Hot-foots, Warm ups and Pranks

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

Yesterday was Election Day in the United States, and anxieties are high across the country. So, I thought it would be a good time for a fun article. In the following paragraphs, let’s have some laughs and look back at some funny moments in MLB.

Nineteen years ago, in September 2001, A.J. Burnett was a 24 year old flamethrower who was in his first full season with the then-called Florida Marlins. As fans settled into their seats, Burnett threw his warm-up pitches while the team mascot, Billy the Marlin was riding in the back of a pickup truck getting the fans excited. As the truck and Billy the Marlin drove around the perimeter behind home plate, Burnett fired a perfectly timed warm-up pitch that shattered the window behind the passenger side door.

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Twelve years later, Burnett was with the Pittsburgh Pirates when he had a rosin bag give out on him. After he noticed the cloud of rosin around him he flashes two fingers. That’s because it was the SECOND time it happened to him in the same season. 🤣🤣

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Starting pitchers on their days off can be as lethal in the dugout as they are on the mound. Case in point, Justin Verlander giving then-Tigers teammate Don Kelly a “hot foot”. When Kelly realized his foot was on fire, his reaction was priceless.

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Ten years ago, former Yankees pitcher Chan Ho Park talks with reporters at his locker after pitching three scoreless innings in Boston. He is asked what the difference was from his previous outing, when he pitched poorly three days before. We’ll just let Park answer, while Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera looks on in the background. 😂

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Finally, let’s watch Yankees right-fielder Aaron Judge when he joined “The Tonight Show” in New York City’s Bryant Park in 2017 to ask people what they thought about Aaron Judge.

In conclusion, I hoped you enjoyed this lighthearted look at baseball. We could all use a little less stress and more laughs. Have a great day and please be kind, as we don’t know what battles people are facing.

 

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Writers Making Statements with HOF Vote

Posted on by Charlie Ricker

Every December, baseball writers with Hall of Fame votes submit their ballots to determine who will be enshrined the following Summer in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

And it seems like every year or every other year, there is a baseball player who had such an outstanding career that one would think said player would have a chance to be unanimously voted in — 100% of the votes. In this particular case, the player in question is former Yankees closer Mariano Rivera.

Sadly, many writers take their privilege of voting and turn it into a circus. This seems to be the case every few years, and this time around it’s Bill Ballou of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. In Ballou’s piece, he uses Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel, an NFL kicker (Adam Viniateri) and an AHL hockey goaltender to drive home his point about being a clutch player. I won’t get into that here, but I linked his story for all to see.

My outrage isn’t about Ballou not giving Rivera a Hall of Fame vote, because it’s safe to assume Mariano will easily be voted in despite Ballou not voting for him. The problem at hand is he’s not voting for ANYONE. That is a travesty.

Players can stay on the ballot up to ten years as long as they receive at least five percent of combined votes from eligible BBWAA writers. If a player drops below that threshold, they are forever removed from the ballot going forward. If a player isn’t voted into the Hall (which requires earning 75% of votes) after ten years, he also is removed forever from the ballot.

Based on that information, every vote has meaning. To pull the nonsense Ballou is doing is a disservice to the players, other BBWAA writers and the game itself. It’s unfair to punish players, it’s literally toying with peoples’ lives. In my opinion, any writer who pulls this stunt deserves to have their voting rights stripped.

However, this isn’t the first time a voter has turned the process into a clown-show. In 2013, ESPN personality and Miami Herald columnist Dan LeBetard turned his ballot over to Deadspin because he felt the voting process needed reform. He was immediately stripped of the privilege to vote. MLB.com writer Ken Gurnick created a stir in early 2014 when he voted for only one player, Jack Morris (who has since been voted in by the HOF veteran’s committee), bypassing Greg Maddux (who was voted in anyway).

I think the BBWAA should review and take action against writers who abuse the voting process. There are plenty of writers who don’t have the ability to vote and would cherish the opportunity.