Reviewing the BBWAA Ballots, #152-165

A quiet week for ballots. Tweets from Ryan Thibodaux give me confidence that more ballots are coming, that there’s going to be a big dump just before the election. Until then, I’m happy that during my busiest week of the year at work, there’s a bit of quiet. Older posts are linked right below.

[1-12], [13-20], [21-38], [39-81], [82-118], [119-151]

Onto those ballots!

A Few Notes

• Mariano’s still perfect. Fingers crossed!
• Halladay and Edgar are guaranteed.
• I don’t know how to feel about Mussina (currently at 81.8%). I’m hopeful today, not for any good reason though.
• Though I’m no fan of Andy Pettitte, I’m bothered that he’s at only 7.3%. Please tell me he’s not falling off!

Ballot of the Week

You know my PED voting opinion. Yet, Derrick Goold (85) from the St. Louis Post Dispatch earns our weekly ballot award despite a refusal to vote for Bonds, Clemens, et al. I love, love, love logic. Lemme explain.

Two years ago, about the character clause, he wrote, “I see each of those words as a scalpel I can use to trim my list. I already have used the “player’s record” and “playing ability” and “contributions to the team(s)” to come up with a list of 14 or 15 players that I would vote into the Hall with an unlimited ballot. So I use the other tools – integrity, sportsmanship, character – to reduce that group down to 10.

That’s not at all what I would do, but it makes total sense. I can support a logical decision, even if it’s not the one I’d make.

He also wrote,

“Going back to my first explanation of my first ballot, I’ve stated two changes to the voting process that the Hall could make that would guarantee my vote for Clemens, Bonds, and others.

• Destroy the 10-player limit and open the ballot (Binary Ballot?).
• Engrave their transgressions on the plaque.”

I very much dislike mandating the second, though I can completely see someone’s desire for that. And accompanied by the first, I absolutely can’t argue.

Anti-PED voters can be great voters. Goold is proof. Thank you, Derrick!

One Liners

• “So I decided that, in select cases, I would vote for suspected (and maybe even admitted) Performance-Enhancing Drug cheats.” This line makes me angry. It’s dehumanizing, like calling people who entered this country unlawful “illegals”. Those who have used PEDs perhaps broke no rules. Or perhaps they’re cheaters. But they’re neither “steroid cheats” nor “PED cheats”. I don’t want to get political here, so I can say I understand views if you’re accepting of a certain amount of illegal immigration or if you’re tremendously against it. They’re “illegal immigrants”, or better yet, they’re “people who entered the country unlawfully (or illegally).” Dehumanizing anyone makes my blood boil. You don’t have to like the people because of their crimes or “crimes”, but you have to acknowledge that they are people. If you must, call them “cheaters”. They’re not “cheats”. That’s not a word that can be used to describe humans.
• Ian Harrison (70) wrote, “Besides the inductees, this process is about the fans, and I think fans want to see players get the chance to be debated, not drop off the ballot…” Yes! Thank you!
• On the MLB Network, Bob Nightengale said about Fred McGriff, “He’s got the hightst OPS of anybody that has never been linked to steroids.” Among people named “Fred”??? What are you saying, man?

Jerk of the Week

Is it me? It might be me. I’ve been too busy this week to listen to podcasts, so I’m left keeping this slot blank for the week.

Worst Ballot of the Week

Michael Knisley (5) voted for Todd Helton, Jeff Kent, Edgar Martinez, Mariano Rivera, Billy Wagner, and Larry Walker. It seems he’s anti-PED, anti-SP, and anti-Rfield/DRA. That’s a lot of anti. And he doesn’t explain his ballot.

Hopefully things will be a bit more exciting next week. Keeping my fingers crossed for pro-Mussina ballots!

Miller