Quickly, hat tip to The Art Monk Hall of Fame Campaign, the most comprehensive Art Monk compendium on the internet, dutifully committed to righting the horrible wrong that is his ommission from the Hall of Fame. For those of you unfamiliar with the site, it has virtually every Art Monk Hall of Fame related article spanning decades now, along with a list and contact for all the voters, and what we know about their votes. For instance, you can find out that Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman, along with hating puppies and America and cotton candy and The Karate Kid, is vehemently opposed to Art Monk getting in the Hall of Fame.
But this does not appear to bother Art Monk, nor should it, as his exclusion from the HoF says far more about that institution than it does about his NFL accomplishments.
Monk is still awaiting his call, but the 49-year-old doesn't seem bothered by his exclusion even though most Redskins fans are adamant about his omission.
"It feels good that people in the community feel that way, but it's out of my control," Monk said Wednesday before overseeing a practice session at his camp. "The voters, obviously, haven't felt that way yet. It really doesn't matter to me. If it happens, it happens."...
"They usually don't ask you, they just say you should've been," he said. "Obviously, there's nothing I can do about it."
But perhaps there is something reader(s) can do about it. One, take a moment to visit the Art Monk Hall of Fame Campaign, read the literature, familiarize yourself with the arguments and statistics both for and against Art Monk, and reach your own conclusion. Having done that, reach out
in a civil manner towards those voters who have not yet seen the light, so to speak. Some will not discuss the issue with you (for instance Rick Gosselin at the Dallas Morning News will not discuss his position with voters, ostensibly because he's received hateful emails in the past). But some will, and I encourage all
Hogs Haven reader(s) to take a few moments to articulate their thoughts on the matter in a thoughtful and compelling way, and send emails to those responsible for voting Art Monk into the Hall as soon as possible. I do not advocate verbal abuse of these voters, no matter how wrongheaded or silly their stance may be. A careful and sober analysis of Art Monk's accomplishments lends itself conclusively towards a Hall of Fame bid, and arguments to the contrary are unfounded. That doesn't mean they should be unaddressed, and when the next voting season fires up I have every intention of pursuing those arguments aggressively whenever and wherever they pop up. Feel free to join me.
Hail Redskins, Arrow Points: Redskins Snippets
AOL Fanhouse, Art Monk Not Bothered by Hall of Fame Snub
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