>> TIME NOW FOR ANOTHER VISIT WITH THE REPUBLICANS' VIEWPOINT
COLUMNIST RON CHIMELIS.
WE'RE TOUCHING ON SEVERAL TOPICS THIS TIME, BUT WE GOT STARTED
DISCUSSING ARE THE 2017 BASEBALL HALL OF FAME VOTING AND RON'S
OWN BALLOT AS A MEMBER OF THE BASEBALL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION.
>> I'M COMFORTABLE WITH SCHILLING AS THE HALL OF FAME
PITCHER BUT NOT AS A HALL OF FAME POLITICIAN, AND HE
CONTINUES TO EGG PEOPLE ON.
I DON'T THINK IT'S A REASON NOT TO VOTE FOR A BASKETBALL BASEBA.
>> HE LIKES TO CREATE CONTROVERSY, IT SEEMS, HE SAYS
OFF THE WALL STUFF FROM TIME TO TIME.
>> SOME OFFENSIVE STUFF AS FAR AS MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF
ARE CONCERNED, BUT IF WE STARTED JUDGING PEOPLE ON POLITICS,
THERE IS A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THERE THAT I WOULD HAVE A SECOND
LOOK AT.
JUDGE LANDIS, A FEW OTHERS WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT.
>> A LOT OF RACIST STUFF.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> YOU COULD PICK IT AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT PEOPLE'S POLITICAL
VIEWPOINTS, THIS HASN'T REALLY BEEN AN ISSUE.
AND I TELL PEOPLE THAT SCHILLING GIVES EVERYBODY THE MIDDLE
FINGER AND SAYS WHY DON'T YOU LIKE ME AND I DON'T.
BUT IF I START LETTING THAT AFFECT ME TO THE POINT OF NOT
VOTING FOR PEOPLE, I AM FEEDING INTO THE CRITICISM OF THE VOTE,
AND THAT SET THE REPORTERS AT A BIAS.
I DON'T KNOW FOR OTHERS, I THINK THAT WE ARE MORE DILIGENT AS A
GROUP THAN PEOPLE GIVE US CREDIT FOR BUT I KNOW MYSELF I TRY TO
SEPARATE THAT.
>> HOW ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS IS, CURT SCHILLING IS VERY
CONSERVATIVE, VERY OUTSPOKEN FOR REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES, FOR
DONALD TRUMP, AND HE RECENTLY SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HE
TWEETED, WOULD LIKE TO SEE JOURNALISTS LYNCHED.
I DIDN'T CARE FOR THAT ONE.
>> RIGHT.
>> BUT YOU KNOW, HE JUST DOESN'T CARE WHAT HE SAYS.
>> WELL, AND HE SHOULD.
NOT FROM THE HALL OF FAME AND I DON'T THINK THAT HE DID NOT MAKE
IT BECAUSE OF THAT.
HE GOT 45% OF THE VOTE.
HE NEEDS 75%.
THERE ARE -- THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A FEW THAT, THAT LINCHING
COMMENT REALLY INFURIATED PEOPLE AND IT SHOULD HAVE BUT THAT'S
NOT WHY HE DID NOT GET IN.
I JUST -- I HAVE VERY LITTLE RESPECT FOR THE WAY HE CONDUCTS
HIMSELF POLITICALLY.
HE'S NOT A CONSERVATIVE.
I CONSIDER MYSELF CONSERVATIVE AND I DON'T THROW IN WITH HIM,
IT'S A DIFFERENT FORM OF IT.
THAT'S A POLITICAL DEBATE.
NOT A BASEBALL DEBATE.
>> YOU HEADLINED A COLUMN, COOPER'S TOWN, FORFEITING THE
SPECIAL MEANING, AND YOU ARE, BASICALLY, TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE
WHO HAVE GOTTEN IN DESPITE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, IN THIS STEROID
ERA.
>> WELL, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, AND PEOPLE TALK TO ME LIKE THIS
IS THE GREATEST HONOR THAT I HAVE EVER, MORE IMPORTANT THAN
RAISING MY CHILD OR BEING MARRIED.
I TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY.
IT IS A PRIVILEGE, BUT COOPER -- THAT'S BECAUSE COOPERSTOWN HAS
BEEN ONE OF THE FEW INSTITUTIONS, REALLY IS SPECIAL,
ALMOST MYTHOLOGICAL, AND WE HAVE SEEN THAT LOST IN SO MANY
INSTITUTIONS, AND I SEE WE'RE LOSING IT WITH COOPERSTOWN.
THIS GUY THAT JUST GOT IN, HE'S LIKE THE GREATEST, I DON'T KNOW
THE GREATEST, BUT THERE ARE CLEAR STEROID IMPLICATIONS FOR
HIM AND HE GOT IN THE FIRST TRY, AND IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE PEOPLE
THAT DID NOT GET IN, ALTHOUGH I THINK VLADIMIR GUERRERO SHOULD
BE IN, BUT WHEN SELIG GOT, IN HE WAS THE ADMINISTRATOR DURING
THIS, IF EASE A HALL-OF-FAMER, HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT PEOPLE WHO
DID STEROIDS ARE NOT?
I AM WRESTLING WITH WHETHER TO CONTINUE VOTING.
I HAVE NEVER VOTED FOR PEOPLE WHIST SURE TOOK STEROIDS, SO MY
OPTION MIGHT BE WHETHER I WANT TO PARTICIPATE AT ALL.
I WANT TO, BUT I AM THINKING ABOUT IT.
>> WHAT ABOUT TWO GUYS THAT MEAN A LOT TO RED SOX'S FANS IN
PARTICULAR AND BOTH HAVE HAD THEIR NAMES, AT ONE POINT OR
ANOTHER LINKED WITH STEROIDS, MANNY RAMIREZ AND BIG POPPY,
DAVID ORTIZ.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THEIR FATE WILL BE?
>> MANNY GOT 23% OF THE VOTE.
I DON'T THINK HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT.
IT WOULD SURPRISE ME.
HE'S GOT HALL OF FAME CREDENTIALS.
HE WAS SUSPENDED TWICE FOR STEROIDS, BIG PAPI SAYS HE DID
NOT DO IT.
WE LOVE HIM.
WE DON'T LOVE MANNY.
I WILL BE CURIOUS WHAT THE REST OF THE NATION OUTSIDE OF NEW
ENGLAND DOES WITH THE ORTIZ CANDIDACY, IN NEW ENGLAND THERE
SEEMS TO BE NO QUESTION THAT HE SHOULD MAKE IT BUT THERE ARE
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER HE TOOK STEROIDS AND
WHETHER THAT SHOULD MATTER, IT'S NOT A DONE DEAL FOR ORTIZ, AND I
DON'T THINK MANNY WILL MAKE IT.
>> AS WE SIT HERE THE PATRIOTS ARE GEARING UP FOR SUPER BOWL
51, WITH I., ROMAN NUMEROUS, THAT'S ANOTHER STORY, LI.
GOING UP AGAINST A TEAM FROM ATLANTA THAT SURPRISED A LOT OF
PEOPLE.
THE FALCONS HAD A GREAT YEAR.
WHAT'S YOUR READ.
YOU COVERED SOME FOOTBALL.
>> I DON'T KNOW BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT PITTSBURGH WOULD
GIVE THE PATRIOTS A BETTER GAME.
I THOUGHT THE PATRIOTS WOULD WIN AND THE PACKERS WOULD BEAT THE
FALCONS, SO WHAT DO ISSUE.
THE FALCONS ARE BETTER THAN MAYBE A LOT OF US THOUGHT.
THE PATRIOTS ARE THE PATRIOTS, AND I THINK THAT THEY ARE GOING
TO WIN THE GAME.
I SEE A LOT OF POINTS.
>> WHEN YOU ARE COVERING SPORTS, YOU WERE AT THE PATRIOTS'
STADIUM, WAY BACK WHEN, 2001, WHEN DREW DREW BLEDSO GOT HURT,D
THEY BROUGHT IN TOM BRADY.
