If there's a bright side to baseball's Mitchell Report, and I admit it's not easy to find one, it might just be that Hall of Fame candidate Chuck Knoblauch now has a handy scapegoat upon which to blame his failure to come within a stone's throw (hereafter referred to as a Knoblauch toss from second base into the rightfield stands) of receiving enough votes for enshrinement.
The list of names sent annually to the five hundred and some-odd members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, the group of people charged with the heady job of trying to determine who should receive membership in Cooperstown and who will strike out in any particular year, always contains a few head-scratchers. This year's strangest may well be Knoblauch.
Chuck Knoblauch signed with the Minnesota Twins after being drafted in June, 1989, and by 1991 was playing in the big leagues. He won Rookie of the Year honors in the American League that year, playing second base for the Twins and batting .281, with 25 stolen bases and 50 RBI. He played a total of twelve years in the majors, compiling a lifetime average of .289, and batting over .300 three years in a row, from 1994 through '96.
In 1997, Knoblauch won a Gold Glove at second base, the only time he would win the award, and that winter as a free agent, signed with the Yankees to play second. A year later he forgot how to throw to first base, and his error total skyrocketed from 13 in 1998 to 26 in 1999, dropping his fielding percentage to just .963, a hideous number for a second baseman.
A year later, his mysterious throwing woes continued, as Knoblauch committed 15 errors in only 82 games at second base, compiling the unbelievable fielding percentage of .958, before the Yankees threw in the towel, moving him to left field for the 2001 season, where it was hoped he would no longer be in danger of injuring any spectators in the first row of seats behind the dugout. Fortunately for Knoblauch, they didn't ask him to throw in the towel, undoubtedly realizing that if they did, they would likely never see the towel again.
The following year, at the age of 33, Knoblauch was finished, playing less than half a season with Kansas City and batting just .210.
It can be argued Chuck Knoblauch had a solid career as a major league player, especially offensively, I'll give you that. But is Knoblauch really a Hall of Famer? A permanent resident of Cooperstown, New York? Give me a break. If Knoblauch did indeed do steroids, as is claimed in the Mitchell Report, he should be thanking his lucky stars for the instant excuse it gives him for not garnering any votes.
Jim Rice has been on the ballot for years, and despite being the most feared offensive threat in the American League for more than a decade, has yet to receive enough votes for enshrinement. Sorry, Chuck, maybe next year. Then again, maybe not.
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
