You can help to rename the MLB MVP award the Josh Gibson Memorial MVP Award

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

I mean, you haven’t apologized to CPB for your error yet and instead have just decided to ignore it in favor of doubling down on other things. It sure looks willful from here.

This is rich coming from a guy like you, but you make a good point.

CPB, I apologize for misunderstanding the entire context of this conversation (that MLB has only put forth three names) and missing something you had previously said (that you'd be okay with any of those three names) and then asking you a question based on my misunderstanding and ignorance. My question understandably bothered you and for that I am sorry. It was not my intent to upset you. It was my intent to try and understand where you were coming from. I missed the mark.

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

No, he was not black. Nor did I call him black. Because I really don't care who the MVP is named after - I didn't even know it was named after anyone until this thread because popularly it is only ever called the MVP - I have not been paying attention to the fact that MLB only put forth three names for consideration. I have seen Rickey mentioned multiple times in this thread, but I was unaware that he was only one of three choices.

After a quick Google search (it's completely possible that I'm not tying the right words ) I still can't find anything on there only being three names considered.

[Cool Papa Bell]

Thanks man, I appreciate that. I've tried multiple times to get this thread back on track, but it always seems to veer into chaos based on comments from a few people. At this point, it's just trolling and hey, if that makes their day, keep it up by all means. Everyone gets to see the real person which is awesome.

But I can see how if you just perused this thread you can miss the context and things get lost in all the noise. It's kind of textbook gaslighting 101. For example, the comment that no one has supported this. If you based that on nonsense and noise, you might think that, there are 14 pages of comments now. But I went back and counted them up. 17 people have expressed support, 11 asked legitimate questions and seemed to be favorable, 6 expressed no support and/or outright disdain. Yet the vast majority of comments are from those 6.

Funny how that works isn't it? Say the same thing long enough and loud enough and people think you are the majority. In their own heads they begin to think they are the majority. Yet they are in their own echo chamber often times in their own heads. But they turn that into everyone else is in the echo chamber. It's funny really, interesting but funny. And then say you are the echo chamber, meanwhile MLB, Baseball Reference, the official historian of MLB, on and on and on are saying the opposite of them. Who's in what echo chamber?

I've never expressed total disregard for someone with a differing opinion. I've listened and commented back. I've invited them to come on and talk about it, of course no one will. I get a little testy when people come in with total lack of regard, context, respect, knowledge, tact, meant only to insult and demean. It's kind of sad really.

Originally Posted by cephasjames

This is rich coming from a guy like you, but you make a good point.

CBP, I apologize for misunderstanding the entire context of this conversation and missing something you had previously said and then asking you a question based on my misunderstanding and ignorance. My question understandably bothered you and for that I am sorry. It was not my intent to upset you. It was my intent to try and understand where you were coming from. I missed the mark.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

This is rich coming from a guy like you, but you make a good point.

Thanks.

So, if it really is down to those three guys, Gibson's my #1 by a country mile as well: Frank Robinson is a Hall of Famer to be sure and was also a pioneer as a manager but I'm not sure he's on the level of "name the MVP after him" to me. I like Branch Rickey but I'm not a fan of naming a player's award after a guy best known as an executive (although unlike Landis at least Rickey did play). So that leaves Gibson, about whom an argument can at least be made that he probably would have won a few MVPs if he was white and if the award was around at the time.

Still, if I could choose from any player my list would probably look more like...

Hank Aaron
Willie Mays
Ted Williams
Babe Ruth, I guess (great player of course but it feels like a bit of a slap in the face to name it after a guy who played before the color line was lifted)
Josh Gibson
Mickey Mantle
Ernie Banks or Joe Morgan - a level below the Hammer and Mays for sure but Morgan in particular had super underrated skills so there's that
Ken Griffey Jr. or Frank Thomas - for being clean during the 90s and early 2000s, basically
Ichiro(!)

[Cool Papa Bell]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

After a quick Google search (it's completely possible that I'm not tying the right words ) I still can't find anything on there only being three names considered.

There are a number of articles written about it, but there was no major announcement by MLB about it, no press release or anything like that. Sean Gibson walked through that whole process with me and how that all started last summer. But here's a recent one a few weeks ago.

https://mlbdailynews.co/2021/06/15/f...eague-legends/

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Cool Papa Bell

There are a number of articles written about it, but there was no major announcement by MLB about it, no press release or anything like that. Sean Gibson walked through that whole process with me and how that all started last summer. But here's a recent one a few weeks ago.

https://mlbdailynews.co/2021/06/15/f...eague-legends/

Thanks

[rudel.dietrich]

Is the award an official award or a BBWAA award?
If the later, MLB may have nothing to do with it.

