There is no writer's wing of the Hall of Fame

Is it possible that we can drop this fiction?

There is no writer's wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and writers are not inducted into the Hall.

There is only the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, which is given by the Hall of Fame, and presented at the induction ceremony. And the winners are recognized in the "Scribes and Mikemen" exhibit in the library at the Hall of Fame.

http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/spink.jsp

But the honorees are not inducted into anything. And they're certainly not inducted into a writers' wing of the Hall of Fame, because there isn't one.

The award is certainly a great honor, and I can understand why writers would like to use language like "he was inducted into the Hall." It sounds good on a resume (see Murray Chass's web site), or in an obituary.

But shouldn't we get the facts right?

 

But the display is kind of off in its own little area, some would even say its own wing. But you are correct, there is no sign or anything proclaiming, "Welcome to the writers' wing."

 

Display there has all the names and publications, but no "stats" or bio for each scribe (or voice).

Still, it's a select group honoring just one veteran per year, and it's not like they've scraped the bottom of the barrel. As far as the general public is concerned, it's the equivalent of enshrinement for the ink-stained wretches and the familiar voices (even if it's a simple majority, rather than the lofty 75 percent required for the players).

 

As far as the general public is concerned, you're right.

But as far as we are concerned ... that phrase is inaccurate. I don't mind Chass, Gammons, et al, being referred to as "Hall of Fame writers" (it's not quite the same, but at least it's understood). But there is no "election," nobody's "enshrined" and there is no "wing."

They're Spink Award winners, and that's it. It's the highest award a baseball writer can receive -- trust me, nobody's being diminished if we're accurate about how we phrase it. They got things right when they were writing; so should we.

It's lazy to say otherwise.

 

I feel ya, Buck. I do know that I have voted for the Spinks honorees. That meant putting a check next to one writer's name and not next to another one's (or more). That qualifies as an election, right?

I think a reference to the "writers' wing" actually is less misleading than those who refer to "Hall of Fame writers," because that -- to me -- sounds like the Hall enshrines media folks in the same way some of those Halls honor "builders." With the Naismith Hall, which also honors a writer each year at its induction ceremony, I have seen people mentioned as having been "inducted", for crying out loud.

If I had to write about it, and since the Spinks Award doesn't resonate with most readers and would require its own explanation, I'd go with something like: "... Joe Williams, among the select group of writers who have been honored at the Hall's annual induction ceremony, blah blah blah..."

(Yeah, right, Joe Williams. Heh heh.)

 

Technically there is an election. Three candidates each year are on the ballot and the writers vote for one.

 

Ahh, good point about the "election." I stand corrected.

And hey, Joe Williams was a damn good baseball writer. I recommend the Joe Williams Baseball Reader (Alqonquin Books, 1989). Some great, great stuff in there.

 

Damn, I forgot my own inspiration for the nom de plume! Joe Williams was terrific and I love that Reader. So I stand corrected too!

 

Also, why's it called a foul pole? It should be the fair pole. These and other important questions...

 

No. It shouldn't.

 

Thank you!!!!!!!

 

Go count your leopard's spots.