Hall’s class struggle is overblown
Like government, Cooperstown has checks, balances
Newsflash: everything is divisive these days, and the Hall of Fame conversation isn’t immune.
Every year around this time, without fail, there’s outrage. And then, outrage over the outrage.
This year, some are upset that former Red Sox hero Curt Schilling wasn’t inducted, while others can’t believe any adult human with a functioning noggin would cast a vote for an Islamophobic, transphobic, collector of Nazi memorabilia.
Some are mad that nobody was inducted at all. They’re furious that 14 voters sent in their ballots
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Here’s a thought experiment: imagine if every voter was instead required to fill their ballots with 10 names.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens weren’t getting in regardless. They seem to have maxed out around 60%. Even if voters were forced to check boxes, 40% of them weren’t going to do it. That’s the way it’s been for nearly a decade.
But with a mandatory 10 votes on every ballot, Schilling surely would’ve gotten in. Scott Rolen is climbing the ranks (53% this year). Omar Vizquel (49%), alleged domestic abuser, might’ve gotten in. Billy Wagner (46%), Todd Helton (45%) and Gary Sheffield (40%), too. Maybe even Andruw Jones (34%) and Jeff Kent (32%).
And just like that, the Hall of Fame would be the dreaded Hall of Pretty Good. You’d have to set your recordings for July 25 and make sure your DVR is empty, because that would be a five-hour ceremony, at minimum.
We have Derek Jeter, Larry Walker and Ted Simmons getting inducted this year after their 2020 ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic. Throw in another seven guys and we’d have a 10-man lineup of speeches, applause and hand-shakes. They’d have to buy up more land in Cooperstown to make space for all the plaques.
It’s become en vogue to complain about the voters (BBWAA members for at least 10 years) having all the power. Well, they actually don’t. That’s why the veteran’s committee was established. The writers have elected 134 players, while the committees have elected 101 players.
Sure, one can blame the media. Or they can actually do the research and see that a 16-member committee made up of Hall of Fame players, decorated executives and a few veteran media members have contributed to nearly half of the player pool in Cooperstown.
Let’s not forget what happens when awards are handed out by just those from inside the walls of baseball. We’ve got years of Gold Glove Awards to snicker over, and those are voted on by the managers and coaches.
Remember when Derek Jeter’s range at shortstop was laughable compared to his peers at the end of his career, but the Yankees’ legend kept winning the Gold Glove anyway, right up through his age 36 season? Or when Rafael Palmeiro won the Gold Glove at first base in 1999, despite playing just 28 games on defense (and 128 as a designated hitter)?
Instead of blaming whoever easily fits into the narrative when the Hall of Fame votes don’t fall one’s way, how about acknowledging that the system actually works? It’s set up similar to our government, with a large conglomerate of elected representatives creating and debating over laws, and a smaller set of peers keeping them in check.
Harold Baines and Jack Morris were among the players most heavily debated in the last decade, and both fell just short of the Hall during the BBWAA votes. But the committee voted both of them in. Easy enough.
There’s rarely going to be a unanimous collective of people who agree on which parts of the game, and which players, should be celebrated. It’s only happened once, in 2019 when Mariano Rivera was listed on all 425 ballots.
And yet every year, some folks are upset that voters are asked to take into account a player’s total contributions to the game, including his “record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
While there were no inductees in this year’s BBWAA voting process, there have been 22 players elected by the BBWAA in the last seven years combined, the most ever inducted in a seven-year span.
So we’ll spend a few days arguing about Schilling’s candidacy until the cows come home, and complaining that 14 voters submitted blank ballots and countless others kept their ballots at home. Debating over which players are most worth celebrating is one of the most enjoyable traditions in baseball.
Let’s keep it that way.