How Curt Schilling's Mouth kept him out of Cooperstown 

I don’t get why Curt Schilling is left out of the hall of fame for his political views, but guys like Rogers Hornsby were literally in the KKK and got in no problem

Coming from a hockey perspective, I often hear "it's not the Hall of Good People". Our community just had the loss of Bobby Hull, a HOF player who was important in evolving how players shot the puck. Off ice he was an incredibly awful person but he was never stripped of HOF status for it. There's a difference between acknowledging a player's career accomplishments and lionizing them. Bobby Hull was never celebrated publicly by the NHL after the extent of his behavior was known. But no one ever downplayed his skill and impact. I think a middle ground is possible.

One thing about the 38 Studios situation that was left out. 38 Studios didn't make Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning themselves. Big Huge Games was a game studio owned by THQ that was working on a single player RPG behind lead designer Ken Rolson, formerly of Bethesda Game Studios. In 2009, THQ was in seriously financial trouble (which would eventually lead to their bankruptcy) and were looking to unload some of their assets, including Big Huge Games. Meanwhile, progress on 38 Studios' MMO was going slowly, so they bought Big Huge Games with intent of having something they could release sooner. The Ken Rolston led RPG project was then reworked to incorporate the lore of 38 Studios' MMO and eventually released as Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning. When 38 Studios went under, they took Big Huge Games with them, adding more casualties to Schilling's poor business decisions.

Surely Curt never bankrupted a company

You hit the nail on the head with this one. You may not like him since he was in Boston and you root for the Yankees. You may not like him since he's a conservative and you're on the left. But his performance on the field should be enough for him to get into the HOF. He was big game for a reason. 11-2 in the playoffs with a 2.23 ERA and 120 K's in 19 appearances? Man.

I'm going to guess that pretty much every player active before, say, 1995 had controversial political opinions by today's standards.

As a Yankee fan who grew up in the 2000s I can confirm that Curt Schilling was the bane of my childhood. As much as I hate to admit it, Curt should be in the Hall of Fame although I don't think he will.

Should do one about David Ortiz being on the Mitchell report but still getting into the HOF while others like clemens and bonds aren't in while being so much better players than David Ortiz. It's ridiculous no one ever brings up his dirty past just cuz he's from Boston and liked by the media total hypocrisy

As a Rhode Island native, Curt Schilling and 38 Studios is the bane of our existence

I think given some of the people that are in the HOF keeping people out for non performance reasons is 100% a double standard and while it is hard to support Schilling he totally deserves to be in the hall

I just remember him in Backyard Baseball 2001, with an absolutely riveting story about Alaska. Even in that game he would talk way longer than he should have. But he's definitely a Hall of Famer too

Curt Shilling is a clown, but keeping him out of the hall would also be a clown move.

Good video today. Suggestion: Break down the biggest differences between the baseball reference and fangraphs versions of WAR, and in particular for pitchers, and catchers, and what kind of players would appear better in each formula.

Best big game pitcher of his era

Besides the corked bat incident with Albert Belle, Jason Grimsley was also one of the first players, and the first pitcher, confirmed as a steroid user.

"Take a second to guess which industry bankrupted Schilling..." Me, clueless, eating handfulls of Cheez-Its: "Mmnn.. Cryptooo"

I think Curt Schilling should be in the Hall of Fame. His play on the field should definitely get him into the hall of fame. I don't think he should be kept out of the Hall of Fame because of his political views or what he's done off the field. His play on the field should be what voters are looking for. Now, I'm not old enough to vote so maybe I'm underestimating the importance of political views, but I still think voters should be looking at a players baseball career, not their political ideas or their off the field controversy.

