By Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

At least one closer is headed to Cooperstown next year. Maybe there will be two.

The great Mariano Rivera is going in as a first-ballot inductee, perhaps even with 100% backing with a Yankees logo on his plaque.

But there could be two closers going in. How about Lee Smith? Why not? With a Cubs logo.

Smith appeared on the National Baseball Hall of Fame's regular ballot for 15 years of voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. His time was grand-fathered in when the hall decided that players would only be allowed to stay on the ballot for 10 years. He never attained more than 50.6% of the ballots.

So now, he's on the ballot again through voting done by members of the Today's Game Era committee. We'll find on Dec. 9 when the committee announces any choices at baseball's winter meetings.

Big Lee, when he retired back in 1997, held the major-league record for saves with an amazing 478. He held the saves record from 1993 to 2006 after taking over from the incumbent, Jeff Reardon, a fellow Expos alumnus.

Smith recorded his last save with the Expos in July 1997 and quit the team shortly after because he didn't want to sit in the bullpen unused. He never pitched in the majors again, although he auditioned with several teams in ensuing years.

Look at Smith's stats. Here's a guy, who compiled a lifetime ERA of 3.03. He appeared in 1,022 games and finished 802 of them.

During various stretches of his career, he did more than just come into a game for three outs, which is the guiding plateau for today's closers. The intimidating 6-foot-6 Louisiana native regularly recorded six outs or more, pitching the eighth and ninth innings and sometimes, even part of the seventh inning.

Smith's best season saves-wise was 1991 when he recorded 47 with the Cardinals.

It's high time he was voted into Cooperstown.

Danny Gallagher's recently released book about the 1981 Expos is called Blue Monday.