Williams: Playing the race card in Pre-Integration criticism
From SABR member Joe Williams at Seamheads.com on October 9, 2015, with mention of SABR member Joe Posnanski:
I have a daily Google Alert setup to receive emails on the phrase “hall of fame.” I get all kinds of hits. There are articles on the National Toy Hall of Fame, National Bobblehead Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, college and high school hall of fames as well as the major sports ones like the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This week I saw an article by one of my favorite sportswriters, Joe Posnanski. His article on NBC Sports, The Pre-Integration Committee quickly caught my attention. When I read it I was amazed (and frankly, pissed off) at his harsh tone and criticism of the Hall of Fame.
Criticism of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is nothing new. Just last year, the Golden Era Committee failed to elect anyone despite several noteworthy and deserving candidates (Minnie Minoso should have been elected!). (Note: There were no historians on the committee – see below.)
In 2010, the Hall changed the name of the Veterans Committee to the Eras Committees, creating three rotating committees: Expansion Era (1973-present), Golden Era (1947-1972) and Pre-Integration Era (1830s-1946). Each committee meets every three years on a rotation basis. In December 2010, Pat Gillick became the first person elected by an Era Committee when the Expansion Era Committee chose him to be inducted on July 24, 2011 with BBWAA electees Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven. (Note: Marvin Miller missed election by 1 vote.)
The Golden Era Committee followed in December 2011 by electing Ron Santo. The Pre-Integration Era Committee elected Hank O’Day, Jacob Ruppert and Deacon White in December 2012. In its second go around, the Expansion Era Committee elected a trifecta of managers: Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre.
Read the full article here: http://seamheads.com/2015/10/09/posnanski-plays-race-card-in-his-criticism-of-baseball-hall-of-fames-pre-integration-committee/
Originally published: October 9, 2015. Last Updated: October 9, 2015.