Incredibly spot-on. I was thinking that you would bring up Mariano Rivera, as I was instantly thinking about him, and far as US football goes, Tony Dungy (which was not news to people who have been following these people for yeras), people who hold similar views to Curt Schilling (and all of them are evangelical Christians with strongly right-wing views), but are generally beloved by the general public, and the media at large, because of their inoffensive demeanor. It is somewhat akin to how former players who have ties to PEDs still being elected into the Baseball HOF because they are beloved by the media, while others aren't e.g., Ortiz contrasted to Sosa. If you are on the good side of the media, you will be rewarded for it. Maybe he will get in by the players' committee, and he would prefer that anyway, as you stated. I haven't followed baseball as much in the past decade to be honest, so I was surprised to learn that Curt Schilling is an avid gamer 😶😶 Watched several of your vids but I will definitely subscribe now. Thanks for posting this!!

Argue with me all you want but what someone says or does off field should have no effect on the hall like the HOF should solely be based on who played baseball the best

They kept Curt out of the hall because he’s a GAMER truly the most oppressed class

What MadBum accomplished in the postseason, no one will equal.

your videos just keep getting better

Political beliefs shouldn't impact accomplishments, PERIOD

I think the problem with inducting Schilling into the hall of fame is that if any player in the future says similar to worse things, you will need to elect them too. So question is where do you draw the line? What is "too much?" I think many of the voters don't feel comfortable with that and don't wanna set that precedent. I can't blame them.

I can see his case as a player, but in all honesty, he did himself in. Had he have just kept his big mouth shut, he had a decent shot of making it his last year. It is definitely ironic that he insisted that he would have gotten a fairer shake from the Veterans Committee, but his percentage was actually lower with them. If you're a marginal case, a jerk won't make it. If you are so good that it is impossible to overlook your stats (and there were no PEDs or other major issues), you'll get there.

Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but I think Pete Rose should also be in the hall of Fame. Yeah, yeah he broke the rules by gambling on games, but he did only bet on his own team and never threw games. Yes, still against the rules, but I think could have been forgiven by now.

There aren't many guys that get in on a postseason performance-first basis, but Schilling definitely fits the bill. He was by no means a slouch in the regular season, but 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA, 133.1 innings pitched, 120 K's against just 25 walks in 19 postseason starts? He had 3 bad starts in the postseason, that was it. Take those away, the man was one of the most dominant postseason pitchers we've ever seen (which, in fairness, he pretty much was already). And if you're gonna say "Well, the character clause" yeah, sure, take that into account, but take it into account during his CAREER, not after he retired. If you're gonna look at post-career controversy, half the guys in Cooperstown should get booted out. He's a jackass, but he's a Hall of Fame jackass.

I definitely agree Curt should be in, but I think it's very much his own fault that he's not. I think if he didn't ask writers not to vote for him in his last year he might have gotten in despite actively advocating for the deaths of the voters lol

I can appreciate a man who can see past bad character designs. You have gained my sub.

It's an honor to watch you do your thing. You are a very important voice in baseball-which is to say a very important voice in the world. You're good at what you do. You're getting better everyday. Thank you.

The hall of fame should be about what you did on the field, period.

Found you a couple of videos ago and love your content and editing keep up the great work man !!

Schilling should be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe the display honoring him should be somewhere in the back, but he should be in there.

I get he’s said a lot of dumb shit but if we are going on only on the field play then he’s definitely a hall of famer

His Baseball numbers speak for themselves. The BBWAA hate him and refuse to vote for him. I met him in person and he's not a friendly person but it was an honor to meet and thank him for the 2004 World Series breaking the curse. I saw him pitch in 2004 against the A's which is the day he was driving home and called the police on a drunk driver. He should be in the HOF.

SPONSORED: For 65% off with HelloFresh PLUS free shipping, use code ANDTHATSBASEBALL65 at bit.ly/3kHWqxq

I’m sure he’ll get in eventually but he definitely asked for it not being able to control himself and what he says lol

A man's beliefs, whether you agree or not, should never keep them out of the Hall.