[Cool Papa Bell]

All of the major awards are handled by the BBWAA, I think the only one's they don't are the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove which is players and managers voting. But it was MLB that went to Sean Gibson last year and said they were considering Josh Gibson...yes and Branch Rickey and Frank Robinson...as 3 individuals they wanted considered. So I'm sure they have some pull in there somewhere. After that was when people started talking about it more.

And I have to point this out, another annoying thing that came out on this thread. The whole comparison to thoughts and prayers, why bother, what does it matter. That's all trash talking, all efforts start somewhere and I can tell you this, the talk and that campaign has raised awareness and money for a number of foundations that are doing work in inner cities, with kids, with education programs, scholarships. Anyone who thinks this doesn't have merit because it's just name on a trophy has no clue what they are talking about. That's what I was trying to do, raise awareness but some guys wanted to go down the nonsense path. Fine, whatever, they all honestly can eff off, I have no patience for them. How about they shut up and do something and use the platforms available. Everything has to start somewhere. This isn't some fund raising for someone's legal fund disguised by the brightly burning gaslights. It's all trackable, reviewable, these groups would even welcome the help.

Originally Posted by rudel.dietrich

Is the award an official award or a BBWAA award?
If the later, MLB may have nothing to do with it.

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Cool Papa Bell

There are a number of articles written about it, but there was no major announcement by MLB about it, no press release or anything like that. Sean Gibson walked through that whole process with me and how that all started last summer. But here's a recent one a few weeks ago.

https://mlbdailynews.co/2021/06/15/f...eague-legends/

Not intending to call into question the veracity of "only three names are being presented as options," but, other than the article you linked in your post, I'm only seeing articles that say these three names are three possibilities among others.

In one article, at Baseball Reference, Sean Gibson wrote...

Among those whose names have been suggested to replace Landis on the trophy were Branch Rickey, Frank Robinson, and Josh Gibson.

This article, in which Sean was quoted, says...

Those who have been suggested to replace Landis include Hall of Famers Branch Rickey, Frank Robinson, and the legendary Josh Gibson...

There seems to be some conflicting information out there. It's admittedly a nitpick, but there's a difference between "only three choices" and "three choices among others."

I don't think the BBWAA will poll fans to get their favorite choice so it's moot whether they're choosing between 3 names of 50. Either way it seems Gibson is a choice and a petition to get his name on the trophy is a great idea.

[Cool Papa Bell]

I gothca man, there isn't a lot of publicity about it because frankly not many people really know or care who's name is on the MLB Most Valuable Player Award right? It's not really all that newsworthy or worth anyone getting all worked about either way I don't think. Which is why some of the comments on here make me scratch my head. Why would someone care that much to belittle it, kind of makes no sense. The BBWAA isn't talking much about nor have they on other award names like this in the past. You can only go by the 1 guy who has access to might be what is going on and that's Sean Gibson.

Anyway, I think it raises awareness of the whole topic of Black Baseball history and the Negro Leagues impact on the sport that really has never been given any credit, let alone the credit it deserves for spreading the baseball brand despite not being allowed to play in MLB. It's something I've always asked myself, and doesn't matter that it may not be 100% true today but it still is somewhat true...how would I feel if I was excluded from even trying at something because of the color of my skin? Not if I was good enough or not at something, I just was excluded on that criteria alone. And on top of that, anything I did well that might have supported I was good at it was downplayed or ridiculed or twisted to highlight the opposite. AND on top of that, if I just tried to go and do it on my own, play in my own league and make a buck as an example, if I went certain places I wasn't allowed to stay somewhere, eat somewhere, take a piss somewhere, received verbal abuse, death threats, all again because of the color of my skin. Sound like a fun physically and mentally healthy time for anyone?

[cephasjames]

Gotcha. I thought this was a bigger story and I was just missing it. We'll see if Sean Gibson's work, and yours and others like you who are trying to build awareness, pays off. No matter who it gets named after, I'll still probably forget it was named after anyone in a year or two. Unless the call it the Josh Gibson Award or something like that.

[Cool Papa Bell]

The Josh Gibson card art tournament, which ended up with somewhere close to 80 artists from 6 countries and spanned 9 weeks wrapped up this weekend. You can catch the broadcast from Beckett Live that featured the Final Four with voting results, but spoiler alert below. Around $20,000 from sales of the 75 cards was raised for the Gibson Foundation college endowment and education funds for underprivileged youth.

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1yoKMAWOavdKQ