Another One Of Those Letters

As many of you know, I love reading those "letter to the editor" columns in the newspapers, especially "The Voice of the People," the one in the New York Daily News. I know the News likes to print letters from a diverse group of people, but I read one today that actually made me burst into laughter over the sheer stupidity of it.

Off-base
Woodhaven: I don't understand how Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., with subpar stats, get inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame while Don Mattingly, with far better stats and fewer at-bats than those players, gets snubbed yet again. Erol Bal

Holy mackerel, where do I start with this one? Now, I've always thought Yankee fans were a bit thick, but this letter is simply beyond belief. Does this guy Erol Bal even watch baseball? Did he ever watch Gwynn or Ripken play? They both got more than 98% of all the votes, and the sanity of those writers who didn't vote for them is being questioned.

And how does Don Mattingly have "far better stats?" I'm not going to rattle off the tremendous accomplishments of both Ripken or Gwynn here, as just about anyone who's a baseball fan is aware of them. (And how in the world anyone could call their accomplishments "subpar" is simply beyond me.) Almost every Yankee fan I know believes that the injuries cut down any chance Mattingly had for the Hall. I didn't hear any hue and cry from the majority of Yankee fans over Mattingly not being elected, and nothing from George Steinbrenner or his flunkies either. (You know The Boss would say something if he thought Mattingly was being "snubbed.")

Mattingly was a terrific ballplayer who put up excellent numbers for a short period of time in the mid-1980s, but his numbers largely dropped in the early 1990s. Mattingly got just 54 votes in this past election, just 9.9% of all votes cast. He probably won't come any closer.

Yes, people are entitled to their opinion, but this one was mind boggling.

Mr. Bal, Don Mattingly's NOT a Hall of Famer. Get over it. Most Yankee fans already have.