Yesterday, the Kansas City Royals announced that Michael John Sweeney would be the 26th player elected to their Hall of Fame. This makes very good and complete sense, as Michael John—or “Mike” as he is more commonly called—was a good baseball player for several years. His inclusion into this semi-elite fraternity of greats seems almost inarguable. But if you’re a contrarian, or just like to be a dick, here are some things to consider.
Point: He was a five time All Star!
Counterpoint: Aaron Crow was an All Star. BOOM. But seriously, there may not be a player in the modern era of baseball who benefited more greatly from the “every team must have a representative” rule than Mike Sweeney. His first All Star year was 2000. You know who else was on that team? Carlos Febles. Ricky Bottalico. JAY WITASICK. (I’m intentionally leaving out Joe Randa, Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran, and Jermaine Dye because they don’t prove my point.)
Point: He was the best hitter in Royals’ history!
Counterpoint: No, that was George Brett. Maybe Hal McRae. Maybe even Danny Tartabull! Or Desi Relaford! (Kind-of just kidding about Tartabull, definitely kidding about Relaford. OR AM I? [I am.]) Sweeney WAS a really good hitter, as evidenced by his career .297 average. He also averaged 36 doubles per year and is top-five in most of the Royals’ all-time offensive categories.
But one could certainly argue that his offensive statistics wouldn’t register as well on a less embarrassing team.
Point: How about those 144 RBI in 2000? CLUB RECORD, BABY.
Counterpoint: The older and wiser we get, the more we realize that RBI is a flawed statistic. (But a cool one. Hey! Look at all them RBI! we like to shout at one another while high-fiving and sloshing around our $14 dollar stadium beers.) You can’t drive in runs if people aren’t getting on base in front of you, and the 2000 Royals were pretty decent at having Guys Who Could Get on Base.
Point: You’re just being an asshole. Sweeney was a Kansas City Royal for THIRTEEN YEARS. That’s almost heard of in this day and age.
Counterpoint: KC elected to make Sweeney THEIR GUY, even to the detriment of the organization. The Royals were an almost-always terrible team THROUGHOUT his tenure; now clearly this onus doesn’t rest solely on Sweeney’s broad, kind shoulders, but, well, he was the face of the franchise for many years. Many bad, bad years. Being a respected foreman at the world’s shittiest cracker factory doesn’t change the fact that you work at the world’s shittiest cracker factory.
Point: Great guy though, right? Likes include Christian rock, being nice to others, being a good guy.
Counterpoint: Tell that to Jeff Weaver, man, who got PUMMELED when Sweeney tried to shed his milk and cookies image in 2001 by becoming a FURIOUS TORNADO of FISTS and ANGER after charging the mound during a game in Detroit.
Point: How can you NOT love a career Royal? That’s loyalty. You could even call him “a Loyal Royal!” lol
Counterpoint: Don’t do that. Also, Sweeney didn’t play his entire career in KC. He spent a year in Oakland (that I definitely remember), a year in Seattle (that I kind of remember), and half a year in Philadelphia (that I totally forgot about).
Point: I love Mike Sweeney.
Counterpoint: Back spasms.
But seriously, Mike Sweeney was one of the best Royals ever—despite his poor health and despite the fact he was basically relegated to the worst era in KC baseball history—and I can’t think of a more worthy Hall of Fame inclusion.
We love you, Mike!
Yeah, sums it up nicely.
His holier-than-thou act didn’t play outside the Paris of the Plains.
He was a regular Opie Cunninham for the folks in Arkansas.
hm… guess I don’t remember the ‘holier than thou’ attitude. I just remember him being hurt a lot toward the end of his career and not living up the salary he was being paid or the expectations of being the clubs go-to hitter.
anyway, nice write-up Lefty!
Just to be clear: I really DO think he belongs in the Royals HOF. Totally.
Maybe it was just depressing looking back on the Sweeney years as I was writing this. I don’t know.
MAY be depressing?
best to forget about it. spring training is underway. a new day dawns.
Those were tough years.
Somebody asked Sweeney about his most memorable Royal moment: he said last year.
I never saw a ‘holier than thou’ attitude’. He seemed to be pretty humble.
Anyone remember when he broke up Minnesota’s no hitter attempt?
If you are so embarrassed about this team, stop writing about it already. You certainly aren’t very knowledgable.
You SERIOUSLY mean to tell me that there weren’t almost three decades of pure embarrassment between WS appearances? You’re either A) completely delusional, or B) lying.
The Sweeney era blew, but it wasn’t totally his fault, for him to be the best player on the team would almost guarantee the team sucking. I will always remember him working out with the “little glove” over at first base because his fielding was so crappy! Long live Runelvys Hernandez, Andrew Sisco and AJ Hinsch….good times….
“there may not be a player in the modern era of baseball who benefited more greatly from the “every team must have a representative” rule than Mike Sweeney. ”
– at least he was a Sweeney and not a- which is what All Star appearances count for today – D**k – or if you prefer, Richard’s not so distant cousin, Jack Squat. A matter
MLB’s attempt at political correctness: All Star Game inclusion – tantamount quotas and preference given minorities in hiring (and not so very different, the gist.)
That bias exists IN both directions is a given, life is unfair. ‘Fan(vote) ning’ the flames inequity is yet another case of two wrongs not making a right, same; no consensus on how to rectify said, or if it can be.
The lack of integrity MLB’s All Star voting is nothing new today, any more than it was during Sweeney’s time. Before he was even born in fact, the system was being played if you will, manipulated by fans themselves.
In 1947, fans were given the opportunity to vote on the eight starting position players. Unable to reign in their impartiality, fans of the 1957 Cincinnati Reds stuffed the ballot box & elected a Red to EVERY POSITION except 1st base. Commissioner Ford Frick (you may have heard of his cousin, Frack) responded by removing two Reds from the lineup and replaced them with his own (unbiased?) choices. For the record, in the first 12 years All Star voting 1935-1946, Manager’s each league’s teams made all the picks.
As a response to the Reds fans actions, fan voting was discontinued & players, coaches & managers were given the sole authority to elect starting position players the next 12 years. Fan voting did not return until 1970, when the first ‘write-in’ candidate made it.
Today, nothing has changed… All Star nomination worth as much a 1994 World Series ticket (year there was none… former Chiefs player Trezelle Jenkins 1995 NFL ‘rookie card’ comes in a close second the value scale.)
I don’t care that it’s a game “for the fans”, the 1960’s decision to drop the distinction between say a left, center and right fielder in lieu playing the “top three vote getters” regardless of position diminished the result, rendering the sound integrity $econdary to the jingle-jangle cash register. Kerouac is surprised MLB does not revert its former tack holding two All Star Games each year… that they are raking in $o much without said apparent. And so it goes, sport as society continuing it’s inexorable descent…
I’ll vouch for Sweeney’s “holier than thou act”
Most people are never exposed to that sort of stuff because the local media plays such softball…especially with sports stars.
As such, Sweeney was spoiled.
I had a short item of Sweeney being engaged to his future wife and they posed for a pic at one of those Royals luncheons. It was an innocuous item, very short, just a heads up that the Royals star was getting hitched.
Somebody in sports got a call complaining and the editors killed my item and pic.
I also remember him buying his wife a Hummer to drive so she’d be safe.
Safe driving a more than $50,000 vehicle that because it was exempt from safety and mileage requirements lacked standard safety features like “child safety locks, child seat tethers, side air bags, and stability control. Large blind spots made parking difficult and possibly dangerous.”
Yeah, he was a humble guy, alright.