Goodbye Trevor

I am late commenting on this, but Trevor Hoffman is officially gone. I have mixed feelings--I tend to be sentimental about players I like, regardless of their performance as they age. Trevor was a critical part of some great Padres teams, especially 1998. He was a Padre for 16 seasons. As a spectator at a game, there was nothing quite like hearing Hell's Bells and seeing him come out from the bullpen.

But increasingly I felt less and less confident when he came into the game, as his patented change just didn't fool hitters so much anymore. It happens.

I also think he will be a central part (along with Mariano Rivera) of a growing debate about whether the one inning closer deserves a place in the Hall of Fame. It was hard enough for a multi-inning closer like Gossage to get in. Lee Smith, who was in between those eras, still waits.