If Peter GAnnon is being inducted into the HOF
 

Why isn't Mike Lupica?

Peter Gammons maybe?

Re: If Peter GAnnon is being inducted into the HOF
 

Because Lupica is a big piece of shit, or maybe because he's a NY-only news presence, or maybe because he's not exclusively a baseball writer (not even a member of the BBWAA if my google search is correct), or maybe because his writing is often opinion-based or editorial rather than journalistic.

Mostly though, it's because Lupica is often just a big piece of shit.

Because Peter Gammons set the standard for baseball writing as it is today. He's reached a level of importance that GMs call him when a big deal is going down, not the other way around. He's influenced baseball writers all over the country (Jason Stark, Gordon Edes and Tim Kurkjian, among others). He started the "notes" format for columns, and its become standard use for hundreds (if not more) of sportswriters around the country.

He really is a sportswriting legend and a baseball legend; in my mind it's an honor he deserves and has deserved for a number of years.

OK - this is actually the right reason, but honestly I hate "Ears" Lupica so I'm going to stand by mine.

Also - congrats Gammo, you deserve it every bit as much as many of the players in the Hall.

Haha - that works too though, I can see how Lupica gets on people's nerves. He doesn't bother me so much, but there's no comparison between him and someone like Gammons (who also happens to be an extremely nice guy).

Totally agree - Lupica's the classic "I'm hearing . . . " sportswriter, where he's constantly running half-truths or gossip columns. Few writers can get away with that sort of thing, and Gammons is not only the original but the oracle.

Gammons isn't 'hearing' from Joe Busboy or Larry the Training Staff Outcast . . . he's 'hearing' from Littlefield and DePodesta and the Theo himself.

For me, it comes down to who's actually a journalist - and even among the pseudo-journalists, Lupica compares negatively to someone like Mitch Albom (who I can't make ear references to, for obvious reasons), who uses his soapbox for the occasional, y'know, positive reason. This is hyper unfortunate, when you consider that Albom does it out of DETROIT - Lupica can't even use the biggest stage on the planet.

It's admirable that the guy doesn't want to 'specialize', on one level - but the reality is that Gammons is the best ever at what he does, while Lupica is a talking head, someone trying to be a celebrity voice rather than a sports journalist.

This rant got long quick, whoa.

When it comes down to it, there isn't really anything special or outstanding about Lupica as a sportswriter. He's good at what he does, he has a lot of readers and he has the name recognition thing going for him.

Gammons is a journalism legend though; I think that his many years in television may have delayed his induction into the Hall, since most (if not all) of the Spinks award winners had made their marks exclusively in print.

I like how you two are having an entire conversation here.

From yesterday:

NME525 (2:52.39 PM): I would totally fuck John Papelbon, he's fuckable


-RC
--you'd jump into our conversation, if you had anything to add

so now you're saving our im conversations? and I would, fuck him that is.

Gammons' speech:

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hof_weekend/

absolutely what we're talking about