4,306

I'll keep this short, and simple: the process is bullshit. As The Tao of Stieb pointed out, even if Tom Cheek wins the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's poll to appear on the final ballot for the 2011 Ford C. Frick Award, there's no guarantee Cheek wins the honour, and takes his rightful place among baseball's legends in Cooperstown.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't do our part. And while I'd love to tell you where the poll stands today, I just voted, and apparently only 80 votes have been cast. (Cheek's got 50 of them.) Like I said: bullshit. There's got to be a better venue for the poll than bloody Facebook. But that's not the point.

The point is: please vote for Tom at http://www.facebook.com/baseballhall?v=app_20678178440. Today, and everyday until September is done.

"Please pass this along to all the fans who are doing their best to get Tom this award that he so richly deserves. Please convey that to all the fans that the entire Cheek family says a HUGE THANKS!!"

- Shirley Cheek, Tom's wife (via Mike Wilner)

UPDATE: I got an email from reader Stephen, who had this to say: "Every year I have voted in every way possible for Tom Cheek for the Frick award. I am not on Facebook and never will be so I'm pissed that I can't be involved anymore."

You are so dumb, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museam. You are really, really dumb, for real.

Deep Thoughts

More on the Baseball Hall of Fame vote. Plus: the frustrating Toronto Maple Leafs, and the .500 Raptors:

1. The Tao of Stieb asked, on Twitter: "Impertinent Question: Why the fuck does someone from the Delaware County Times have a HoF quote?" Beats the hell out of me. So I moseyed on over to http://www.delcotimes.com/sports and at 2:00 am Thursday morning, found nothing on the Baseball Hall of Fame vote that became news at, oh, 2:01 pm eastern time Wednesday afternoon. Nothing. Of the four top stories, three were about the Philadelphia Eagles and one about the Philadelphia Flyers.

2. According to trusted source Wikipedia, three Toronto writers are members of the BBWAA: The Globe and Mail's Jeff Blair, Canadian Press and MLB.com writer Larry Milson, and the Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott. The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin isn't on the list, but said he's been a member for 15 years.

4. Jeff Blair wrote two excellent columns, one before the vote, and one after. You should read them both. What I like about Blair is that he flat out tells you who he voted for: Alomar, Tim Raines and Mark McGwire. Blair's colleagues in the city should follow his lead.

5. I trust guys like Tom Verducci and Jeff Blair to make this decision. Ken Rosenthal doesn't inspire the same confidence. And Jay Mariotti clearly cannot be trusted. The revolution will not be televised. It'll happen on the internet.

6. First Doc. Now Alomar. If Tom Cheek doesn't win the Ford C. Frick award, I might be forced to believe that the Toronto Blue Jays have "become the target of a systematic process of intimidation and manipulation the likes of which you have never" seen before.

7. On days like this, in the aftermath of a beating of the Toronto Maple Leafs by the Philadelphia Flyers, it's easier to tell yourself that Vesa Toskala played. The entire game. Even if he didn't.

8. At 8:21 pm yesterday evening, I received a text message from my brother: "Luke Schenn sucks." Good times.

9. It's bad enough that the Leafs lost, and gave up another three power play goals in the process. What makes it worse is that Daniel Carcillo scored. Carcillo needs to be placed on an iceberg, and sent floating off into frigid waters. It can't be possible for even Flyers fans to like Carcillo. Or can it? I mean, if Don Cherry hates him, what hope does he have?

10. When Reggie Evans was diagnosed with a "sprained left foot" on October 20, 2009, did you have any idea he still wouldn't be playing in January of the new year? I totally misjudged that injury. I was thinking a couple of weeks. Three, tops.

11. An office colleague of mine, whom I sit beside and genuinely enjoy working with, isn't as passionate about the Raptors as she used to be. Yesterday, she dropped the bombshell that she's not a fan of Chris Bosh. Aghast, I hopped out of my seat to confront her. This wasn't a through-the-cubicle-wall conversation. This was serious business. I said: "Twenty/ten!!1 Every night." She said it wasn't good enough. She said hurtful things: that Bosh couldn't deliver in the clutch; that he isn't a superstar. I stood my ground; 20/10 is no joke. And Scott Carefoot has pointed out at RaptorBlog that Bosh has been the definition of clutch this season. While my definition of superstar is clearly different from that my colleague's, there's no denying Bosh is a special talent. I maintain: max money. Really, the Raptors have no other choice. And, for everyone's sake, the Bosh hating needs to stop.

Tom and Alex

The Toronto Blue Jays are not likely to qualify for the post-season for a good, I don't know, year or two. In order to pass the time, let's vote Tom Cheek onto the final ballot for the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award, and send him on his way to Cooperstown. Lord knows he deserves it.