>> THE HEADLINE WAS A MAN CALLED BREEZY.
CUTE, AND I REMEMBER WATCHING IT AS SOMEONE WHO DID NOT COVER A
LOT OF FOOTBALL, SURROUNDED BY THESE EXPERTS, AND I AM
THINKING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WHEN BLEDSO COMES BACK THEY SHOULD
STICK WITH THERE BRADY GUY, ONE OF THE BEST ONES NEVER WRITTEN
AND ONE WRITER, ONE OF THE HERALD WRITERS SAID AFTER THE
GAME, AND IN PRINT HE SAID WE SHOULD LOOK AT WHETHER BRADY
MIGHT BE BETTER THAN BLEDSO, THAT WAS HERESY BACK THEN BUT HE
WAS OUT FOR A LONG TIME AND BRADY GOT BETTER AND BETTER.
NOBODY IMAGINED HE WOULD BE WHAT HE HAS BECOME TODAY, THE
GREATEST QUARTERBACK IN MY OPINION AND I AM NOT A HYPERBOLE
DAY BUT I SAID THAT THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THIS.
>> A COUPLE MINUTES LEFT, LET'S TURN TO THE TOPIC.
YOU WERE SAYING IT'S HARD NOT TO WRITE A COLUMN, SOMEWHERE OR
ANOTHER THAT DOES NOT COME BACK TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE
COUNTRY, POLITICALLY, THE NEW PRESIDENCY, DONALD TRUMP,
EVERYBODY IT SEEMS HAS A STRONG OPINION.
THEY LOVE HIM OR TERRIFIED OF HIM, AND YOU BASICALLY WROTE ONE
COLUMN WHERE YOU SAID, HEY, THIS IS WHAT IT IS.
>> WELL, IT'S WHAT IT IS BECAUSE I THINK THAT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE
WHO CAN'T STAND THEM ARE DENYING THE FACT THAT HE'S THE
PRESIDENT.
KEITH SAYS WE SHOULD NOT CALL HIM PRESIDENT BUSH.
WE HEAR THE TERM ILL-LEGITIMATE, HE'S AN ILL-LEGITIMATE
PRESIDENT.
HE MIGHT NOT BE A GOOD ONE BUT THAT'S DIFFERENT.
EVERY SUBJECT, I AM ALMOST TRYING TO STAY AWAY FROM IT
BECAUSE EVERY SUBJECT ABOUT TRUMP IS TOXIC NO MATTER WHICH
SIDE YOU ARE ON.
AND EVERY SUBJECT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT TRUMP.
IT'S VERY HARD TO HAVE A RATIONALE DISCUSSION OR DIALOGUE
WITH PEOPLE ABOUT THIS SUBJECT BUT WE'LL KEEP TRYING.
>> HUGE MARGIN, WASHINGTON, MARCHS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY,
AND THE WOMEN'S MARCHES, PEOPLE BASICALLY, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE
IS, IF THEY ARE PROTESTING TRUMP AS SAYING HERE'S THE ISSUES THAT
WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT.
WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> THEY ARE ENTITLED TO DO WHAT THEY WANT.
BUT ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES MADE THE POINT HOW MANY VOTED?
DID THEY ALL VOTE WHEN THEY HAD THE CHANCE TO DENY TRUMP THE
PRESIDENCY?
DID THEY DO THAT?
DID THEY DO THAT IN MICHIGAN, AND WISCONSIN AND PENNSYLVANIA
OR CLOSE?
SOME OF THEM DID AND SOME DIDN'T.
I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF PROTESTS FOR THE SAKE OF FEELING GOOD
ABOUT YOURSELF.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO MITIGATE WHAT YOU DON'T WANT THE
FELLOW TO DO?
THAT'S HARDER, AND THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN GOING OUT WITH A
SIGN AND MAKING A LOT OF NOISE.
>> RON CHIMELIS, ALWAYS A PLEASURE AND THANKS FOR COMING
IN.
>> THANK YOU.