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THROWING YOU A CURVE
HAPPY NEW YEAR I hope all of you had a safe and happy New Year and that 2005 will be a great year for everyone. Today, I found out that I had a 5% increase in the voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Wade Boggs and Ryan Sandberg on being elected. They were two great players and deserve to be elected. My percentage has increased from 35% last year to 40% this year. This tells me that about 32 more baseball writers voted for me this year, that didn’t vote for me last year. And I didn’t even win one more game, or strikeout one more batter. Should I be doing cartwheels? Should I go out and celebrate? I think not. Throughout the eight years that I have been on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, I have read and listened to so many different opinions on why I should or should not be elected to the Hall of Fame. So far, the “should nots” are in the lead. Yes, I only won 20 games in a season once. Yes, I never won a Cy Young Award. As my wife says, even Cy Young never won this award either. Yes, I gave up a lot of homeruns, but I am very proud of giving up 50 homeruns in 1986. However, sometimes they forget to mention that in 1986 I won 17 games and led the American League in innings pitched. Sometimes they also forget to mention that about 80% of the homeruns I gave up that season were solo homeruns. I got a phone call today from my good friend and former teammate Frank Viola. He was very upset on the phone, asking me what’s wrong with the writers and why I haven’t already been elected into the Hall. It’s a question I get asked a lot around this time of the year. My response was simple. "Now, Frank, you know that these baseball writers do their homework and we don't get to question them on their voting opinions. They basically believe that I do not deserve to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame." What else can I say? The Baseball Hall of Fame is about career numbers and where you rank with the All-time greats. Hopefully, in time, the “should nots” will look closer at my numbers and change their vote. If not, there’s nothing I can do or say to make them reverse their vote. Even though Christmas has passed, there is one wish I should have asked for from Santa. I would love to have all those writers that didn’t vote for me step up to the plate and let me pitch to them. I would love to throw a high hard one inside. I would love to watch their knees buckle when I throw them my curveball. Yes, some of the writers might make contact but they will remember one thing after facing me. It’s hard to hit from your butt! I want to thank everyone who is in my corner, like Rich Lederer at www.all-baseball.com, Mark Sheldon at www.twinsbaseball.com and all of my friends for their support over this Hall of Fame voting. Life will go on whether I get elected or not, so I won’t fret. I have my health. I have a very loving wife. I have a great and loving family. This Hall of Fame stuff is only a small part of my life. God blessed me with a lot of great things and I have a lot of good things to look forward to in the future. Baseball is a great game played by true gentlemen. Rewards like the Hall of Fame are just icing on the cake. The true winners are the ones that got to wear that uniform. Whatever uniform you wear, wear it with pride. Be the best you can be and you will be rewarded at the end. The interesting part is...when is the end?
Thanks for reading my column and letting me vent just a little.
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