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Writer who turned in blank ballot says it's not a sign of disrespect
By Tim Sullivan
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 7, 2007
Paul Ladewski is likely to make some enemies this week. Maybe millions of them.
In signing his Hall of Fame ballot without checking the name of a single candidate, the Chicago sportswriter has ensured that neither Tony Gwynn nor Cal Ripken Jr. can be elected unanimously.
“I sent in a blank ballot,” Ladewski confirmed in a telephone interview Thursday. “I didn't vote for anybody. It's nothing personal against Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken Jr., who have numbers that speak for themselves. ... (But) to me, the steroid era is not worthy of my vote. Anyone who played in that era makes me reluctant to jump on bandwagons.”
Ladewski, a columnist for the Daily Southtown who acknowledges he may be a “dinosaur,” announced his steroid stance in a column published Aug. 4, 2005, and he has yet to redraw his relatively hard line. In separate polls by The San Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore Sun, Ladewski was the only eligible voter to acknowledge opposition to either Gwynn or Ripken.
“I'm somewhat surprised to hear that,” Ladewski said.
It may be some time before he hears the end of it.
Over seven decades, no ballplayer has been able to attain unanimity in the the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Hall of Fame vote, but Gwynn and Ripken figure to get close.
Should Ladewski prove the lone holdout in the final tally, or if he is one of a handful, Gwynn and/or Ripken could surpass Tom Seaver's record 1992 vote percentage of 98.8 percent. Though there is no formal status associated with a landslide election – a 75 percent Hall of Famer is accorded the same amount of wall space as a 95 percent Hall of Famer – baseball is a game inextricably bound to its statistics.
“I asked Rod Carew a couple of years ago if it is any less of a good feeling when you get 92 percent or 90 percent,” Gwynn said. “He said, 'No.' I just want to get in.”
Though his modest power and problem physique make him the least likely of steroid suspects, Gwynn said he has been resigned to losing some votes as a political statement about baseball's performance-enhanced past. He was disinclined to lobby Ladewski for a change of heart.
“I want him to vote his conscience,” Gwynn said. “I want him to vote how he feels. I don't want anybody trying to sing my praises. If he feels like I'm worthy enough, then hey. ... If he doesn't, for whatever reason, then don't.”
When advised of Gwynn's reaction, Ladewski expressed relief.
“I think that says a lot for Tony,” he said. “I can't say I've known him well, but I appreciate his support and his understanding in this matter. In no way is this an anti-Tony Gwynn vote.”
The vote, Ladewski said, is about upholding the Hall of Fame's standards. He has been a member of the baseball writers association since 1984, but a baseball fan since the 1950s.
“I'm not the kind of person who will rant and rave,” Ladewski said. “(But) I want to make a conscientious vote on this. I don't want to go in half-cocked. I'd rather vote for someone one year too late than one year too early.”
Writer who turned in blank ballot says it's not a sign of disrespect
By Tim Sullivan
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 7, 2007
Paul Ladewski is likely to make some enemies this week. Maybe millions of them.
In signing his Hall of Fame ballot without checking the name of a single candidate, the Chicago sportswriter has ensured that neither Tony Gwynn nor Cal Ripken Jr. can be elected unanimously.
“I sent in a blank ballot,” Ladewski confirmed in a telephone interview Thursday. “I didn't vote for anybody. It's nothing personal against Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken Jr., who have numbers that speak for themselves. ... (But) to me, the steroid era is not worthy of my vote. Anyone who played in that era makes me reluctant to jump on bandwagons.”
Ladewski, a columnist for the Daily Southtown who acknowledges he may be a “dinosaur,” announced his steroid stance in a column published Aug. 4, 2005, and he has yet to redraw his relatively hard line. In separate polls by The San Diego Union-Tribune and Baltimore Sun, Ladewski was the only eligible voter to acknowledge opposition to either Gwynn or Ripken.
“I'm somewhat surprised to hear that,” Ladewski said.
It may be some time before he hears the end of it.
Over seven decades, no ballplayer has been able to attain unanimity in the the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Hall of Fame vote, but Gwynn and Ripken figure to get close.
Should Ladewski prove the lone holdout in the final tally, or if he is one of a handful, Gwynn and/or Ripken could surpass Tom Seaver's record 1992 vote percentage of 98.8 percent. Though there is no formal status associated with a landslide election – a 75 percent Hall of Famer is accorded the same amount of wall space as a 95 percent Hall of Famer – baseball is a game inextricably bound to its statistics.
“I asked Rod Carew a couple of years ago if it is any less of a good feeling when you get 92 percent or 90 percent,” Gwynn said. “He said, 'No.' I just want to get in.”
Though his modest power and problem physique make him the least likely of steroid suspects, Gwynn said he has been resigned to losing some votes as a political statement about baseball's performance-enhanced past. He was disinclined to lobby Ladewski for a change of heart.
“I want him to vote his conscience,” Gwynn said. “I want him to vote how he feels. I don't want anybody trying to sing my praises. If he feels like I'm worthy enough, then hey. ... If he doesn't, for whatever reason, then don't.”
When advised of Gwynn's reaction, Ladewski expressed relief.
“I think that says a lot for Tony,” he said. “I can't say I've known him well, but I appreciate his support and his understanding in this matter. In no way is this an anti-Tony Gwynn vote.”
The vote, Ladewski said, is about upholding the Hall of Fame's standards. He has been a member of the baseball writers association since 1984, but a baseball fan since the 1950s.
“I'm not the kind of person who will rant and rave,” Ladewski said. “(But) I want to make a conscientious vote on this. I don't want to go in half-cocked. I'd rather vote for someone one year too late than one year too early.”
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