At the time of writing, Cheek trails Jacques Doucet by 20 votes (337-317).

Four-thousand, three-hundred and six games. (I wrote it out for dramatic effect.) In a row. In a row!1 More importantly, Cheek was voice to the calls of your life; to the "the sound of summer." It takes less than a minute. I don't ask you for much; please vote.

Make Us Proud, Alex

I'll be at my cubicle Monday, but my heart and mind will be in Indianapolis, with Alex Anthopoulos at his first Winter Meetings as general manager of our Blue Jays.

Some interesting nuggets from The Star's Richard Griffin: if you want to see Anthopoulos, you'll have to go to his room, not the other way around. And meetings are lined up with "several clubs." To be a fly. Hopefully Dick figured out which floor AA is staying on.

There is some bad news: The Cito arrives on Tuesday. I've completed my 180. I used to love Cito Gaston. Now, the thought of him being involved in decisions that will greatly alter this franchise makes me ill. Where did we go wrong, Cito?

UPDATE: As of 11:00 am, Tom Cheek is in the lead 387-359. Let's keep it going ...

Don't pinch me...

Because I must be dreaming. It's 10 in a row for the Jays after yesterday's douple dip.

I've got to thank Ghostrunner on First's Lloyd the Barber for his fine live-bloggage of yesterday's matinee. His service to humanity was definitely appreciated over here.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Jays are on their finest win steak this century, and are one win away from tying the franchise best 11-game run the 1998 Jays pulled off.

You're no doubt hearing the haters chime in with the "who cares, it's too late" garbage, but, no, it's not too late. Remember the 2007 Mets? Yeah, those guys. Pretty good team they had down in Queens.

The Jays are seven games behind the Red Sox in the wild card race and, lo and behold, have seven more dates with said Red Sox. Quite convenient. Quite.

Doc Halladay will be on the mound tonight vs. Mark Buehrle. The game will likely be over in an hour and a half with those two on the mound. Doc's going for win number 19, and looking to extend the streak. In Doc I trust. There's no better pitcher in baseball. Nope, not even Cliff Lee.

Here's another solid breakdown showing why Doc is more deserving of the Cy Young award, courtesy of the thullards at DJF.

But, really, fuck the Cy Young. We all know the only thing Doc wants is a playoff birth. If he wins tonight, look for him to start on three days rest over the weekend. It's crunch time, mes amis.

Say what you want about the Jays and their late season run, there's no way you can argue that they aren't making the final month of the season more interesting and more exciting. They're doing they're damndest to give us meaningful baseball in September and for that, I salute them. In fact, I'm actually kind of proud of them.

And if you're looking for more ammunition against the haters, and especially the J.P. Ricciardi haters, here: the Jays sport a 30-26 against opponents in the AL East, the best division in baseball, and are undefeated against the two best teams in the AL Central, the White Sox and Twins.

Believe, damn it. Believe.

And don't forget to please vote for Tom Cheek.

Tom Cheek, The Voice Of Your Toronto Blue Jays

It's that time of year again, where we must all aspire to do our part to get the legendary voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, Tom Cheek, awarded the Ford C. Frick Award, for "major contributions to baseball." The award is basically the equivalent of a broadcaster being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, and there is no broadcaster more deserving than the late, great, Tom Cheek.

Cheek was the radio voice of the Blue Jays from 1977 to 2004, and he called a remarkable 4,306 straight games. Cheek's ridiculous streak of consecutive games ended on June 3rd, 2004, when he took two games off after the death of his father. Basically, Cal Ripken ain't got nothing on our man Cheek.

It's hard to believe that Tom left this world almost three years ago, on October 14th, 2005. It's our duty, as Jays fans, to make sure he gets this award. We owe him that much, wouldn't you agree? For more "About Tom," and what he meant to The Tao of Stieb's weekend editor The Ack, click here.

Where you really need to click, though, for the rest of the month, is here, to vote for Tom Cheek for the 2009 Ford C. Frick Award. It takes a couple of minutes to enter in your personal information once you've picked Tom as your selection but, honestly, take the time. If you're reading this blog, you've obviously got nothing better to do. Tom Cheek, the Blue Jays organization, your fellow Blue Jays fans, and especially Cheek's family, would appreciate it.

Voting for the Frick award will take place throughout the rest of September. You can vote once a day, so I'm encouraging you to please do so. Toronto Blue Jays blogs all across Al Gore's internet are spreading the word and if we all do our part, Tom will surely win. Tell your friends. Let's make it happen, folks. For Tom. He will forever be remembered as the voice of the Blue Jays. After a call like the one below, there's no doubt as to why.