Remodel the Hall
First off, thanks to everyone for all the recent letters and comments. It’s appreciated!
Today, let’s talk about the Hall of Fame, and the ever-shrinking door that stands at its entrance.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that the framework for voting for the Hall of Fame needs reworked. In an excellent article on this subject: (http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/5238282),
Kevin Kennedy brings up a few points that bear repeating.
Why do only sports writers get a vote? Does this outdated practice stem from the days before radio—and if so, then also television? As Kennedy states, “Why limit the vote to only writers? Vin Scully, for example, has been broadcasting Dodgers games since the 1950s and has seen all the great players of the last half century.” He goes on to also list Jerry Coleman, Harry Calas, and Marty Brenneman.
This is an extremely valid point. Do we assume that these men, because a baseball team has employed them as announcers, are less objective than their newspaper counterparts? That would be ridiculous. One vote does not make or break a Cooperstown candidate. But to keep the broadcasting elite out of voting, for whatever reason, is also ridiculous. These men have seen players for decades, and surely deserve to have a vote as much as some sportswriter who has been working for just ten years, which is the minimum requirement.
If eligibility for voting were as strict as eligibility for the Hall itself, I would guess 75% of the voters would be denied. How many of them are as worthy of a vote as Jim Rice is for Cooperstown? And yet they presume to judge.
And what about ex-baseball players themselves? Surely, they are worthy of judging their opponents. If you polled the batters that faced Goose Gossage, I’m sure he’d have close to 90% of the votes, or more.
And how in the world does Lee Smith not get in, as the all-time saves leader? You wonder how many of these voters forget that they cover a sport that they are not good enough to play. Every major leaguer was a Hall of Famer in high school, when these writers were getting spit wads shot at them, and trying to get a date for Prom. The MLB All Time Saves Leader deserves more respect, just for his longevity. He is the Fran Tarkenton of baseball, if nothing else.
Every year, Cooperstown loses more respect with the general public. And it’s a tourist attraction, for God’s sake! Just think what Disneyland would be like if they had a voting committee to see who got in there.
Headlines would read “Pluto denied again!” with writers debating his lack of speaking lines as a disqualification. And what about Huey, Dewey, and Louie? Could they ride Uncle Donald Duck’s tail feathers into the Land of Enchantment?
Everyone at Cooperstown takes himself or herself just a bit too seriously. I’ve seen Tibetan monks who were less serious. And I think praying for world peace outranks supposed baseball immortality, any day.
The all time saves leader is not in. The all time hit leader, Pete Rose, is not in—even though his character mirrors the man he surpassed, Ty Cobb, and Cobb got in on the first ballot ever cast. Barry Bonds may become the all time homer leader, and not get in, due to steroid suspicions.
Who do these people think they are? It’s time to re-model the Hall, and give votes to broadcasters and former players, so these sanctimonious writers have to relinquish their stranglehold on honors that gifted athletes work a lifetime earning.
I love the fact that baseball is a sport where I can have passionate readers fighting over whether ARod is a winner, or running smack on me because I am an admitted Indians fan, while our divisional rival the White Sox have a World Series ring that I barely ever mention—but when it comes to lifetime achievements for dedicated and talented players, we should have a more level headed approach about denying honor that is due.
Peace-Out
Jim Evans
jevans@baseballdigestdaily.com
Baseball Digest Daily 