Vida Blue was one of the most effortlessly cool people on the planet, and should have been in the Hall of Fame, writes Dave Tobener.
Vida Blue was recognized with a moment of silence at Sunday’s Giants-Brewers game at Oracle Park in San Francisco.About a decade ago, while writing for a small West Coast sports website, I was assigned a story about the backstage workings of what is now NBC Sports Bay Area. It was one of the greatest assignments I’ve ever had, since a great majority of my time was spent watching a Nationals-Giants game with Greg Papa, Bill Laskey and Vida Blue.
Watching a game with two ex-big leaguers was an experience in itself, but when one of those guys happened to be Vida Blue, it morphed into something unforgettable. He was gregarious, knowledgeable and hilarious. I’d love to repeat some of the stories he told that night, but this is a family website. Most of all, he made me feel completely at ease, conversational to the point where I felt like maybe we were actually old friends and I’d just forgotten. He didn’t just talk about baseball; he asked me about my life, and expressed genuine condolences after I’d told him my Dad had just recently passed. He joked with Papa and Laskey nonstop.
A drug possession conviction in the early ’80s — he was given 3 months for possession of close to a tenth of an ounce of cocaine — probably killed whatever chance he had at making the Hall after he retired, and that’s a shame. The baseball Hall isn’t exactly a museum of the noble, for one, and Vida’s transgression seems incredibly minor when viewed with modern sensibilities.Anonymous/AP
Those same sensibilities would probably bring new appreciation to his career stats, too. His career win total probably didn’t turn the heads of many voters from that era, and they were seen as an important indicator of a pitcher’s success. Nowadays, wins hold significantly less sway with voters who rightfully see them as something a pitcher can’t always control. If Vida were on the ballot today, his advanced stats and peripherals would likely get him a plaque.
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