Hall of Fame Poll: Curt Schilling

It is Curt Schilling’s tenth and last time on the ballot. Curt asked for his name to be taken off, but the BBWAA didn’t feel they had to listen to that request.

He was on 71.1% of ballots last year, which would if he was a normal candidate, that he would easily make it this year.

Schilling had a 216-146 record, but things seem to click for him at age 30. After he turned 30 he won 162 games, winning over 20 haves 3 times, finishing 2nd in Cy Young voting 3 times and making 6 All-Star teams. When guys, especially of that time, get better into their 30s, I question how it happened.

He has 3 World Series rings (we beat out his Phillies in 1993, or he would have 4). He was co-MVP for the 2001 World Series. And you likely remember the ‘bloody sock’ from 2004. In 19 playoff starts, he is 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA. A good part of the case for the Hall is his performance in the playoffs.

He has an 80.5 career bWAR. He had two seasons of bWAR values above 8 (age 34 and 35 seasons), another season of 7.8 bWAR (age 37) and three seasons in the sixes.

Before age 30 Schilling had a 17.9 WAR total, after age 30 he totalled 62.6 bWAR. There are some pitchers who have injury issues and miss a lot of playing time in their 20s who do well in their 30s, because their arms don’t get the wear and tear most young pitchers do.

On the numbers, Schilling has a good case for the Hall.

On the flip side, there are his rather extreme views.

People say his views are ‘political’. I disagree. As Craig Calcaterra said:

Schilling has spread conspiracy theories that survivors of school massacres were paid crisis actors and has voiced his support of the so-called “QAnon theory” which holds that a cabal of “globalist elites” — transparent antisemitic code — are engaged in an international child sex trafficking ring and wish to commit a coup d’état in America. Schilling has espoused transphobia, xenophobia, islamophobia, antisemitism, racism, and has promoted the idea that violence against those with whom he disagrees — particularly the media — is at best a laughing matter and, arguably, is a good idea.

I get that people say ‘you wouldn’t complain if someone at the opposite end of the political spectrum said stupid things’. Well no, I had a lot of respect for David Suzuki, but suggesting pipelines could/should be blown up has ended that. Speech like that will end any respect I might have for a person. There are things I feel should never be suggested.

With Schilling, suggesting a journalist should be hung, or saying that people whose children were murdered are lying and acting isn’t political speech. It is ignorant dangerous speech. I can’t imagine how that could be called political speech.

If I were a reporter, I’d have a hard time voting for a guy who thinks it’s funny to joke about hanging journalists. I’m old enough to feel that’s over the line. I would like to think it is over the line no matter what your politics might be.