By Tim Clark / June 2, 2024 / Baseball, Column, Tim's Two Cents
Two

Even when baseball tries to do the right thing, they do the wrong thing.

Last week baseball announced that its statistical archives would now include Negro League players.

On the surface that is great news. Certainly, it is great news for the fantastic history of the Negro League. Some of baseball’s greatest players toiled in anonymity their entire careers because they played in the Negro Leagues.

I am not suggesting the Negro League players don’t stack up to MLB players. Josh Gibson is arguably the greatest baseball player of all time. Satchel Paige is arguably the greatest pitcher of all time. Many Negro League players would have been stars in MLB. The opposite could be true, as well. Many MLB players would have been stars in the Negro League.

The point is, we can never know because of America’s past stupidity.

Black players weren’t allowed to play Major League Baseball until the Dodgers Branch Rickey was brave enough to change that. Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to a MLB contract in 1946, thus integrating the International League. And shouldn’t any league called the International League be integrated? Then Rickey showed even more bravery by bringing Robinson to Brooklyn in 1947. From there, MLB would slowly start integrating their own league.

Therefore, before 1947 we never got to see the players go up against each other. We don’t know for sure who the superior players were. And does it matter? Why can’t we continue to rave about both groups of players. Trying to compare statistics despite no common opponents is just silly.

Statistics are even difficult to compare across eras. 

Was the ball the same 75 years ago?

What about pitching? Velocity was an unknown 80 years ago. Spin rate wasn’t a thing.

Hitting strategy was different.

Though it is true that baseball is baseball, it is supremely hard to determine if Babe Ruth was better than Hank Aaron, or if Joe DiMaggio was better than Willie Mays, or if Stan Musial was better than Ken Griffey, Jr.

Granted, what’s at hand with this statistical change isn’t necessarily who was better but rather acknowledging the Negro League players’ greatness by including them with all the other MLB players.

Acknowledgement is great, and quite frankly, has been going on for some time. We should always acknowledge greatness.

It actually makes for great debate to have the statistics in their own separate column.

The fact is that these players never had the opportunity to play against one another. It stinks, but you can’t change history.

Why must we always, in an effort to do the right thing, go overboard and do something that just doesn’t make sense. There is no reason we can’t continue to recognize both sets of players for their accomplishments.

Additionally, the statistical review committee that went back through the Negro League stats only got part of them. And that was a monumental task. Pulled from the annals were career and seasonal statistics. The group will have to go back, in and scour box scores to obtain single game stats like no-hitters. The committee has estimated they have around 75% of the Negro League stats. Stats that run from through 1948.

I am thrilled these diligent folks are going through box scores with a fine tooth comb so that baseball fans can get a more complete picture of the Negro League players’ greatness. It is long overdue.

I just think it is silly to try and lump them in with MLB stats.

For example, looking at the single season  batting average lists shows six Negro League players with higher averages than Nap Lajoie’s record setting .426 in 1901. Many are significantly higher, including Josh Gibson’s .466 in 1943.

Why create debate that will surely lead to negative, bad mouthing, condemning commentary?

Doing what you think is right just simply won’t change history. Sometimes it has the opposite effect.

Isn't it good enough to acknowledge Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Buck Leonard, Satchel Paige, Ray Dandridge, Smokey Joe Williams, Oscar Charleston, and Mule Suttles were Hall of Fame players. On the other side of the coin Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Ty Cobb, Bob Feller, Stan Musial, and Jimmie Fox were also Hall of Fame players. There is not only no need to combine all of the players, but it is unfair to both sets of players to combine them.

Our country has been flawed forever. Our Founding Fathers owned slaves while penning the words, “All men are created equal.” Today we have a 34 time felon running for President. In between you will find plenty more flaws. Some of those flaws were racial inequality, bigotry, and ignorance. We have made them all better over the course of 225+ years, but not perfect.

Things were certainly far, far from perfect in the first 4 or 5 decades of the 1900’s. Part of the ugliness was not allowing black players to be a part of Major League Baseball. Consequently, black players were forced to play in their own league.

Trying to right wrongs from 100 years ago is impossible. You can’t change history; not even the bad stuff.

So, thank you to the people willing to spend countless hours, days, weeks, and months parsing through stats to give us the straight scoop on the greatness of the Negro League players. Not that we didn’t already know.

Face facts. America has many stupid things on its record. Black players not being allowed to play Major League Baseball is just one of those things. Dumping the Negro League stats in with the others won’t change that stupidity.

The stats were acquired under different circumstances and settings. They aren’t even. It is silly to think that it is fair to put them together. That doesn’t mean MLB was better or more challenging. It doesn’t mean the Negro League was better or more challenging. It means they were different.

Quit overthinking things, baseball.

Allow the fans to see the numbers and realize the greatness that existed in both leagues. Let the debate begin, or not. But let it happen naturally. And, for the love of Ty Cobb, quit trying to change history. The numbers are the numbers are the numbers, but they were earned in different settings. They just were. We shouldn’t make needless changes just to make us feel better about a crappy past. 

None of it changes the fact that Josh Gibson may have been the best baseball player of all time. Or maybe he wasn’t. That doesn’t lessen any of his accomplishments.

What do the kids say? If you know, you know.

Great is great no matter where it played.

Two Cent Takes

MLB

~Bad umpiring weekly update:

 

 

I don’t care if the guy is hitting .093, the umpire is charged with making correct calls. As I see it, the umpire hit .000 in that at bat.

