Hall of Fame selections not an exact science
How odd that long after a very good player has hung up his cleats, his stature and worth has risen to Hall of Fame greatness and we should have recognized it all along. For baseball's HOF selections, the past makes perfect.
Bryce Martin
4/9/2001
It seems somehow odd that long after a very good player has hung up his cleats, his stature and worth has risen to Hall of Fame greatness and we should have recognized it all along.
I have no axe to grind. Let me make that clear. Would I have voted for Bill Mazeroski? No. Did anyone ask me? No.
There are essentially two forces at work here, those who think more is fine when it comes to gilding the galleys at Cooperstown and those others who think it should be a more restrictive club, more like, say, a Hall of Fame. Most of these people, like myself, don’t count. The 15 members of the Veterans Committee who cast ballots in Tampa a little more than a month ago are the only ones who get to vote and decide.
The voters were comprised of five former HOFers, five from the media, and five former club decision-makers. (Mazeroski, retired since 1972, was bypassed in recent years by 12- and 14-member committees.) Selection choices, as currently directed, can come from four categories: former major leaguers; manager, umpire, executive (or a combination of); 19th Century players, and from the Negro leagues. Only one can be chosen from each of the four categories.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America makes the front door selections for the HOF. After a person is passed over for the last time, the Golden Boys are their last resort. It should be noted, too, that the Baseball Writers Association has made HOFers out of some better suited for carcass-picking by the vets.
Not everyone, of course, is going to be pleased no matter who gets in or who goes knocking. Many, too, don’t think the process amounts to a hill of beans under any circumstances. I think it’s important, and I have my own mental list toward those I think need to exit and those I feel have been overlooked. I’ll keep the list to myself, because, like I said, my vote doesn’t count.
Concerning history in general, it has been said that it takes several years to reflect back and gauge an era and its developments with real discernment. Still, there have been some bad choices, no doubt -- some really indefensible ones.
At least one well-known sports writer was in support of Mazeroski’s back-door induction. "You have to compare him with players from his era," he said, in a recent bit on national radio, noting that second basemen in Mazeroski’s day didn’t hit for much.
Excuse, please – as Charlie Chan liked to say when he caught the villain in the cookie jar – but was Mazeroski not judged by those in his day and found wanting? Just asking. No way do I mean to imply that Maz is the least deserving of all in Cooperstown’s hallowed halls. He’s not even close. He’s the most recent controversial inductee.
Some choices are always going to be open for debate, by sides from the informed and the not so hip. I guess what I really wonder is why baseball even has its Veterans Committee.
What if other Hall of Fames had such a system? Let’s see how it might play out in the long haul:
· Billy Ray Cyrus, Country Music Hall of Fame. Taking a cue, perhaps, from the direct-to-video movie market, he pioneered demo-to-CD innovation, thus eliminating the need for actual recording sessions.
· Rick Dees, Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The Disco Era was way, way too serious about itself. Thank Travolta for that. "Disco Duck" gave us the opportunity to laugh this fad off the strobe-bathed dance floors and put a real jut in its strut.
· Pauley Shore, Comedians Hall of Fame. Say things funny, or say funny things, that’s always been the essence of comedy. Shore managed to ignore both of these tenet elements and he’s still working…I think.
· Tom Arnold, Actors Hall of Fame. While we were all studying mutual funds with the idea of getting rich, and mixing investment fever with Power Bars to keep up with the fitness craze, Arnold showed us the easy way to live off the fat.
Did I mention I have no axe…?
...
How odd that long after a very good player has hung up his cleats, his stature and worth has risen to Hall of Fame greatness and we should have recognized it all along. For baseball's HOF selections, the past makes perfect.
Bryce Martin
4/9/2001
It seems somehow odd that long after a very good player has hung up his cleats, his stature and worth has risen to Hall of Fame greatness and we should have recognized it all along.
I have no axe to grind. Let me make that clear. Would I have voted for Bill Mazeroski? No. Did anyone ask me? No.
There are essentially two forces at work here, those who think more is fine when it comes to gilding the galleys at Cooperstown and those others who think it should be a more restrictive club, more like, say, a Hall of Fame. Most of these people, like myself, don’t count. The 15 members of the Veterans Committee who cast ballots in Tampa a little more than a month ago are the only ones who get to vote and decide.
The voters were comprised of five former HOFers, five from the media, and five former club decision-makers. (Mazeroski, retired since 1972, was bypassed in recent years by 12- and 14-member committees.) Selection choices, as currently directed, can come from four categories: former major leaguers; manager, umpire, executive (or a combination of); 19th Century players, and from the Negro leagues. Only one can be chosen from each of the four categories.
The Baseball Writers’ Association of America makes the front door selections for the HOF. After a person is passed over for the last time, the Golden Boys are their last resort. It should be noted, too, that the Baseball Writers Association has made HOFers out of some better suited for carcass-picking by the vets.
Not everyone, of course, is going to be pleased no matter who gets in or who goes knocking. Many, too, don’t think the process amounts to a hill of beans under any circumstances. I think it’s important, and I have my own mental list toward those I think need to exit and those I feel have been overlooked. I’ll keep the list to myself, because, like I said, my vote doesn’t count.
Concerning history in general, it has been said that it takes several years to reflect back and gauge an era and its developments with real discernment. Still, there have been some bad choices, no doubt -- some really indefensible ones.
At least one well-known sports writer was in support of Mazeroski’s back-door induction. "You have to compare him with players from his era," he said, in a recent bit on national radio, noting that second basemen in Mazeroski’s day didn’t hit for much.
Excuse, please – as Charlie Chan liked to say when he caught the villain in the cookie jar – but was Mazeroski not judged by those in his day and found wanting? Just asking. No way do I mean to imply that Maz is the least deserving of all in Cooperstown’s hallowed halls. He’s not even close. He’s the most recent controversial inductee.
Some choices are always going to be open for debate, by sides from the informed and the not so hip. I guess what I really wonder is why baseball even has its Veterans Committee.
What if other Hall of Fames had such a system? Let’s see how it might play out in the long haul:
· Billy Ray Cyrus, Country Music Hall of Fame. Taking a cue, perhaps, from the direct-to-video movie market, he pioneered demo-to-CD innovation, thus eliminating the need for actual recording sessions.
· Rick Dees, Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. The Disco Era was way, way too serious about itself. Thank Travolta for that. "Disco Duck" gave us the opportunity to laugh this fad off the strobe-bathed dance floors and put a real jut in its strut.
· Pauley Shore, Comedians Hall of Fame. Say things funny, or say funny things, that’s always been the essence of comedy. Shore managed to ignore both of these tenet elements and he’s still working…I think.
· Tom Arnold, Actors Hall of Fame. While we were all studying mutual funds with the idea of getting rich, and mixing investment fever with Power Bars to keep up with the fitness craze, Arnold showed us the easy way to live off the fat.
Did I mention I have no axe…?
...
posted by Bryce Martin | 9:51 PM
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