Last night, BBWAA secretary/treasurer Jack O'Connell released the following statement:
"Bill Conlin has been a member in good standing of the BBWAA since 1966. The allegations have no bearing on his winning the 2011 J.G. Taylor Spink Award, which was in recognition of his notable career as a baseball writer."
That's got to be more embarrassing for many BBWAA members than Evan Grant or George King. Where's your almighty "morality" clause now, Jack? We're not saying you strip him of the award immediately, but a simple, "We're waiting to learn more" might have sufficed.
Instead, the BBWAA as an organization threw its undying support to Conlin after the accused retired in light of the accusations.
Gross.
David Brown makes a good point over on Big League Stew:
O'Connell seems to be saying that because Conlin hasn't been accused of molesting children (including relatives) while also writing about baseball, it's irrelevant to the Spink Award and (presumably) whether the honor can be revoked. He wasn't accused of doing anything untoward in a press box, or a clubhouse, or on the field, so who cares? Conlin could have been accused of treason, murder, war crimes - you name it - and it would not matter because none of it fits the description of a baseball writer's job. John Wayne Gacy might have raped and murdered all of those boys, but don't let that muddle his accomplishments as a clown painter.
The BBWAA isn't afraid to deny the likes of Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds, but when it comes to one of their own, the old boys club rushes to the lodge and denies reality, pledging its time-honored refrain.
"The BBWAA, heads in the sand since 1908."
