Cooperstown: Once more unto the Big Hall breach and related

I hadn't planned for half this blog to become sports-related postings, but, between racism about NFL quarterbacks, COVID stupidity and interesting legitimate NBA news, and nuttery by baseball fans AND WRITERS, it has.

And, with that, unto that breach.

The "trigger" for baseball fans and writers who want their Granny, Uncle Leroy and three next door neighbors all voted into their "Big Hall" version of the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is people like me who call them out on sabermetrics. My post about a bloated new class of veterans inductees, none of whom cleared 55 percent or so with writers, and most of whom who had also failed at least one, if not more than one, previous Veterans Committee election.

And, it's not just Big Hall fans in general. As I blogged a couple of weeks ago, the claim that Adam Wainwright would be a HOFer if not for injury is laughable. It's easy to troll fellow Cardinals fans who like to talk about "Best Fans in Baseball" with nuttery like that. And, when they bring it up? I point out that I'm such a Cards fan from way back that I was at the game where Glenn Brummer stole home. (And, if that doesn't ring a bell, you're not much of a Cards fan.)

To go on a tangent, it's like calling Bernie Miklasz out for puffing a non-existent "Cardinal Way."

At the same time, as a Cards fan, I nave noted my non-homerism in the past by saying that Mark McGwire is NOT A Hall of Famer. Because he's not; de-roided, I said, he's another Dave Kingman.

On recent triggers? I probably further cheesed-off the Uncle Leroy crowd by taking a deeper dive into Tony Oliva's case, or lack thereof.  And I deeper dived on Gil Hodges, too.

That said, it's not just the Hall of Fame. I've written a whole series of posts calling out writers first, fans second, who have bloviated over Shohei Ohtani. Yes, he had a very good season. No, it wasn't THAT good, and that's by 21st-century standards alone.

Frankly, per a meme that Craig Calcaterra used to post regularly, and still does while now working for NBC's Green Satan (I think he still does), I wonder if a lot of both fans and writers really do believe that "Baseball is Dying."

It probably is, and another lockout won't help. Adding the DH to the National League will only further drive away fans like me, not just as traditionalists, but as people who don't want NL games to get as long as AL ones. 

Commissioner Corleone was supposed to do something about that. In part being blocked by the players union, in part just not making it a bigger, more consistent priority, he's let the game drag on.

But, it's the fans as well. Many want the year-round DH, even with four-hour games. And they want Uncle Leroy in the Hall of Fame.

If baseball is dying, you're part of the cause. YOU killed Cock Robin.

Writers? Those of you who were in denial about roids at the time killed it too.

Back to fans, on this issue. If you claim a majority of players roided 20 years ago and so, Uncle Lenny the Roider should "go in," rather than us tossing out three managers? You killed Cock Robin, too.

Actually, capitalism is killing baseball. Capitalism is why, though not on its official job description, the Veterans Committee is unofficially encouraged by the HOF to vote in more players. Cooperstown, New York, as I noted on my original trigger piece, is a lot smaller than Springfield, Massachusetts or Canton, Ohio. Basically, it's a Hall of Fame factory town. (I had a late friend who was born and raised there, a leftist of some sort like me, as my oral history source.) Springfield, 150K. Canton, 70K. Cooperstown, 2,000 in an upstate New York cow pasture. And, built on a legend specifically designed to draw people to this cow pasture, in population decline for a full century. (That said, Canton's had a slower decline for 50 years.) Plus, the HOF totally controls the Veterans Committees. Per that link, sadly, Mike Schmidt is totally a Big Hall guy.

This guy GETS IT:

At the end of the day, it is a plaque in the gallery…and lots of merchandise sold for MLB teams, and the Hall of Fame. It also allows the newly elected Hall of Famer to charge extra for appearances and autographs.

Nothing to add.

The Basketball HOF, per Wiki, arguably both is more exclusive and has a better process for dealing with possibly overlooked veterans. Per Springfield staff, it's more exclusive when you realize it includes WNBA, or will, men's and women's college players coaches, and international ones.

Canton is similarly better in some ways. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, like Naismith, specify more how veterans should be considered and put a cap on their induction numbers.

Now, it's true that, with both these sports, the Halls of Fame control the normal player induction process in a way that Cooperstown doesn't; maybe that, in turn, leads to a sense of frustration that leads it to want various veterans committees to goose the vote.