Somehow, we shouldn't be surprised. Anymore, the sports media, especially the TV talking heads, will find a way to create a new hero just about every day in their own minds -- then attempt to convince the viewing public of that particular athlete's iconic status. We should stand in awe and bow our heads in reverence, they will breathlessly claim. Whether or not the hypester folks perpetually flapping their soup coolers really believe that stuff themselves would seem to be a very good question. Yes, they've got a job to do. I get that, and evidently the sort of stuff they spout must be popular amongst many, because ratings matter in their world. I get that too, but after a while of being continually bombarded by these people trying to make mountains out of molehills -- it can not only get wearisome, but cause an objective fan to cast a very skeptical eye on what they just saw and heard.
Enter Derek Jeter as their latest offering of an athlete that is so "special" -- in their minds -- that he should be given special treatment as well, in particular when it comes to Jeter being eligible for enshrinement in baseball's Hall of Fame. Now don't get me wrong. Yours truly has a huge amount of respect for what Jeter has accomplished over his on-going major league career. He's put up a slew of very impressive individual statistics, both offensively and defensively since he broke into the majors back in 1995. Jeter's also won a fistful of World Series' over that time, and for the last 10 years has been the "captain" of the Yankees, arguably the highest profile team in all of sports. He's also been known across the baseball spectrum as the consummate teammate. And all the while, he seems to have been a model citizen in his off-the-field life. There are few athletes in history that have ever had such a glowing resume.
But now, the idea has been floated that when Jeter becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame, he should be voted in unanimously. Yours truly would be hard pressed to explain why any voter would leave Jeter off his/her ballot when the time came, but wait a minute.
NOBODY'S ever been unanimously voted in. EVER. It's mind-boggling that players the likes of Ruth, Cobb, Aaron, Musial, Williams, DiMaggio, and umpteen other legends of the game were left off certain ballots when they became eligible to be voted on for enshrinement -- but they were.
Quick quiz. Which player got the highest percentage of Hall of Fame votes in history? The answer, below, may surprise you.
Sure, unless he pulls a Pete Rose or Barry Bonds type stunt before he hangs up his cleats, highly unlikely, Jeter's probably a shoo-in for the Hall when his time comes. But does anyone really believe he should be the first to get 100% of the ballots when a guy like Babe Ruth only got 95.13%? And by the way, why is there current talk of Jeter going into the Hall anyway? Last time I looked, he was still playing, and could for a few more years. Then there's a 5 year waiting period before he'd even be considered. It could well be into the 2020's before he becomes eligible anyway. So why, pray tell, should anybody be the least bit concerned right now about what might happen that far down the road? Can't the sound byte monsters think of anything better to serve up to us? (That's almost as bad as that commercial featuring Joe Theisman talking about his prostate. Excuse me, but I don't want to hear about Joe Theisman's prostate either.)
Regardless, Jeter shouldn't get any special treatment when the time comes. One guy got that, but I still think it was wrong. That was Roberto Clemente, who had an equally, if not superior career with the Pittsburgh Pirates as that Jeter has enjoyed with the Yankees. On December 31, 1972, Clemente perished in an airplane crash not far from his native Puerto Rico, while trying to get humanitarian aid to Nicaragua, in the aftermath of a horrendous earthquake that had left that country devastated. It was a noble cause indeed, and Clemente's untimely death was certainly a tragedy. His body was never recovered from the sea. Less than 3 months later, on March 20, 1973, the Baseball Writers Association of America, the scribes who do the actual voting on Hall of Fame nominees, convened a special session. Clemente garnered 92.69% of the votes to posthumously gain immediate induction. But with all due respect to the legacy of a fantastic baseball player, and an even better man -- why should Clemente have warranted such special treatment at the time to have the 5 year waiting period waived? Had he not been on that plane and instead got into a terrible car accident, which he survived, but left him unable to ever play again, that emergency meeting of the BWAA probably never would have taken place. Even though he was a "lock" for the H of F, Clemente would have been put on hold for 5 years like everybody else. Not to be insensitive, but what's really the difference?
Quick quiz answer. Tom Seaver got 98.84% of the vote, barely edging out Nolan Ryan, who checks in second with 98.79%.
Out of all the legends to ever play the game, you'll never guess who got the 3rd highest voting percentage into the H of F. That was Cal Ripken Jr., at 98.53%. He was only a .276 career hitter, but dammit, he played a lot of games in a row. For posterity's sake, that ranks Ripken well above the aforementioned names of Ruth, Cobb, etc.
For that matter, Willie Mays only garnered 94.68% of the vote to be a mere 14th on the all-time percentage list. Evidently, in the eyes of the voters, Cal Jr. was much more deserving of a plaque in Cooperstown than the Say Hey Kid. How in the hell can THAT be?
I have a theory on that. As time has gone on, the media exposure, along with the hype they espouse, keeps getting greater and greater for these players. And let's face it. For all their wisdom and experience, the distinguished members of the BWAA are only human. Like propaganda, if they keep hearing the same thing over and over and over again, they might just start believing it.
By the time the spin-meisters are done, maybe Jeter will get that 100% after all.
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