Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryPassamonte
The NA was part of the evolution of the organization of professional baseball and the best players of the time were involved. I think the key here is "paid" and "best of their time." This is the same argument that has been made in this thread regarding the Negro Leagues. If the best players are involved, the league should be considered "major." If we can not exclude black players for being denied the right to play in white major leagues through no fault of their own, we shouldn't punish early players for being born too soon. This distinction is important regarding HOF eligibility and the "ten year rule." Pioneer players have never received fair treatment from the HOF and are pitifully underrepresented in the HOF. Why aren't more baseball enthusiasts trying to right this wrong?
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I don’t disagree with anything you said here. I was trying to explain the rationale for excluding the NA from “major league” status, which I think is coherent but arguable. I wouldn’t have a problem with officially recognizing the NA as major, and the fact that baseball-reference treats NA stats the same as NL ones is a pretty significant unofficial recognition. I am 1000% on board with giving more recognition to pioneer players, especially the HOF.