Major League Baseball officially announced their choices for the Hall of Fame. Well, actually, they didn’t announce anyone this year. The big controversy is that baseball writers did not elect a single player for baseball’s highest honor. While I understand the dilemma they faced with names like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, there are others who were equally worthy that were passed over for suspicion of PED’s. Names like Curt Schilling, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and, of course, our beloved Mike Piazza.
The news isn’t all bad for Piazza however. He is coming out with a book soon that will deny his involvement with the steroid era. That, in and of itself could boost him over the top this time next year. Until then, the New York Mets have another option for Queens favorite catcher of the last decade. It seems that the Mets Hall of Fame Committee will be meeting before Spring Training to decide on any inductees into the Mets HOF honor. Piazza has a solid chance of making that cut and being honored this summer at Citi Field. Perhaps he will throw out the first pitch at the All Star game. Who knows?
The question that comes to mind, however, is simple. This committee’s decision has to be approved by Jeff Wilpon. His father, Fred, is BFF’s with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. The same MLB that just denied Piazza a similar, but to a larger degree, type of honor. What would it say if the Mets, who everyone is fully aware is being run by a Bud Selig-planted Sandy Alderson, votes Mike Piazza into their hall despite MLB’s stand on him?
While the baseball writers are the ones that denied Piazza, it is MLB that approves who can and cannot vote and the system in which players are voted in. Therefore, MLB has earned a major black eye for the recent scandal of steroids and the new scandal of great players being denied the HOF. If the Mets, led by Fred and Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson, approve of Mike Piazza being worthy of an honor when Selig’s system did not, it speaks volumes to what the Mets think of Bud Selig, MLB and their occupancy in the hierarchy of the Queens baseball franchise.
Despite how the Mets HOF Committee is set up, those thinking Fred Wilpon does not have the final say in it are just lying to themselves. It is doubtful that Jeff Wilpon will approve anything that would be offensive to his father or to the image that the Mets have tried so hard to rebuild. Especially after said image was torn down not so long ago by those same two individuals.
If the Mets decide to honor Piazza in this way, deserving or not, it will be their way of publicly extending a middle finger at Bud Selig. Whether they intend it that way or not, it will be the perception. As we all know: perception is reality.
I disagree with your argument.
The standards for the Baseball HOF and a team’s HOF are different. The baseball HOF is obviously more exclusive and thus has a higher requirement to enter because there is a larger pool to draw from. There’s nothing wrong with being elected to one and not being elected to another and it wouldn’t be a smack to anyone’s reputation.
Secondly, i don’t think you can associate the baseball writers with MLB and blame MLB for the lack of inductees. Yes, MLB decides the process, but ultimately the onus should fall onto the baseball writers because they are the ones that have the power. For instance, would you blame the public for the fiscal cliff problem because our ELECTED officials in Congress couldn’t get a deal done? Of course not!
Name, pretty much everything you say above is true.
Yet still, if the Wilpons choose this year to elect Piazza to their team HOF, I think it has to reflect at least partially on MLB and its process.
They waited 7 years after he retired to honor John Franco, who played 14 years with the club compared to 8 for Piazza. They’ve never been in a rush to elect someone before, so why the hurry with Piazza now?
Ok. I didn’t know that the Mets HOF process was loose and unrigid(compared to the baseball HOF process).
With that in mind, i can see how an induction this year may be interpreted in a negative light. I certainly wouldn’t, but i can see how some would see it that way.
I agree though they if he does get inducted, they probably shouldn’t do it at the all star game when all of MLB is watching. That would be more of an insult than whether he’s inducted this year in my opinion.
Neither Selig nor MLB select HOF inductees. The baseball writers did not supply the vote this year. It is that simple.
Fred Wilpon may own the Mets but he is Brooklyn Dodger fan. If Mike Piazza was truly clean I believe he would of been a slam dunk to get in. There is much that happens behind the scenes to which we are not privy. There have been rumors for quite some time about Piazza using illegally enhanced performing drugs. The number of votes he received should tell you something about what the writers know but cannot print. I am a die hard Met fan but if he was caught using then I can accept him not being selected to the HOF. It doesn’t mean i won’t cherish some wonderful moments he gave us after 9/11.
Contrary to popular belief, Major League Baseball does not have a lot of say as to the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is an organization that is separate and independent from Major League Baseball. While they obviously must have a close working relationship, and generally be like-minded over policy, MLB has no power over the Hall. Nor does MLB have any power over the BBWAA, another organization that is separate and independent. MLB does not dictate membership in the BBWAA, and it certainly cannot give or take away the right of BBWAA members to vote on the Hall of Fame. Only the Hall of Fame can do that. The Hall gave the BBWAA the power of election to the Hall of Fame back in 1936, and despite occurrences like this years inability to elect anyone, there has never been any indication that the Hall will ever take that right away.