More Hall of Fame fallout, buzz for the 2017 class and beyond

The holidays can't last forever (and my wallet/waistband are happy about that), so here I am back at the helm of FRiday's N&N. Let's have a look at the Hall of Fame fallout, and everything else that's going on around baseball:

Indians news & notes

Are the Indians done making moves this offseason? (video) | Cleveland.com - Paul Hoynes gets on the ol' videophone to discuss how the rest of the Tribe winter will play out, as well as providing hit hot take on the HoF voting. When even Hoynsie thinks Griffey should've been a unanimous selection, you know somebody done goofed. Reverting to Hoynsie form, he also laments Kenny Lofton falling off the ballot due to appearing alongside so many "steroid guys."

Indians announce broadcast schedule for 2016 Cactus League | Cleveland.com - Starting the countdown to March 1, the Indians have announced how and where you can watch/listen to select Spring Training games. Of course, you can watch them all on MLB.tv, assuming you don't have thirld-world quality Canadian internet streaming speeds like I do.

Tribe has big names headed to HoF | Indians.com - Three former Tribe greats will be up for possible induction in the next two years. Manny Ramirez is the least likely to go in as an Indian, and easily the most controversial. Omar Vizquel's case is borderline - even the good readers of LGT can't come to a consensus on him. Jim Thome, however, seems like a lock to be the first (and probably only) member of those dominant 90's teams to make it.

Jim Thome: class of 2018 | Burning River Baseball - Joeseph Coblitz weighs in on the Thome candidacy. Supported by excellent stats both traditional and modern, Thome also managed to avoid PED controversy. Like Griffey and Frank Thomas, Thome appears to be a sure thing.

Tidbits from around MLB

• HoF hat announcement: Mike Piazza will wear a Mets cap, while Griffey will of course sport an M's cap (unfortunately, it won't be backwards)
• Fangraphs argues that Griffey's HoF induction was evidence of the value of a strong peak over longevity, and examines what the situation means for Mike Trout's HoF timeline
• FG also wants you to give your opinion of your team's ownership (don't tell the CleCom crowd)
• Craig Calcaterra rants about dummies who voted for David Eckstein, and also pre-emptively rants about who dummies will and won't vote for next year
• The Giants have signed Denard Span for three years at $31 million
• Waiting for Next Year profiles some of the leading companies in baseball's always advancing player development culture - there's a lot more to it than just long toss!

A personal note

As some of you may or may not know, I got engaged this past August. December was the first time I've been back to Cleveland since then, so my mom decided to throw us a sort of Indians-themed engagement party, complete with cracker jack party favours at each seat! When my fiancee and I arrived, we were given a card. Mom said she tried to get some Tribe players' signatures but couldn't, so settled for the next best thing: signatures from a bunch of the Tribe's front office staff! I'll be honest - I don't recognize any names (it's probably just admin staff), but there's a least one LGT fan amongst the bunch!