I Have No Proof But I Still Think You’re Guilty!

On Wednesday, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the three inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2014: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas. All three men are well deserving of their place in the hall and I congratulate each one of them. However, this year further demonstrated the flaws that exist in the election process. With the exception of the years during the Hall’s inception, there has never been such a long list of candidates that deserve enshrinement in Cooperstown, New York. Because of the process currently in place, the misdeeds of many in the game in the past twenty years, and the idea that emotion outweighs talent in the minds of voters, there are many candidates that will either have to wait for a few years or will simply never see their bust of bronze.

The process has become a game of finger pointing and accusation. Evidence is no longer a factor in determining whether someone committed a crime against the character of the game. In fact, in some instances, outstanding talent and performance has hurt the chances of a few while steady performances year over year has proven an obstacle for at least one candidate still on the waiting list. For me, as someone who grew up watching man of the players now coming on the ballot, it is a shame that I will not be able to celebrate the talent that I spent so many years watching on the field.

I grew up watching and playing baseball. I never really demonstrated any talent for the game beyond a strong arm but I still enjoyed the spring and summer games. It was also one of the few sports, and still is, that I can watch on television that will hold my interest. This may be an oddity to some but my mind is constantly working, pitch by pitch, play by play, whenever a game is filling the pixels on the screen. Many of those players I watched for so many years are, most likely, never going to stand on that stage with some of the all-time greats of the game.

The problem with the assumptions, accusations, and general stubbornness of the voters is the fact that they see this tainted era as being something that is finite. We will never be able to determine the beginning or the end of the steroid/PED era and if you think you can you are wrong. While, undoubtedly, performance enhancers were more prevalent during certain years but so were greenies and cocaine during other time periods.

Heck, no one accused Roger Maris of having an unfair advantage for smoking like a chimney in 1961 in order to calm his nerves. In general, no one really knows if players received any benefit from tobacco use over the years. Granted, it did not make them bigger, stronger, or faster but maybe it helped some relax or focus. To those who respond with the fact that most players used tobacco my response is simple… exactly.

Players should be evaluated for their performance on the field in competition against their peers. Barring any illegal activity or evidence that they have broken written rules, all players should be based on performance. Even if it seems likely that they used something (i.e. Bonds and Clemens) we can’t exclude based on something that wouldn’t hold up in court. And, more importantly, we can’t put roadblocks in front of players who played in the same era where no evidence has ever been found of any wrongdoing (i.e. Piazza, Biggio, Bagwell, Walker, and numerous others). The BBWAA are an emotional bunch to the point that they have allowed there disappointment of a few during an era to cloud their judgment of the truly talented men who played the game during that time.

Something needs to change. Objectivity needs to find its way back into the process. And, while I don’t agree with how Deadspin went about it, the fans should have some say, maybe just a single symbolic ballot cast for the other voters to see ahead of time, in the process. Now that the voters have seen the ballot the fans have cast, thank to Dan Le Batard, maybe they will finally listen. However, based on the overreaction of the BBWAA, I seriously doubt it and it looks as though a generation of great players, some of the greatest of all time, will languish on the ballot finally giving way to the similarly temperamental and flawed veteran’s committee.

Any Phillies Phans Out There?

Yes, I still have my Jim Thome jersey from 2003.

In recent years I have lost touch with my passion for baseball and, in particular, the Phillies. I have been a phan my entire life, through good years and bad, during seasons of victory and times of collapse, I have never wavered in my support. I used to watch most of the games on TV and go to a hand full of games a year but, lately, I have not been keeping track of the games, the players, or the standings. 

One way for me to remedy that problem is to write about it so I am starting another blog where I will post summaries of games played, the pitching match ups for the next game, trades and transactions with some other random information sprinkled throughout. I am going to try and keep it simple to start and see how that goes for a while. I might even miss a game or two. GASP!

The new blog, Getting Your Phil, can be found at gettingyourfill.blogspot.com. As you may have already noticed on my social media accounts, I have already started posting. That is also why much of the content in this post may seem familiar. Almost like Déjà vu allover again!

Overall, I will try to post regularly (even during the off season). Sometimes it may be a simple link to an interesting article, a random stat, or a surprise post which may be a little longer. Who knows. All I have at this point is a schedule and an interest to reeducate myself.

Something to keep in mind as this blog gets off the ground (low flying as it may be) is that this is a blog that will be full of home runs, errors, and everything in between not just in the box score but also in the writing. The focus is going to be more on the information rather than the way it is conveyed.

Now that the foundation has been poured I am curious to know what you are interested in reading about. Favorite players? Memorable seasons? Classic Calls? Maybe you are interested in reading about something beyond the box score (but still Phillies related). Let me know what piques your interest and I will do my best to satiate the current focus of your Phillies fascination or, if you would like to share your opinion/experience, I would be happy to consider a guest post.

Enough of the jabbering, let’s play ball!