"It's not the Hall of Morality, or the Hall of Personality." RIGHT!!!!! This should be on a plaque outside Cooperstown.

Curt Schilling really be bleeding on the mound and go “these colors don’t run”

I've never liked schilling... He got on my nerves as a player. The way he threw Mitch Williams under the bus, along with I think the bloody sock thing was staged. That being said, there are a lot of jerks in the HOF. As far as we know, He didnt cheat. And to be honest, when you compare him to jack Morris, goose gossage, rollie fingers it is a no brainer.

One of the absolute best in the game…….awesome competitor!

Had to come back here after the Tim Wakefield situation. What a selfish thing to do. Imagine being a cancer survivor, being told that a dear friend is on his deathbed from the disease, and instead of supporting him, you leak it to the whole world without his permission and make it all about yourself. I have a good feeling this will be the last straw for him, and if so, good riddance. RIP Tim Wakefield.

There is a character qualifier for the hall. There’s a bunch of racists and even a KKK member inducted, but that doesn’t mean anyone who falls short of lynching someone should be immune from having their character assessed for the honors. He asked to be taken off the ballot, so he’s off the ballot. He was an absolute force on the mound, one of the best ever, but im totally fine not seeing his plaque up in the hall. You ask and you shall receive.

He’s the Kanye West of the baseball community

This video quality is top tier. The visuals, the script, the pacing. Subbed and looking forward to your future videos.

Schilling has had the misfortune of being among the first athletes use social media to magnify truly dumb statements. In the past, such comments might be overheard in the locker room, but beat writers kept it to themselves. And I'm glad you brought up the messy aspects of a number of inductees, including outspoken racists such as Cap Anson and Kennesaw Mountain Landis, who proactively maintained baseball's color line. As far as athletes saying stupid things go, this is already becoming more and more common, and there's no monopoly on any one political slant. As time goes on, such statements will become less and less important. I think another decade down the line, Schilling will get voted in. There's too strong a case for him. And unlike Rose and Bonds, who are controversial themselves, Schilling did nothing to damage the game. We do a disservice to fans and baseball history if we start applying political tests to legitimate HoF candidates. These are subjective measures when the objective measures should count.

I didn't know ANYTHING about Curt's controversies after retiring.Personally, I don't think that should play any part in his getting or not getting into the HOF

The “transphobic” meme at 16:25 has aged WAY too well haha

Love your videos man!

His career stats and accolades are basically John Smoltz, who waltzed in on the first ballot. I don't like him, but you can't tell the story of baseball without him.

wow, just read a write-up about him from "The Baseball 100" last night about how frustrating of a personality he is. well timed!

Hey ATB! I love the video. What's the song during 7:11?

Yes, he should be in the HOF. A HOF is for excellent on field play.

yea I'm from rhode island so maybe he shouldn't be in the hall of fame

Curt canceled himself! Especially when he withdrew himself in the end. Playing a victim, now.

Wait a minute… you are telling me Curt Schilling is at least partially responsible for Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning?! One of the best RPGs ever created, WHAT?! I don’t know how to feel about that.

Babe wake up, new And That’s Baseball video just dropped.

From a purely neutral perspective, this is what Schilling wished for. He much preferred being analyzed by his peers (we all know baseball players tend to be more conservative due to their backgrounds) than by the media, who is admittedly much more left-leaning

9:30 You just can’t escape Barry Bonds, can you?

The "Rope. Tree. Journalist." shirt is a huge problem. There have long been character qualifications for the Hall. It seems like advocating for assassination is worthy of consideration as a reason for disqualification.

In my opinion the only thing that matters for the HOF is your stats.

Curt has done and said some pretty questionable (at best) things outside the lines. But in the game he did some unbelievable things. That’s what I view the hall as being for. But I don’t get a vote 😅

Hard to believe the orioles gave up on him so soon.

Billy Pierce won 211 games while losing 169 with a 3.27 lifetime era . He pitched in 5 World Series games with a 1 -1 record and 1.89 era . He retired in 1964 .