~As we hit June running, here are quick thoughts:

  • Good Surprised: Cleveland, Kansas City, New York Yankees, Milwaukee
  • Bad Surprised: Houston, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati
  • Not Surprised At All: Tampa Bay, Arizona, New York Mets
  • Best Player: Aaron Judge
  • Close second: Juan Soto
  • Worst Luck: Atlanta Braves

~White Sox Watch: On pace for 40 wins, maybe 41 if they get hot. Still, they won’t be anyone’s b*tch.

 

 

 

College Athletics

~The courts have spoken. The NCAA has a “system” in place. The rich will get richer, while the poor get poorer. Messy probably got messier. Time will tell. One thing is for sure, and that is it will be a slippery slope to climb. Upon his last game as Coastal Carolina baseball coach, Gary Gilmore sums it up pretty darn well.

 

 

~People have been taking swings at USC for allegedly trying to get out of their game with LSU to start the upcoming season. The Trojans already have games at Michigan, UCLA, and Washington, plus home games with Penn State, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. With Notre Dame always on the schedule, USC doesn’t need another out of conference heavyweight. By comparison:

  • Michigan: Texas, Fresno State, Arkansas State
  • Ohio State: Akron, W. Michigan, Marshall
  • Penn State: West Virginia, Bowling Green, Kent State
  • Iowa: Illinois State, Iowa State, Troy
  • Wisconsin:Alabama, W. Michigan, South Dakota
  • Oregon: Idaho, Boise State, Oregon State
  • Washington: Weber State, E. Michigan, Washington State
  • Georgia: Clemson, Tennessee Tech, Massachusetts
  • Alabama: W. Kentucky, South Florida, Wisconsin, Mercer
  • LSU:  USC, UCLA, Nicholls, South Alabama
  • Oklahoma: Temple, Houston, Tulane
  • Texas: ColoradoState, Michigan, UTSA, UL Monroe

Maybe find someone else to pick at. Nobody comes close to the schedule USC will have to endure, and endure with a first year starter quarterback. No shame in Lincoln Riley trying to ease his new guy into the season a bit. For the record, USC is a touchdown underdog for only the third time in a season opener since 1978.

NHL

~It has been 30 years since we have seen a New York team hoist the Stanley Cup trophy. The streak will continue as the Rangers were eliminated by Florida. Meanwhile, the world will finally get to see Connor McDavid play for a Cup. He leads Edmonton to the finals for the first time since 2016. Good thing McDavid is playing, or this would be a very non-sexy matchup, aka a ratings nightmare.

Golf

~A pretty cool scene at the Canadien Open, as Robert McIntyre won for the first time(lefty by the way). The cool part was his dad was on the bag for him.

 

 

The Weekly Shiny Penny/FinalThought

Hopefully you will allow me to do something a bit different this week by combining the last two sections. Whether anyone reads it doesn’t really matter, but I need to write it. Thanks for indulging me.

My son, Ian, gets the nod as the Shiny Penny and my Final Thought this week.

Ian

He graduates from high school Wednesday as an honor student and heads off to Juniata College in the fall. I am pretty darn proud of him. He was born with a speech issue called Apraxia, which not only affects speech but also coordination. He has let none of that hold him back, as he has bounded through his first 18 years with energy, exuberance, and a fantastic work ethic. He has long hair, bad taste in music(too much country), and has little time for anything sports related. And that is just fine. One thing I have tried to teach him is to be himself, and Ian is definitely his own person.

He has also had to deal with having just my silly self as a full time single parent(a bit of a long story). Raising kids is hard whether you do it as a team or solo. There are tons of great single parents out there. It would have been nice to have a partner helping out, but Ian and I have managed for 18 years. It has never been an excuse for either of us.

I got up every night when he was a baby and did the nighttime feeding and changing, then went to work the next day. I was the one who was there when he chipped his front tooth on his scooter. He never road that thing again! I was there to defend him when his Little League coach pulled him off the field in the middle of an inning…in a minor league game. He thanked me repeatedly for having his back. That won’t ever change. We have done our Jersey Shore father/son trip every summer since he was 5. I am taking him kicking and screaming again this summer. I love spending that week with him away from everything else.

I have been there for all of it, and I have tried my best to guide him and provide for him. I am proud of myself, but not nearly as proud as I am of Ian.

When I told him how important school was, he promptly went four straight years of high school without missing one day. He is curious and loves to learn new things. I love that about him.

I got help from my parents along the way. My dad passed away when Ian was in third grade. He would be so very proud of this moment. I’m sure “Grampy” is watching. My mom is 92 and will attend Ian’s graduation. I’m pretty sure she stuck around just to see this moment in Ian’s life. Ian and I were both lucky to have their support.

My kid is no more special than your kid or your kid or your kid. But he sure is special to me, and I am so glad I didn’t screw anything up too much along the way.

Flying this plane solo wasn’t always easy, but it helped that my passenger never gave me any trouble. These 18 years have flown by, and I confess to having some trouble accepting that. Heck, I’m having trouble getting this typed out.

My dad always told me the older you get the faster time seems to go. The great thing is I still can picture him in my arms as I walked our path around the house to get to sleep. I can see him in his Little League uniform and at his band concerts. Luckily, I can still remember it all like it was just yesterday.

Step one is complete, so on to the next. I hope Ian knows we will take all these steps as a team.

I will conclude by giving myself a tiny pat on the back for not screwing this up, and I give Ian giant congratulations for being a great success when he could have made excuses. My kid has yet to not make me proud.

#AlwaysProud

Just my two cents…