Disclaimer: I am a Red Sox fan. Nothing I could ever say or write on the subject of the Yankees could ever be without bias and hatred. There's no point in even trying to hide it. I have to put this out there so people know that there is no love lost for them in my house. Now that that's been said, I am going to make another revelation. I hate them. But that hatred has no effect on how I feel about Derek Jeter's Gold Glove or the debate about George Steinbrenner possibly being on the next Hall of Fame ballot.
I'll deal with Jeter first. A lot of the articles I have read in the wake of his being awarded the Gold Glove fall into two categories. The first is "What the hell were the managers and coaches thinking???" and the second school of thought is that there are many things other than defensive statistics that make a player worthy of winning a Gold Glove award. Really? Things other than defensive statistics when it comes to winning a trophy that is FOR defensive prowess? Forget what uniform he's wearing. Imagine his name is Merek Schmeter and he played shortstop for the Kansas City Royals. With his numbers, the possibility of his winning a Gold Glove isn't a conversation anyone would be having. If anything else, his numbers got a boost due to his lack of range and not any special skills he has. If awards are handed out based on a player's name or star power or the uniform he wears instead of his play, are they even relevant at all?
Another article I read over at Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew got me thinking about another Yankee figure. This time the figurehead, George Steinbrenner, and the possibility that his name will be on the Hall of Fame ballot at the end of this year. Yes, the Yankees were very successful while he was in charge. But they were very successful before he took over as well. The 1980s were the franchise's worst years. During his tenure, the most success the Yankees had was when he was suspended from baseball. And that brings me to the main reason why I think he shouldn't be up for candidacy: suspensions. He was suspended from the game for a year and a half due to illegal contributions to Richard Nixon's campaign. His lifetime suspension was later reduced, but he hired a gambler to find dirt on Dave Winfield. He hired a gambler. The suspensions themselves should be enough to keep him out of the hall, but it probably won't. I'll leave it at this: If Pete Rose is out forever due to his actions, Steinbrenner should be too.
In happier news, here is a video of some of the Lightning players discussing their involvement in Movember:
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