Negro Leagues Recognized As Major

[packs]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

This seems like mere semantics if this is the case.

I don’t think anyone was discounting them for the last 20-30 years at the minimum so I guess if the point isn’t to change statistics then what are they actually accomplishing? The players in the Negro Leagues were already included in the HoF and I guess I just didn’t see many (if any) people really discounting what they had accomplished. No players from the PCL for example from the 1910-20’s are in the HoF for their exploits there so the players in Negro Leagues were certainly held in higher company than even the most major of minor leagues?

Again, I get the point of the announcement but is it a real thing or something to make us feel better about ourselves?

I think you will see greater research into the stats and careers of the people who played. That is an accomplishment. Stats are not widely available because not many people thought they were worth keeping. The opposite is true of MLB, where serious attention to stats was placed. I would think recognizing the league grants legitimacy to it and it's stats and encourages further research and attention that extends beyond the hobbies of private individuals, which has so far been the origin of a lot of what we do know.

This was MLB's statement:

"All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of the game's best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice," the statement read. "We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record."

[clydepepper]

A BIG SHOUT-OUT to our own Graig Kreindler, whose magnificent work portraying Negro League players had to have had a guiding influence toward this decision.

Thank You Graig!

.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

In related earth-shattering news, congratulations to Toni Stone for becoming the first woman to cross the MLB gender line 67 years after the fact...

This is getting more laughable with each angle I consider.

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by BillyCox3

In related earth-shattering news, congratulations to Toni Stone for becoming the first woman to cross the MLB gender line 67 years after the fact...

This is getting more laughable with each angle I consider.

I think they are using 1948 as the cut-off so Toni Stone wouldn’t be included in the “major league” statistics she played after that. Still was a pretty cool accomplishment.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

I think they are using 1948 as the cut-off so Toni Stone wouldn’t be included in the “major league” statistics she played after that. Still was a pretty cool accomplishment.

In the spirit of this politically correct inclusivity, this is flawed. If they're doing this, there shouldn't be a cutoff date. Someone will make the argument that there were several post-1948 Negro Leaguers who would have undoubtedly been Major Leaguers if not for the fact that the teams weren't taking each and every worthy Negro League player and stocking their clubs. Surely, teams such as Boston and Detroit could have grabbed a few more, yet didn't...

(I certainly understand the logic behind the cutoff date, but they're putting their feet in their mouths by having one.)

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by BillyCox3

In the spirit of this politically correct inclusivity, this is flawed. If they're doing this, there shouldn't be a cutoff date. Someone will make the argument that there were several post-1948 Negro Leaguers who would have undoubtedly been Major Leaguers if not for the fact that the teams weren't taking each and every worthy Negro League player and stocking their clubs. Surely, teams such as Boston and Detroit could have grabbed a few more, yet didn't...

(I certainly understand the logic behind the cutoff date, but they're putting their feet in their mouths by having one.)

I agree. I think this is simply a starting point and based on how this shakes out they could broaden what is included down the road very easily.

[rhettyeakley]

Originally Posted by packs

I think you will see greater research into the stats and careers of the people who played. That is an accomplishment. Stats are not widely available because not many people thought they were worth keeping. The opposite is true of MLB, where serious attention to stats was placed. I would think recognizing the league grants legitimacy to it and it's stats and encourages further research and attention that extends beyond the hobbies of private individuals, which has so far been the origin of a lot of what we do know.

This was MLB's statement:

"All of us who love baseball have long known that the Negro Leagues produced many of the game's best players, innovations and triumphs against a backdrop of injustice," the statement read. "We are now grateful to count the players of the Negro Leagues where they belong: as Major Leaguers within the official historical record."

Much of what we know today of Major League statistics and information was gathered by private individuals pursuing their hobby of gathering information and not by professionals. The statistical hobbyists are also responsible for clearing up a lot of misinformation in the record books.

All this being said I am 100% on board with more information being gathered for about the Negro Leagues, that can only be a good thing!!!

[Flintboy]

Don’t agree with MLB on this one. This is the equivalent of adding Jim Kelley’s USFL passing yardage to his NFL stats or including Ichiros hits from the Japanese leagues to his MLB totals.