Grip on Sports: On the day Edgar Martinez is elected to the Hall of Fame, a couple of walls tumble down
A GRIP ON SPORTS • A couple of barriers fell yesterday, but only one really mattered to fans in this area. Edgar Martinez was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame. Read on.
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• After nine years of failing, those who supported Martinez’s candidacy finally convinced enough Hall voters to give their nod to the first real designated hitter to join the hallowed place.
For longtime Mariner fans, it seemed about time. For others, there is still a stigma attached. But for everyone, the door has opened. Others will follow Martinez’s lead. Just being a DH will no longer be a disqualification.
There are so many voices out there extolling Martinez’s virtues, including that of our John Blanchette, there is little need for another.
The vote was not even close (an odd occurrence, really, if you consider how few votes Martinez earned just five years ago and that, you know, he hasn’t had a hit since). And it was about time.
But something else happened this year that seems a bit lost in the Northwest shuffle. Reliever Mariano Rivera was elected unanimously. The first person to ever earn that honor.
Think about that.
Yes, Rivera was the best closer ever. And, yes, he benefitted from wearing pinstripes, the uniform of choice for the New York-based Hall. And, yes, fewer voters today, in an era of transparency and social-media outrage, wanted to face the wrath of the you-should-have-done-it-this-way mob.
But it seems weird to have a guy who pitched one inning a night, about 70 innings a year, become the first unanimous selection.
After almost 100 years of weighing the merits of the greatest two-way players of all time, it’s a reliever who gains every voter’s vote. That’s sort of surreal.
It’s not Ty Cobb, who retired owning more records than anyone in baseball history. Nor Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, George Brett, Tony Gwynn or Ken Griffey, Jr. who earned that distinction.
It is a relief pitcher.
If you ever want proof that baseball isn’t the same eternal game it’s always been, this is Exhibit A. When the Hall opened, there was no position as closer (or DH). In fact, relief pitchers were once the trash heap of major league rosters, the spot guys who couldn’t cut it as starting pitchers were tossed.
Yesterday every Hall of Fame voter decided someone who had only filled the last-inning role was good enough to vote for. They were not wrong. He was the best ever at what he did. He deserved a vote.
But so did Cobb. So did Ruth and so on. It just so happens someone had always derailed the best player’s perfect mark, for whatever reason. It didn’t happen with Rivera. Another door was thrown open. Others will walk through.
Baseball has once again steamrolled its past and rebuilt its future. As it has done since it began.
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Gonzaga: With the return of Killian Tillie from injury, coach Mark Few has decided at times to play his three best big men at the same time. It hasn’t been a common occurrence, but it’s happened recently. Jim Meehan spent a bit of time yesterday looking at that lineup and what it means for Gonzaga. … Jim also passes along the news one of those three, Brandon Clarke, is a finalist for a defensive award.
WSU: The college football season will end soon and it ends with all-star games. The Cougars’ Gardner Minshew is, along with left tackle Andre Dillard, playing in the Senior Bowl. Theo Lawson will be there – he is in Brandon, Mississippi right now – for the game and he has a couple of stories about Minshew’s experience. … Theo also has another story on WSU losing an assistant coach to Oregon. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Thursday night will be the best this season in terms of crucial games. … Washington has one of those, against Oregon. … Oregon State’s upcoming schedule seems a bit softer. … Colorado just wants to get healthy. … Utah just wants to win at Stanford. … UCLA is picking up the heat. … Arizona has a player sitting out who could help. … Former UA assistant Book Richardson was in court yesterday. … In football news, who will be the teams to beat next season? Washington should be one of them.
Chiefs: Spokane has lost three consecutive games after last night’s 2-1 defeat at Seattle.
Preps: Central Valley has lost a lot of talent from last year’s undefeated girls team, but the Bears showed they are still tough, especially at home. Dave Nichols was at their 68-45 win over previously undefeated Mt. Spokane last night. … We also have a GSL boys roundup and roundups from boys and girls action in the area.
Mariners: The S-R went all out in its coverage of Martinez’s election to the Hall, including John’s column, a story from Dave with Brett’s thoughts and another piece on the selection. … The Times’ Larry Stone, who has written a book with Martinez, was with the family as the selection was announced. … There is more coverage as well from all over the region and the nation.
Sounders: Seattle began practice for a news season with a new look.
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• For years, Hall of Fame voting was anonymous. And some writers used their vote to punish a player they didn’t like. It was wrong. Someone like Walter Johnson or Cy Young or Warren Spahn, to name just a few pitchers, should have been unanimous. They weren’t. In the future, such things won’t happen. Until later …