MLB.com Mets beat writer Marty Noble, responding to criticism of his Hall of Fame ballot:
In other words, anyone who likes to go beyond century-old stuff like batting averages, wins, and RBIs when evaluating a player’s performance is just a loser who can’t possibly know anything without a “credential” that allows them to watch games “up close” from inside a press box. Glad that’s settled. If you’re curious, Noble’s ballot named two players this year: Barry Larkin and Dave Parker. And based on his unique ability “to see and hear the game up close” by way of a media credential, Noble called Parker “the best player I ever have covered.” Seriously. Parker was certainly a fine player, but I’ll take VORP over whatever credential-fueled viewpoint leads to that nonsense any day. Click here to contact Aaron Gleeman or follow him on Twitter.