Bill Madden wins baseball's Spink award

http://community.baseballhall.org/Page.aspx?pid=504

 

If you thought Murray Chass' speech was bitter and unhappy, wait 'til you get a load of this one.

 

So Madden got precisely 50 percent of the vote and gets his big day at Cooperstown, but guys like Bert Blyleven, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson and others miss enshrinement becaise they can't get 75 percent.

Wacky.

 

I could be wrong, BYH, but I know Bill well and I would be very, very surprised if he's anything other than humble and gracious during his speech. The anti-Chass, if you will.

 

It's a longevity award, and Madden has covered for a long time.

 

Apple and oranges, you moron.


I will say uneqivocally, that I have know Billy longer than anyone here. We went to the same high school, he was a senior when I was a freshman, and we both ran track.

Little know fact: Bill Madden was a New Jersey State Catholic High Scool 100-yard (yes, yards, I'm taking 1964) dash champion -- ran 9.8 I believe -- and went to South Carolina on a track scholarship.

And as Chan said, he will be humble and gracious and I'm sure poke some fun at himself along the way.
Congrats, Bill.

 

Right back at ya, old grumpy defensive moron.

I guess I have to spell everything out and use these damn yellow faces so the unsubtle among us can connect every last dot:



I voted for Madden too, FWIW.

 

Let's face it, too: Having the writer and broadcaster awards annually is mostly about having "programming" for induction day at Cooperstown. They need old tale-tellers (or their survivors) to talk romantically about the game and link to bygone years.

Otherwise, the Hall could go without a writer or broadcaster being voted in some years, same as players.

 

I've never sensed him to be anything other than bitter and unhappy, either in reading him in the paper or observing him in the press box. I will be glad to be proven wrong on Induction Sunday.

 

I never got the sense that he was either bitter or unhappy. Perhaps a bit cynical. He was one of the veterans who was tremendous to me when I first started on the baseball beat.

 

Nah ... I'll let someone else do the math on Bill's age.

 

i worked with bill for 18 years -- we both started at the news after the strike in '78; me as a peon, bill fresh from upi to caddy for phil pepe.

i understand why billy was seen by some as crusty or aloof by those he didn't know. but he was always good to me; even pitched me to take over one of the baseball beats in the mid-'80's. i was flattered -- back then, there was a football off-season and i did help out by doing some backup and baseball features -- and i think bill was a bit surprised it turned down the offer at the time, understanding the nfl gave me a must better shot at having a real personal life.

but, yes, madden will not embarrass anyone at the hall induction.