How much you wanna bet that the Cubs gave up a better pitcher than they got in return? Sean Gallagher will outpitch Rich Harden in the second half.

A couple of days ago I had the pleasure of taking in a special display of items from the Baseball Hall of Fame at the Boston Museum of Science. As I walked through the area looking at the various items on display, I was in awe of the sheer vastness of the memorabilia connected to baseball, and reminded of just how many lives were touched by and perhaps even shaped by our great American Pastime. It also reminded me of the three visits I’ve actually paid to the Hall of Fame itself in Cooperstown. What an awesome place it really is. I highly recommend a trip there if you ever get the chance.

Coincidentally, there was an article in Friday’s Boston Globe about the inimitable Marvin Miller, the man who brought free agency to baseball players way back in the day. Wouldn’t you know it, Miller is quoted as saying the Hall of Fame is “a crock.” His reasons mainly have to do with the makeup of the Veterans Committee, which is charged with inducting umpires, managers, and other executives. The recently reconstituted Veterans Committee is now comprised of 12 members, with seven of them former owners or executives, many of whom opposed Miller’s reforms on behalf of players. With the Committee made up as it is, Miller has little or no chance of being selected for induction, and he is angry. Not about his chances for selection, but about the way the Committee was changed, and the Hall of Fame’s ongoing issues with the way it selects people for induction. The man has a point.

The Baseball Hall of Fame’s mission statement includes language that states that it is “dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of the game and its impact on our culture…honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime.” It goes on to state that it will accomplish its mission by “Honoring, by enshrinement, those individuals who had exceptional careers, and recognizing others for their significant achievements.”

There can be no question that Marvin Miller had an exceptional career as an executive for the Major League Baseball Players Association. Nor can anyone dispute that he has made an impact on the game of historical proportions. Certainly, every ballplayer in the game today has Miller to thank for the paychecks they take home, and their freedom to choose where they want to play. By working for the abolition of the reserve clause, which bound a player to a team with language that evoked indentured servitude, Miller unshackled baseball players for the good of the game.

People seem to forget that before the reserve clause was removed from player contracts, there were only a handful of teams that appeared in the post season. The dirty little secret of the Yankees dominance of baseball championships for so many years, was that it was directly tied to their ability to keep all the best talent under their thumb for as long as they wanted. If you think the small market teams have a tough time of it now, look back in the history of the game to see how many small market teams won the World Series from 1940 to 1965.

I could go on about Miller’s impact, but the point is that the man deserves to be enshrined. I’m not campaigning for his enshrinement as much as looking for changes in the way the Hall of Fame goes about its business. The Veterans Committee is just another example of a poorly managed institution doing its job poorly. There needs to be wholesale change in the way that not only executives like Miller are enshrined, but in the way former players are chosen for inclusion. The Hall of Fame has botched the inclusion of players for many years too. The system as it is made up, with the Baseball Writers association members doing the voting, does not serve the mission statement to the satisfaction of this fan.

I would like to see the whole operation of the Hall of Fame, and the way players, managers, umpires, executives, and anyone else who has made an impact on the game, is chosen for induction changed in a positive way to ensure that everyone who belongs there, actually gets there. Nobody should have to deal with the bias and exclusionary policies that exist in the Hall of Fame. It is there for the preservation of the history of the game for its fans. As such, it is the fans that should ultimately decide what and who belongs in the Hall of Fame. As I’ve said many times before, without the fan, there is no baseball.

Now on to news and game notes from Friday night’s games.

The Marlins seem to have found themselves an ace in Chris Volstad, who shut down the Dodgers Friday night with an impressive second effort. Volstad struck out six and walked just one over eight and two thirds innings, holding the Dodgers to just one run on five hits before yielding to Kevin Gregg in the ninth. He only needed 100 pitches (67 for strikes) to accomplish the feat. Volstad looks like he could be someone to consider adding to your roster if you need pitching for the second half.

Speaking of aces, Jake Peavy is looking like his old self again. He blanked the Braves for seven innings Friday night, and hasn’t given up a run in his last 14 innings over two starts. Peavy is a solid second half bet, and the Padres, at nine games out, really aren’t out of the NL West. With all the mediocrity in the division, they still have a chance at second half redemption.

Yunel Escobar was scratched from Friday’s game and will likely sit all weekend with a shoulder strain. The Braves will use the All Star break to give him an extended rest.

The Rays continued their mid-summer swoon, dropping their fifth in a row to Cliff Lee and the Indians. Lee stifled them for just five hits, and struck out seven while helping himself to his 12^th win against just two losses this season.

The streaking Mets made it seven in a row with a 2-1 effort against the Rockies Friday night. During the streak the team is batting .322 with nine home runs and 38 RBI. The off field news hasn’t been as good though. It appears that both Moises Alou and Ryan Church are done for the season, leaving the Mets in the market for at least one outfielder as the deadline approaches. The Mariner’s Raul Ibanez is reportedly on Omar Minaya’s radar.

The Diamondbacks dropped another game to the Phillies Friday and have now lost 13 of their last 20 games. While the pitching is clearly not as good as it was, it’s the offense that has gone missing. The Snakes are batting just .238 as a team and is averaging less than three runs per game over the last 20 games. Chris Young has been particularly off his game, batting just .215 with an OBP of .253. Those are terrible numbers for a table setter.

Roy Oswalt lasted just one inning before he was forced to leave with hip pain again. Then the bullpen came in and coughed up ten runs to the Nationals. Think maybe the bullpen is a weakness? The Astros are going nowhere without Oswalt, and probably not anywhere with him either. Not with that bullpen.

Since we have a pitching theme going here, how about Sean Gallagher, the centerpiece of the trade between the Cubs and Athletics. Gallagher struck out seven over seven innings, walked three, and held the LA Angels to just two runs on two hits Friday. How much you wanna bet he pitches better than Rich Harden during the second half?

Finally, can there possibly be anyone more unhappy than Roy Halladay this season. He threw another gem at the Yankees Friday with a complete game, two-hit shutout. The Blue Jays were expected to contend in the AL East this season, and the latest word is that A.J. Burnett is being shopped and the team is in full out sell mode. The Phillies are expected to make the most serious run at Burnett.

That’s all for me folks. Shake it easy.