Other bits of intrigue ahead of Tuesday's 6 p.m. announcement: Will CC Sabathia be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and is this the year Billy Wagner gets in?

In the meantime, the Clown of the Year award goes to the writer who decided Suzuki wasn’t worthy of the Hall of Fame. My friends are all asking who could be that dumb. I think it’s more about spite than idiocy.

The fact that there has only been one unanimous selection in the history of BBWAA voting renders the distinction almost meaningless.