The chances for clutch pitcher Curt Schilling to reach the Baseball Hall of Fame seem to be dwindling, and it is apparent that much of the reason has to do with Schilling’s outspokenness regarding his political views, and seemingly, one incendiary tweet about journalists.
Schilling won 216 games in his career, not the 300 that almost automatically qualifies for entry to Cooperstown, but his sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratio (best of all time) and his incredible record in post-season games, including his legendary courageous performance pitching on an ankle that was sutured in a way never done before, leaving him pitching as his sock (once lent to the Hall of Fame) grew bloody, should have been enough to get the job done.
But Schilling’s outspoken conservative views, which seemingly were a key factor in his firing by ESPN, have keyed a response to his election to the Hall that seems genuinely hostile. The votes must be cast by December 31. A chief factor for some of the journalists who will vote on a candidate’s eligibility was Schilling’s poorly-thought out tweet in response to an incendiary photo. The photo showed a man wearing a T-shirt reading, “Rope. Tree. Journalist. No assembly required.” Schilling captioned the photo, “So much awesome here.”
That was the final straw for some journalists, who felt Schilling was endorsing the lynching of journalists. Schilling’s percentage of the needed 75% of the vote to gain entry to the Hall rose from 39.2% to 52.3% last year, but as ESPN reports, “Ryan Thibodaux, who runs a popular Hall of Fame tracker that tallies writer votes, has counted 80 writers who have made their ballots public in advance of the Dec. 31 deadline. Among that group, Schilling has picked up four votes from last year while losing 14, for a net difference of minus-10.”
Thibodaux noted, “A major step back at this point could be a real candidacy killer. He finally hurdled 50 percent last year and still has six years left (including this year) to make up the rest of the difference. That’s certainly possible. But a drop back into the low 40s (or worse) makes it that much harder to reach 75 percent within five years.”
After the firestorm erupted after his tweet, Schilling responded that the tweet was “100 percent sarcasm … Every single person that read it KNEW I was mocking. Do I have some sort of hidden passion for lynching in my past?”
Schilling’s explanation notwithstanding, some writers used the excuse of Rule 5 of the Baseball Writers Association of America rules for election to buttress their claims that Schilling doesn’t belong in the Hall. The rule states: “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.”
One voter, Kirby Arnold, stated, “To me, this falls under Rule 5 of the [Baseball Writers Association of America] rules for election, specifically the reference to integrity and character. I was prepared to vote for Curt again this year but changed my mind after his Twitter comment. Whether or not he meant it as sarcasm didn’t matter to me. I was disgusted by the fact someone would either endorse the act of lynching or make light of it, and it didn’t matter to me if it was journalists or any living being.”
Another voter, Dejan Kovacevic, won’t vote for Schilling because he viewed his behavior “especially in recent years, represents the antithesis of the character clause that the Hall and BBWAA continue to instruct voters to honor.”
Yet as ESPN notes:
Schilling won the Roberto Clemente Award, Branch Rickey Award, Hutch Award, Sporting News Good Guy of the Year award, Lou Gehrig Award, Babe Ruth Award, Worth Magazine’s Young Benefactor of the Year award and the designation of “Most Caring Athlete” from USA Today. He was also a tireless advocate for veterans’ causes and a champion in the fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
But other writers see the character issue differently; Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “I never consider the “character clause” because I think it’s a farce and should be eliminated, given all the roguish behavior within the Hall.” Jeff Passan of Yahoo.com echoed,
A Hall of Fame voter’s job is to assess what a player did over the course of his career, weigh it and render an opinion based on performance. Personally, I disregard the character clause because I think it’s presumptuous to believe we truly know these men well enough to render judgment on them personally — and because the number of reprehensible human beings already in the Hall of Fame renders the clause’s existence positively inert.
“I sleep fine. My three World Series rings, trophies and 20-some years of amazing memories are all mine, and always will be.”
Curt Schilling
John Tomase of WEEI added, “We may reside at opposite ends of the political spectrum, but bottom line is he’s the best postseason pitcher in history, he’s got the best strikeout-to-walk in history, and the other stats some see as falling short I see as good enough. The Steroids Era has also convinced me the character clause has got to go. Either put a player on the ballot or don’t; stop demanding we legislate the game’s morality. In any event, to bring this back to the Big Schill, I’ll vote for him until he’s not on the ballot anymore, no matter how many memes he posts or delicate sensibilities he offends.”
Schilling responded to the attacks on him by saying, “That’s how it works when you give weak people power. They want to ‘hold it over me’ or something like that? Please. An arbitrary process done by some of the most vindictive and spiteful humans I’ve ever known? One I stopped having control over nine years ago? I sleep fine. My three World Series rings, trophies and 20-some years of amazing memories are all mine, and always will be.”