Hall of shame
This week, eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) inducted Cub and Expos star Andre Dawson into the Hall of Fame. Ever wonder how voting works? It’s a relatively arcane process but, minus a few nuances, looks like this:
- Players are eligible 5 years after retirement
- A screening committee creates a ballot of 35-40 players minimally worthy of consideration
- BBWAA members with at least 10 years of service time are able to vote (but are not required to do so) and can select up to 10 names for Hall of Fame consideration
- Players who clear 75 percent of submitted ballots are inducted
- Players who clear 5 percent of submitted ballots remain on the ballot
- Players who fall below 5 percent of submitted ballots drop off entirely
- A player may remain on the ballot for up to 20 years without induction so long as he clears 5 percent of submitted ballots
This year, former Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven missed induction by 5 ballots (disclosure, I’m a Twins fan). His case has divided BBWAA writers and the more general community of baseball commentators, engendering in particular a split between so-called “traditional” sports writers and an emerging breed of bloggers and writers who focus on a form of advanced statistical analysis called Sabermetrics.
The Sabermetricians believe that traditional measures of greatness, such as awards won, appearances on all-star teams, or pitching wins do not sufficiently account for Blyleven’s skill and reflect more on the teams he played for, rather than his talents on the mound.
Keith Law, who subscribes to the Sabermetric school, vented in particular about BBWAA members who left their ballots blank (an acceptable option). This is especially tricky because those members could have abstained. But by entering a blank ballot, they raise the total number of submitted ballots, therefore jacking up the total required to clear 75 percent. Writes Law (subscription required):
An added twist in this year’s voting was that the number of voters who submitted blank ballots — that is, they took the time to sign their names to their ballots and return them to the BBWAA for counting — exactly matched the number of votes Blyleven needed for enshrinement. On the one hand, it’s wishful thinking to think all five voters would have circled Bert, even with his outstanding Hall credentials. On the other, I don’t understand how anyone could fail to see that Blyleven and Raines had careers that qualify them for the Hall by significant margins. Some voters make up additional rules that are not in the voting guidelines, like refusing to vote for a player in his first year on the ballot, or refusing to vote for a DH. And that’s to say nothing of the potential for malfeasance, such as a voter submitting a blank ballot to gain attention for himself, or submitting a blank one as a “protest” against the steroids era.
Arguments over players’ credentials are natural and, on the whole, good for the process and the institution. But it would be disgraceful to go beyond the specified guidelines (a player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and team contributions) and hijack such a vote for a personal agenda. There are ethical considerations in voting on any of these awards, and if you can’t abide by them, or feel like you should make up your own criteria to supplement the actual guidelines, you should abstain.
-Sam
Related posts:
- When one bill contains the great and the terrible…
- Politicians and party
- No hall pass
- No country for identity politics
- Shame and Viagra
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