so-and-so being in already so this other so-and-so has to get in needs rethinking. The Hall already has too many so-and-sos…

I don't have a vote yet, but my Hall of Fame choices, along with Murray, were these: First-timer Lee Smith, and holdovers Jim Rice especially, Jack Morris, Rich Gossage, Bert Blyleven and Steve Garvey. Not Dale Murphy, not Andre Dawson…

Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Bud's Brewers just signed Dave Mlicki...

Collusion? Yeah, probably. Is it a surprise? Not really. Is a lawsuit coming? Yeah, probably. Will the players end up with another half a billion dollars or so? Bound to happen. Does Selig have a clue, about anything, ever? Can the question be asked enough times?

Oh, and tying (excuse the choice of words) the All-Star Game to the World Series is another lame idea. Selig never seems to run out of them. You don't fix one institution by messing with the perfection of another, especially when you're the guy who screwed it up in the first place.

But at least Selig has the Pete Rose fiasco to feel good about. He's handled that one masterfully too...

What was this news story about a Giants' player in off the field trouble? I tuned in late. Something about golf clubs and a car wash and popping wheelies with a monster truck? Something like that…

Omar Daal and the Baltimore Orioles are a match, and can have each other. Enjoy…

John Schuerholz was looking good as usual this offseason until that last move. Replacing Tom Glavine with Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd was brilliant. Twice the wins for half the money is a thing to be applauded. But donating an ace in Kevin Millwood to division rival Philadelphia is just plain retarded…

Anaheim did well by signing Eric Owens. He'll give the Angels more spark, as if they need it, and everyone there will be happy. After one homestand, everyone will be happy. That's all it'll take.

Owens would have been an even better fit for Los Angeles, as a fourth outfielder and platoon with Dave Roberts. Dan Evans was asleep at the switch on that one.

It seems like valuable guys are getting picked up at fair prices by every team except the Dodgers. I'm not sure what they have in mind, but I'd like to find out soon. Fred Claire was happy to be finished "building" his club by Christmas. Evans starts around MLK, Jr.'s birthday…

Pitchers and catchers and Todd Hundley report February 13…

If you're anywhere near Sonoma on January 18th, stop by Rohnert Park and stock up on Sonoma County Crushers memorabilia. The Western League team is closing up shop and needs the dough.

They're selling everything, from batting cages to queen size bedding. There's a ticket office sign, two "Fan of the Game" purple recliners, a couple lawn mowers, a few Kevin Mitchell bobbleheads, some autographed, and a framed Dick Dietz home jersey. Inquiries and bids can be sent to crushers@crushersbaseball.com, but please don't bid against me on that last one...

Look-alikes: Jackie Autry and Randy Jones…

Martha Stewart is a five-tool player…

There's still time to invest in BaseballSavvy.com before it's through the roof. Shoot, the BS merchandising is worth major league minimum all by itself...nearly. Investment inquires are more than welcome...

Remember, glove conquers all....