The Baseball Bloggers Alliance is pleased to announce the formation of the Goose Gossage Award.

Starting with the 2010 Major League Baseball season, the Goose Gossage Award will be a postseason award given to the top relief pitcher in each league.  “It’s hard to picture anyone more worthy of having his name on an award such as this,” said BBA founder Daniel Shoptaw. “Mr. Gossage embodies what so many people think of as the classic relief pitcher, and the BBA is honored that he has agreed to lend his name to this award.”

Richard “Goose” Gossage was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008 after a 22-year major league career in which he had 310 career saves and recorded a 3.01 ERA in 1,002 games played. He was a nine-time All-Star, finished among the top vote-getters for the Cy Young Award in five different seasons, and was named the 1978 Rolaids Relief Man of …

Wednesday was a bad day for the Phillies’ pitching staff.

First, we learned that closer Brad Lidge received a cortisone shot for inflammation and soreness in his right elbow. The Phillies’ claim it is only a minor setback in his recovery from two off-season surgeries, one of which was on the inner part of his right elbow. The soreness is on the outer part of the elbow and is something Lidge normally has in spring training.

“Coming into spring training, every year Brad has some lateral — or outer — elbow soreness,” said Phillies’ team physician Michael Ciccotti. “It’s just part of his reconditioning routine. Because he started a little bit later this year with his throwing because of those two surgeries, that soreness has lingered a little bit longer. Normally it resolves by the second or third week in March.”

The soreness, however, has lasted longer than normal, which could explain why Lidge’s velocity remains in the high 80′s. …