Perfect example of the lack of mental health in our country is such a great athlete, and Superpitcher could become so deranged

Nah the One Beer beat is sooooooo toughhhhhh RIP DOOM

I voted for the Los Pollos Hermanos Party

Also, great vid. You sir, hsve earned yourself a new subscriber.

His take on student loans is 10000000% correct though.

Schill will get in someday, but good vid regardless!

I happen to be from RI. And I completely agree with you. Personally, he's a totally hypocritical POS. But was he a good enough player to earn a spot in the HOF? Absolutely. It's not a popularity contest. It's an athletic one

Hall of fame voting should be based on what happens on the field…ONLY. (Pete Rose’s gambling situation is the only quasi-exception, but it still AFFECTED what happened on the field, because he was betting ON BASEBALL). Anything he does after his career on the diamond should be irrelevant. And I’m as far left as they get.

Love the background music

As someone on the political right, I too think that his induction did mostly come down to his vocal personality and what he believes. I understand a little why a lot of the journalists don't like him, the fact that he hasn't gotten in yet just goes to show how screwed up the HOF voting system is. It's just a popularity contest at this point. The hall will never be complete until all of the best baseball players of all time are in it, not just people who had decently solid careers, and also were controversy free off the field

I've lived in Rhode Island my whole life, and I was 11 during the 2004 World Series. Curt Schilling was my hero. I even dressed up as him for Halloween. My favorite thing about him was that he would score the game in between innings. His attention to detail was immaculate. He was a genius at baseball, but failed at being a good person. Eventually, someone just becomes such a belligerent a**hole that you can't support them anymore. However, his accolades are that of legend, and he absolutely deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. If he didn't pull this stupid "Don't vote for me" stunt, he'd probably already be in. Such a dissappintment. =/

Just to shed some light on the 2004 offseason, the Yankees wanted to get Curt Schilling but DBacks owner Jerry Colangelo, was angry at them at signing David Wells two offseasons prior after they had a verbal agreement in place (Wells is a lifelong Yankees fan). When the Yankees called, Colangelo asked for Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson aka two starters!! He then took the Red Sox WEAKER offer but I think he just wanted to get back at Yankees owner George Steinbrenner (for all the millennials reading this; Steinbrenner was heavy disliked by other owners)

I'm happy with the balance of the video and comment section. Thank you.

I was about to do it but you just cost yourself a sub

"..whose on the left politicaly" Yeah, bud. Your femboy arms and lack of chin told us that comrade 😂

While his career to me certainly is worthy of the hall, the case you presented while admitting your own personal bias’ really strengthens the argument. This was a really good watch thank you.

What you think of his views or actions does not matter at all, to not let him in because of those things seems just as wrong as accepting a bribe to vote for a player, any voter admitting that impacted their vote at all should lose any voting and media privileges for life and potentially civilly sued this is utterly rediculous so many of them openly admit they’re intentionally violating their agreement and responsibility for their own personal reasons and gain

The reality of this situation is this: The minute he expressed his admiration for that picture that called for the murder of journalists his chances of getting into The Hall of Fame became greatly reduced. The shocking part is when you normally get to 71% you get in. That says more about this situation than I could.

As a trans woman from Boston it’ll never not be funny to me I dressed as him for Halloween and now he openly thinks I’m an agent of Satan that should be expelled. I also dressed as Harry Potter for Halloween too…please god don’t let this happen with the Power Rangers too.

Hey man, love your content. Definitely not crap lol. Keep it up!!

