Philly's Bill Conlin was out there on his soap box pounding the pulpit as much as anyone amongst these so-called paragons of virtue. Look like some skeletons just fell out of his closet.
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee."
Deadspin seems to have the lead on the coverage, providing a forum for the accused to tell his side of the story.
The numbers of accusers against this guy does seem to be mounting.
From Yahoo Sports:
Reports: 2 more accuse Philly columnist of abuse - MLB - Yahoo! Sports:
"PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Two more people have come forward claiming they were abused by a Philadelphia sports columnist who abruptly retired just before the publishing of a report alleging he abused young children decades ago.
The two women bring to six the total number of adults who say former Philadelphia Daily News columnist Bill Conlin molested them when they were younger.
Fifty-year-old Linda Stella tells the Daily News that Conlin molested her on two occasions at his New Jersey home. A second unidentified woman tells The Philadelphia Inquirer she was also abused at Conlin’s home.
Conlin retired Tuesday, shortly before The Inquirer published a story online detailing allegations of abuse from three women and a man in the 1970s. Prosecutors say Conlin cannot be charged because the statute of limitations has expired.
Conlin has denied the allegations. A phone message left for Conlin’s attorney was not immediately returned early Thursday."
---------
From USA Today:
Baseball writers' response to Conlin accusations draws scorn:
"The BBWAA, which votes for postseason awards and the Hall of Fame, issued a statement from president Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, saying, "We were shocked and saddened to learn of the allegations involving Bill Conlin and we extend our sympathies to everyone involved.''
However, the organization's initial public reaction to the news, expressed in a Tuesday statement from secretary/treasurer Jack O'Connell, was seen as defending Conlin instead of showing concern for the victims.
"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,'' said the statement, which also mentioned Conlin has been a member in good standing since 1966."
Criticism, even internally, has been swift, with several members of the BBWAA speaking out.
"It's like the BBWAA was trying to say, 'Hey, Bill Conlin is a child molester, but he's OUR child molester.' Shameful,'' tweeted Yahoo! Sports columnist Jeff Passan.
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News called the statement "tone deaf, and insensitive to the alleged victims.
"Because it was issued by an organization of which I have been a member since 2009, I feel compelled to publicly distance myself from it, and make clear that it does not represent me.''
Conlin, the Philadelphia Phillies' beat writer from 1966-1987, was recognized as the Spink Award winner in Cooperstown, N.Y., as part of the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in July.
Hall spokesman Brad Horn pointed out the award is chosen by the BBWAA and its winners are not actually Hall of Famers.
----
Some other past articles from Deadspin on the issue:
http://deadspin.com/5870128/the-bbwaa-tries-again-with-a-bill-conlin-statement-this-time-acknowledging-that-child-molestation-claims-are-bad
When the allegations about Bill Conlin came out yesterday, America quickly turned its eyes to the Baseball Writers Association of America. Because we're dumb, you see, and wanted to hear from the secret club of baseball writers who annually send up smoke signals from Cooperstown. The BBWAA also gives a self-congratulatory award to one of its own each year, and last year's J.G. Taylor Spink Award went to Conlin.
So the BBWAA felt compelled to issue a statement. This is what they came up with, signed by secretary/treasurer Jack O'Connell:
"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."
Which means....what? He's always paid his membership dues? He never molested anyone in the press box? This is absolutely true, even for a voting body that's appointed itself the moral arbiters of steroids, yet stands as gatekeepers to a building that honors folks like Ty Cobb, who killed a man just to watch him die (probably). And yet—wouldn't it have been nice to see some sort of acknowledgement that baseball writing is somewhat insignificant in the face of this stuff?
http://deadspin.com/5869867/a-guide-to-the-molestation-allegations-against-bill-conlin
http://deadspin.com/5870204/a-conversation-with-bill-conlin-the-day-before-the-inquirer-dropped-its-molestation-story
No comments:
Post a Comment