Curt Schilling defends legacy, knocks 'cowards' after missing baseball Hall of Fame

https://thehill.com ^ | BY JOSEPH CHOI - 01/26/21 10:00 PM EST

[Red Badger]

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said he was “at peace” after failing to receive the required votes to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Schilling received 285 of the 401 votes, 71 percent, just 4 points shy of the 75 percent needed for inductions, the Boston Globe reports. However, none of the candidates received enough votes to be inducted.

On Facebook, Schilling, shared a lengthy statement that he said had also been sent to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Schilling requested to be removed from the ballot, adding, "I don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.

“As I’ve stated often over the past years to those I’ve spoken with in my heart I am at peace. Nothing, zero, none of the claims being made by any of the writers hold merit," said Schilling. "In my 22 years playing professional baseball in the most culturally diverse locker rooms in sports I’ve never said or acted in any capacity other than being a good teammate."

The retired baseball player is likely referring to criticisms of his behavior on social media where he has attacked groups such as Muslims and transgender people. Schilling once tweeted a photo comparing Muslims to Nazis. His anti-trans comments online led to him being fired as an analyst from ESPN.

[ExNewsExSpook]

Sad to say, but I don’t believe he would.

Journalism, especially sports journalism, is essentially dead. Coverage of the game is now centered around social justice issues and silencing any player, owner, executive or media personality who expresses a contrarian view.

These days, if you ain’t “woke,” you probably won’t get hired, and it’s a given that anyone who isn’t PC won’t advance. It begins in journalism school and is constantly reinforced in newsrooms across America. And, given the number of reporter jobs that have vanished over the last 20 years, it’s easy to see why most tow the party line and refuse to criticize the political idiocy that has infected sports.

The good news? Sharp guys like Clay Travis and Dave Portnoy started their own platforms and (in the case of Travis’s “Outkick the Coverage”) brought in talented partners like Jason Whitlock. Barstool is now a $500 million company and the growth of “Outkick” is off the charts. Meanwhile, ESPN continues to shed viewers by the millions and many of the legacy papers and publications will be gone very soon, and for some, I’m not sure if their websites will survive.

There is a lesson here for conservatives. If you build your own platform, deliver a quality product, refuse to insult your audience and remain consistent, viewers and readers will find you. Newsmax is another case in point; they were barely a blip in the ratings, but Chris Ruddy kept grinding away and refining his product. Then, Fox destroyed itself and millions of conservatives found a new outlet for news and commentary.

Kudos to your father for not caving to the pressure and staying true to his beliefs. I’m sure your very proud of him.

[Alberta's Child]

Baseball writers have nothing to do with Pete Rose's absence from the Hall of Fame. The bylaws of the HOF preclude someone who has been banned by MLB from being enshrined there.

I suspect Pete Rose's "lifetime ban" will be lifted by a commissioner in the future after he passes away.

[jpsb]

My favorite pitcher.

Edward Charles “Whitey” Ford (October 21, 1928 – October 8, 2020),[1][2] nicknamed “The Chairman of the Board”, was an American professional baseball pitcher who played his entire 16-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Yankees. He was a 10-time All-Star and 6-time World Series champion. In 1961, he won both the Cy Young Award and World Series Most Valuable Player Award. Ford led the American League (AL) in wins three times and in earned run average (ERA) twice. He is the Yankees franchise leader in career wins (236), shutouts (45), innings pitched (​3,170 1⁄3), and games started by a pitcher (438; tied with Andy Pettitte). Ford was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.[3]

[shortstop]

Schilling has an excellent argument. Although I don't feel he's a strong Hall of Famer. He's certainly better than some that have been inducted in recent years. That being said, his argument is that he was left off ballots because he's very outspoken politically.

A perfect example is the Tampa Bay Times baseball writer, Marc Topkin, who left Schilling off his ballot, while picking five candidates. He left the sixth choice blank. Congratulations, Topkin. That should get you a pay raise and a promotion from your Progressive overlords at the Times, or Pravda as we call it here in Tampa Bay. I look forward to the day the Tampa Bay Times has to fold up and quit the liberal plantation.

[Alberta's Child]

Statistics such as "7th game postseason wins" are almost meaningless in Major League Baseball. For most of the post-1900 era of modern baseball the World Series was the ONLY postseason that existed. One series -- that's it.

The era of divisional play began in 1969, and the MLB postseason has been extended repeatedly since then. Today, a team that qualifies for the postseason as a wild card entrant and goes all the way to a Game 7 in the World Series can play a total of 20 games in a single postseason.

This is why almost every postseason record in MLB has been established in the last 15-20 years.

[CommerceComet]

I don't think he's a Hall of Famer, either. I'm glad to see someone demonstrate this kind of humility, for sure. Having said that, I would also point out that the induction of Harold Baines into the Baseball Hall of Fame a few years ago basically means you could credibly induct about half the men who ever played the game into the HOF.

Totally agree with all of that. My personal respect for Curt Schilling went up dramatically when I saw that statement. I always liked him, even if I thought he was a little on the extreme side.

Something that I've always hated is the often-heard argument that 'so-and-so should be in the HOF because his career stats are as good as someone who is already in the HOF.' IMO, that is just another way of saying that voters made a mistake in the past and now they're somehow obligated to repeat it forever.

[Ransomed]

For all its glaring inconsistencies and flaws, one of the aspects of the baseball hof that is different from every other hof I can think of is that they still have years where no eligible players are deemed worthy. Like this year. That goes completely against our instant gratification and inclusion/celebratory/media circus culture.

Freegards

[LibertarianLiz]

“The Bloody Sock game”

Really! That game, and the shot of the bloody sock as he continued to pitch, is a moment, not only of baseball history, but of American history. The grit and determination of Americans generally was displayed by that one bloody sock.

I cannot believe that, that sock will not be in the HOF.

[RayChuang88]

The Baseball HOF is a sham.Baseball writers, the majority of whom are lefties cast the deciding vote. Many great ballplayers, who excelled on the field, are ignored because of their lifestyle, or pure favoritism such as ignoring the media.

This is why the Baseball Hall of Fame should include voters that have at least eight years or experience in national television and radio broadcasts. I mean, would someone like Vin Scully, Joe Buck, Jon Miller and other national broadcasters be able to determine who should be in the Hall of Fame? Of course, we do.

[RayChuang88]

While I kind of agree with your sentiments, I do have MAJOR concern that we may not have another player inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame through the BBWAA until the late 2020's. That could result in a major killjoy for the sport, to say the least.

[Ransomed]

If no more players get inducted for a while it doesn’t bother me, I kind of smile. Maybe that’s a good thing. It certainly rubs a lot of folks the wrong way. I love that there isn’t a required minimum number of players inducted per year, the less the merrier for something that’s supposedly meaningful. We need more of that sort of thing in our society. I do think a few players on the current list will eventually get in.

What’s killing my joy for the sport is crappola like kneeling along the baselines giving homage/adoration to the BLM sign on the pitching mound on opening day. That and all the fruity rule changes.

Freegards