But What Do I Know? … Roberto Alomar, Dave Stieb, Deion Sanders

My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports):

 People have asked me how I feel about Roberto Alomar’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. Let’s just say I’m very happy for Pat Gillick and Dave Van Horne. I’ll say this about Alomar: nobody was more thrilling as a player and more disappointing in retirement. There’s no question the Jays second baseman is a Hall of Fame player, but he’s not a Hall of Fame guy. If you want to debate me on this, I suggest you read this article first: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5765281

 Somewhere Jays legend Dave Stieb is stomping around his pitcher’s mound and glaring at his second baseman. If Alomar’s number is going to be retired, why not Stieb’s as well?

 The Blue Jays do a lot of things right and I have a lot of respect for many in the organization – especially Paul Beeston – but I still can’t comprehend why Tom Henke and Carlos Delgado are not on the Blue Jays Level of Excellence.

 From the things I’d forgotten file: Deion Sanders spent a month in the Jays organization in 2001. In 25 games with Triple-A Syracuse that season, he hit .252 with six RBIs before being released.

 You think it’s tough for players to get in the National Baseball Hall of Fame today? Harmon Killebrew, the author of 573 home runs, wasn’t voted into the Cooperstown shrine until 1984, his fourth year on the ballot.

 Reports have surfaced that Pat Gillick may join the Chicago Cubs in a senior executive capacity. I hope this doesn’t happen. Going to Wrigley could stain an otherwise sterling resume. It’s reminds me of Glen Sather leaving the Edmonton Oilers for the New York Rangers.

 I hope to talk to former Montreal Expo, Ray Burris, tomorrow. The 6-foot-5 right-hander was dominant for the Expos in the 1981 NLCS, hurling a shutout in Game 2 and holding the Dodgers to one run in eight innings on Blue Monday, before being replaced by Steve Rogers in the ninth.

 It seems fitting that Dave Van Horne will be honoured with the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick award for broadcasting excellence in the same week as the 20th anniversary of Dennis Martinez’s perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On July 28, 1991, the Expos right-hander (nicknamed El Presidente) retired 27 straight Dodgers, inspiring one of Van Horne’s most famous calls “El Presidente . . . El Perfecto.”

 If the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates are battling for the National League Central title with their current lineup of no-names, imagine where they would be with Jose Bautista in the middle of their lineup. The Bucs traded Bautista to the Jays for Robinzon Diaz in August 2008.