29 Aug 1998: Ken Griffey Jr. #24 of the Seattle Mariners looking on during a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The Yankees defeated the Mariners 11-6. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello /Allsport

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza to Cooperstown? Not surprising. Lovie Smith fired and Calvin Johnson considering retirement? Very, very surprising. We’ll get to those topics and more (including a monkey walking a tightrope) here at Thursday’s Cheat Sheet…

Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Piazza elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to The Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Griffey got elected in his first year of eligibility, while Piazza had to wait four years. Here’s more:

Griffey received votes on 437 of 440 ballots, earning a record 99.3% of the vote. Over his 22-year career with the Mariners, Reds, and White Sox, Griffey hit .284/.370/.538 with 630 home runs. Griffey made 13 All-Star teams over his career and won 10 Gold Gloves, also claiming the 1997 AL MVP award and seven Silver Slugger awards.

Piazza received votes on 365 of 440 ballots, earning 83.0% of the vote. Over his 16-year career with the Mets, Dodgers, A’s, Padres, and (ever so briefly) Marlins, Piazza hit .308/.377/.545 with 427 home runs. He was a 12-time All-Star, ten-time Silver Slugger winner, and the 1993 NL Rookie of the Year.

In your reminder that many Hall of Fame voters are crazy: THREE VOTERS LEFT KEN GRIFFEY JR. OFF THEIR BALLOTS.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens got a notable vote bump in comparison to last year, with Bonds going from 36.8% to 44.3%, and Clemens going from 37.5% to 45.2%.

Edgar Martinez made a big jump from 27% to 43.4%, but it’s still lame he’s not in as Fangraphs recently broke down well.

Even with all of the embarrassing ballots, The Comeback’s Alex Putterman explains how the Hall of Fame voting process is working just fine.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Lovie Smith

TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Lovie Smith of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers  looks on during the first quarter of the game against the St. Louis Rams at Raymond James Stadium on September 14, 2014 in Tampa, Florida.  (Photo by Cliff McBride/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – SEPTEMBER 14: Head coach Lovie Smith (Photo by Cliff McBride/Getty Images)

In a move that no one saw coming, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced on Wednesday night that they have fired Lovie Smith.

Lovie was fired after just two years with the Buccaneers, and after making a jump from two wins in 2014 to six wins in 2015, with a bad roster.

And it turns out the guy that was Lovie’s offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, may be the guy getting the Bucs’ head coaching job!

For much more on the Lovie firing, as well as angry player reaction, you can read the full post I did on the topic.

Calvin Johnson is considering retiring from the NFL

SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 13:  Wide receiver Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions stands on the sidelines while playing the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on September 13, 2015 in San Diego, California.  (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 13: Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images)

The Lovie Smith news was stunning, but this next story is another level of stunning. Detroit Lions star wide receiver Calvin Johnson is considering retiring from the NFL this offseason.

Megatron will be 31 next season and has been frequently banged-up over the last few years. It’s shown in his production taking a dive as well. He’s still very good, but not quite the “Megatron” level of awesome that we think when we think Calvin Johnson. So, if he decides he’s sick of the toll the game’s taken on his body both mentally and physically and wants to hang ’em up “early”, good for him.

This obviously has to have Lions fans thinking, “NOT AGAIN” after Barry Sanders’ “early” retirement too, though.

Quick Hits

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– The world champion Kansas City Royals made a big move on Wednesday, by re-signing outfielder Alex Gordon to a four-year, $72 million deal.

– There were rumors that Sean Payton could end up as the head coach of the 49ers, Dolphins, or Giants, but it appears Payton will remain head coach of the Saints.

– It never ends: Johnny Manziel received a traffic citation over the weekend.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is officially North America’s highest grossing film of all-time.

Didier Drogba is retiring from soccer, but will be an assistant coach for Chelsea.

Steph Curry has a shin injury that may not heal for a month, but he doesn’t plan to sit out games.

Kirk Cousins rocked an awesome Starter jacket at a Redskins press conference on Wednesday.

The Flyers traded Luke Schenn and Vincent Lecavalier to the Kings.

32 crazy stats from the NFL season.

Netflix added 130 countries on Wednesday. Kind of a big deal.

Christina Hendricks will be in Bad Santa 2.

A Las Vegas man was asked on the live news what he would do if he won Powerball… and the news certainly wishes they didn’t broadcast that.

– And a San Diego area man was not (very much so) happy to find his car in a flood.

One last breath of gratuitous procrastination

This guy and his Lamborghini do not care that it’s flooding in San Diego.

Screw it, one more breath of gratuitous procrastination

Folks, this is a big one: a monkey walking a tightrope. You can’t teach these skills.

FP Edit: Yay…I made it again. Thanks fine people of Imgur. Please..somebody send me something. He almost lost it there for a second.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.