Yes, he’s one of the best pitchers ever. He’s also top 3 most clutch postseason pitcher of all time. The ultimate gamer. Just don’t let him give a speech 🎤

Nice mix of music too! 🎶

Hey ATB! Would love to collab on some content with ya! Let me know if you would be interested 🙏🏼

I don't think think 'character clause' arguments really should hold much water when it comes to someone's political takes for being an ass to teammates and reports in regards to getting in the hall when the Hall is full of Klan members and other terrible people. However, I cannot in good conscience say I want him in or think that off the field stuff should just be ignored because of the other terrible people in the hall. There's a fine line there, but I am willing to set my 'character clause' line at people that committed serious crimes and made no serious attempt at reconciliation. That means I'm ignoring Clemens, Vizquel, and Schilling, but not excluding a guy like Jeff Kent.

The gaming thing is interesting with how the Red Sox got in trouble with gaming, well, not trouble, but exposed for gaming more than practicing in 2011. Its like its a thing with them.

*AMEN to everything you said in this video.* I’ll add that MJ is the greatest music performer in my 45 years of life… ✅ Rock and Roll HOF ❌ Allow him to live within 5 miles of school Schilling is nowhere near as *BAD* as MJ. ✅ Let him in the Hall Of Fame ❌ Trust that if elected he would care about ALL people in his district ✅ Trust that he’s the kind of person who says George Santos is a Patriot and not to judge him #PraiseJC *…But would tweet a thousand times and lose his 💩 if Santos was Democrat and had told 3 lies*

What the guy has a different political view that you don't agree with should disqualify him for something he has earned? The numbers he put up are hall of fame numbers weather you like the guy or not this is flat out ridiculous. Players should be recognized of what they have accomplished on the field. His controversy and what he does off the field should not disqualify him for what he has accomplished. You can keep him out but his numbers say otherwise.

He will always be in my hall of fame

IMO, nomination for the hof should be based on their performance on the field. Look at Pete Rose, over 4000 career hits, it was fun to watch him run the bases and he’s banned forever. Those two belong in the hall of fame.

The Hall should only be about did you play a HOF caliber career or not. I'm sick of all the b.s. reasons people aren't in. Albert Belle is always the first one I think of that's been given the shaft because like Curt the writers have a personal vendetta against him. The writers should be striped of the ultimate power of whether a player gets in or not. At least there's still the veterans committee so maybe they'll get in before they die of old age. Also not mentioned, Curt has the best strikeout to walk ratio ever.

The biggest issue with the HoF is that it is not based purely on stats and on-field exploits.

Literal KKK member(s) in the hall Commissioner who kept out black players in the hall Rapist in the hall Guy who basically started the color barrier in the hall Harold Baines in the hall (supposedly a fantastic guy, just a mediocre player) Confirmed steroid player(s) in the hall Gamblers and cheaters in the hall Guy who says mean things on twitter not in the hall. I think 99% of what Schilling says is absurd and otherworldly, but let's keep things in perspective. Greatest postseason pitcher in history by a longshot, 3,000 strikeouts, several famous moments including the bloody sock. Only the low amount of wins is the only thing against him, and you can chalk that up to being on the crappy Phillies during the mid-late 90s. PUT THIS MAN IN THE HALL, just mute his microphone during the induction ceremony so we don't hear any n words or f slurs.

Good video- you walked the tightrope well. I lean left but absolutely agree with the takeaway.

Whoa there were so many things I didn't know about Schilling. Only his hard work to develop his elite to Hall of Fame pitching skills, his beef with the closer Mitch Williams, his accolades. He really screwed up with his controversies

Yea, don't go to college if you don't want to pay the loans, plenty of other options, dude who made the video is mad because he probably owes money. You can't have student loan debt forgiveness and have hard working people pay it off with tax money, it's not right. I agree with a lot of the things Schilling said. And another thing is I'm the biggest Yankee fan in the world, Rivera is the best closer of all time, and he probably agrees with the things Schilling has said too, but A. he didn't do it publicly, and B. He isn't a white guy. Just like the kid in the video said, he said it himself "60 year old white dude". The "left" is out of their minds and it will continue to effect every aspect of anything that we once had as American culture.