Jerry Beach
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jerrybeach73.bsky.social
Jerry Beach
@jerrybeach73.bsky.social
The Molly’s Dad/Hofstra/CAA hoops/Mets/baseball/Islanders/Simpsons/Scrubs/Sunny/hair metal guy. Now with a new header! Still can’t be king of the world if you’re slave to the grind.
Fortunately, I am impervious to pain, so the last 10 days doesn't move me at all.
January 26, 2026 at 1:39 AM
January 26, 2026 at 1:39 AM
Why thanks Rob! I appreciate this pure display of friendship! (Goddamn college basketball)
January 26, 2026 at 1:36 AM
NINE HUNDRED?!
January 22, 2026 at 4:08 AM
No. That never impacted me one way or the other. The previous three years, I thought he was just shy b/c his peak was just a shade less than Jones' peak. But the better WAR, bigger counting stats, etc. got me to dig deeper.
January 20, 2026 at 11:16 PM
I was previously a Jones but not a Beltran guy b/c I thought Jones' peak was better. But how can I credit Jones for his peak and not punish him for his RAPID decline while punishing Beltran for being a very solid player for several years beyond his peak?
January 20, 2026 at 11:09 PM
If you've read this far, I thank you and look forward to your feedback. And thank you to @notmrtibbs.com, @shutthedore.bsky.social & @tonycal.bsky.social for making this time of year so much more fun than it already was w/the HOF tracker. It's so cool and such an honor to be a part of this.
January 15, 2026 at 9:12 AM
And that my friends is how I became the first HOF voter to fill out a ballot to Poison's "Cry Tough."

Life ain't no easy ride
At least that's what I'm told
Sometimes the rainbow, baby
Is better than the pot of gold

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOzd...
Poison - Cry Tough
YouTube video by poisonVEVO
www.youtube.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:09 AM
It also meant so much to fill out my ballot out next to a pic of my late Mom, who inspires all of us everyday. This is not the most noble goal anyone has ever achieved, but it's mine and I can't believe it happened.
January 15, 2026 at 9:06 AM
I filled it out at my Dad's house, at the kitchen table where I once read The Hartford Courant (whose main baseball writer back then, Jack O'Connell, is the BBWAA secretary). It meant so much to share the moment w/my Dad, long my best friend & biggest supporter, as well as my wife, daughter & sis.
January 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM
But I began getting back into the business with the TSX wire service in 2011 and I got into the BBWAA following the 2015 season. Ten uneventful years of American life later, I'm casting my first HOF ballot.
January 15, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Long story short, I've written about baseball most of my adult life but never at a daily newspaper, which was a requirement for BBWAA membership until dot-coms began being invited in 2007. In 2008, I lost my job at a hybrid dotcom/print pub and figured my career was over.
January 15, 2026 at 8:59 AM
I've wanted to vote for the HOF since January '88, when I read Jim Bunning missed election by four votes when nine empty ballots were cast. It sounded like such an honor and I knew I'd never cast an empty ballot. (Though I am also not usually a full ballot guy...I contain multitudes)
January 15, 2026 at 8:59 AM
Ha! The soundtrack to our times, unfortunately.
November 17, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Haha I saw that and thought of you! They pretty much were the difference.
November 6, 2025 at 8:47 PM
That was awesome! Did a triple take as soon as I saw the last name on the board outside the locker room. Your nephews look like your son!
October 20, 2025 at 6:55 PM