The saga of Zach Wilson

And why isn’t Billy Martin in the conversation?

Good morning, all. I hope your week is off to a terrific start.

The saga of the New York Jets continues, with conflicting stories about whether Zach Wilson wants to return as quarterback. Wilson, the Jets former number one draft pick, has struggled in his tenure in New York, and when the Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, it was thought Wilson would learn at the master’s elbow for two seasons and step in to quarterback, when Rodgers retired. Three plays into the season, Rodgers was injured and Wilson was number one again.

Hurt by a porous offensive line, Wilson could not get the job done again and was benched for Tim Boyle. Well, Boyle has become a bust and stories abounded on Monday that Jets coach Robert Saleh wanted Wilson to return, as the starting quarterback. Depending on what you read, Wilson doesn’t want to play again for the Jets because it might hurt his chances next season with another team, Rodgers convinced him to play again, and Wilson talked to Saleh 30 minutes before the coach’s press conference on Monday and told him he wanted to play.

I guess my point in writing this is a reminder how times have changed. In the old days, the coach would have benched the quarterback and then if he wanted to return him to the starter’s role he would tell him and that would be it. Now everything is a negotiation. And for the record, as of this writing, the Jets still have not announced who their starting quarterback will be for Sunday’s home game against the upstart Houston Texans.

Congratulations to Jim Leyland. What about Billy Martin?

So happy for Jim Leyland, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the contemporary era committee for managers, executives and umpires. Leyland, who guided the 1997 Florida Marlins to the World Championship, also won a pennant with the Tigers and managed the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Colorado Rockies. He garnered 15 of a possible 16 committee votes to earn his entry to the hall. Leyland will become the 23rd manager in the Hall of Fame.

Former manager Lou Piniella missed by one vote of getting elected, while ex-managers Cito Gaston and Davey Johnson, also nominated, each received fewer than five votes. Meanwhile, how come former manager Billy Martin is never in the conversation, when it comes to the Hall of Fame?

Leyland managed for 22 seasons and compiled a .506 winning percentage. He won two pennants and a World Series. Piniella managed 23 seasons, compiling a .517 winning percentage, winning one World Series. Martin managed 16 seasons and compiled a .553 winning percentage, while winning a World Series and two pennants with the Yankees. He also managed the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics to divisional titles and turned around a dormant Texas Rangers team in one season. And remember, when Martin managed, there were no wild card teams making the post season.

Was it battlin’ Billy’s temper that leaves him out of the hall of fame discussion or his numerous tenures as Yankees manager? In his managerial career Martin was ejected 48 times, Piniella, a Martin protege, had 64 ejections and Leyland 73.

For some reason, though, Martin is never talked about as a hall of fame manager. I believe his name should be put up for nomination.

Wish Bill White had made it

Finally, I wish the committee had voted Bill White in. Is it possible the committee’s charge only included White’s tenure as National League president? If you examine White’s entire career in baseball, he is worthy of entry into the hall. He had a near hall of fame career as a player, was a very good broadcaster for 18 seasons with the Yankees and was the first African American to become a league president. If that isn’t an impressive resume, I don’t know what is. White, 89, deserved to be elected by the committee.

When it comes to committees and votes, I guess, sometimes it doesn’t work out. Just ask Florida State.

That is going to do it for this week’s newsletter. As always, thank you for subscribing and pray for peace.

SPORTSCASTER DAN