Baseball Bloggers deserve a HOF vote
“I don’t want to be in. A lot of people are going to say, ‘Well, how dare him even say that.’ I don’t care. It’s my life. I can say what I feel, and I don’t believe in cheating.”
That is what Jack Morris said this past week about being in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now keep in mind that Morris is the most winning pitcher during the 80’s, only received 172 votes or 33% during the last HOF election. His statement this week is probably going to cost him votes the next time around.
The question is why should these privileged BBWAA members have exclusive HOF membership rights anyway? Since there are 825 members of this exclusive club today, why did only 516 cast ballots in the last election? Should those 309 BBWAA forfeit their voting privilege, because they never even voted? Maybe the Hall needs to open up the election process to those that really care about the game.
Back in the dark ages when baseball was only written about by those members of the press that were present at the games it made sense. Now there are more people than ever that have their own baseball blogs and write only in cyberspace. I happen to be one of those people. I can never gain acceptance by the BBWAA because I lack the necessary credentials, that being that somebody pays me to write about baseball.
Maybe if we open up a new voting section call it the BBBAA. The Baseball Blogger Association of America. Some of those people with voting privileges now really don’t deserve to have them. Look at what Rick Reilly wrote in last week’s Sports Illustrated about BBWAA member Jayson Stark. According to Reilly, Stark said “I am not a cop, and it isn’t my job to police the sport.” Well Jayson maybe you need to turn over your voting privilege to someone that really cares about the game. I’m sure if Stark was a card carrying member in 1953 he would have been one of the 56% of the voters that left Joe DiMaggio off the ballot. Those members saw to it that Jolten Joe had to wait 3 years before getting in. He wasn’t much of a role model, or even a ballplayer back then anyway.
Now today the BBWAA has grown to 816, most of them don’t like to recognize bloggers. The world has changed, people that write about baseball should have a voice in the game. Baseball bloggers unite! Write to Cooperstown now. If everyone wrote to the Vice President of the HOF, Jeff Idelson, at info@baseballhalloffame.org maybe we can change the system.
For starters there are 309 openings where members didn’t vote. Open those up to the top 309 baseball bloggers now. Baseball is our National Pastime. America is a free country, every citizen that cares to is allowed to vote in America. Open up the voting rights of baseball to those who really care about the sport. I, for one, want the Hall of Fame to put Smoky Joe Wood in the Hall and to never let any performance enhancing cheater in the Hall. I want to restore Roger Maris as the single season home run leader, plus he deserves to be in the HOF.
All I want is a vote, to have my say. The number one requirement as far as I am concerned is rule 5, and I am going to keep writing this rule until somebody finally hears me. Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character. Maybe you don’t have to be a cop to vote but you do have to look at this eligibility rule.
I am The Fan’s Commish
Rick Swanson