BBWA Introduces the 'Curt Schilling Rule' - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

You know how Curt Schilling has clause in his contract that pays him an extra $1 million if he received a single Cy Young vote? Apparently that makes the voters of that award a little uneasy:

Baseball players no longer would receive bonuses for winning the Most Valuable Player, Cy Young or rookie awards bestowed by the Baseball Writers' Association of America under a rule passed Wednesday.

Starting in 2013, players with such bonus clauses in their contracts will be banned from receiving votes for any BBWAA awards. Hall of Fame voting is not affected, nor are manager of the year or non-BBWAA awards such as the World Series MVP or Gold Glove.

"When we first started giving out these awards it was just to honour somebody. You got a trophy, there was no monetary reward that went with it," BBWAA secretary-treasurer Jack O'Connell said. "I honestly don't think people vote with that in mind. But the attachment of a bonus to these awards creates a perception that we're trying to make these guys rich."

Really? Are there actually people so ignorant that they will jump to that conclusion? I guess it's possible, but I've never even heard such a suggestion. If the BBWAA is really concerned about that perception, though, maybe they ought to forbid writers from collaborating with athletes on autobiographies, too. That, if anything, seems like an actual conflict of interest. Not surprisingly, Schilling penned a post on 38 Pitches disagreeing with the BBWA's decision (and if this specific subject doesn't interest you, the post is still worth reading for his takedown on Bill Conlin, too).

In the end, I can't help but think the BBWA is simply sabotaging their long-term relevancy -- the moment they ever omit a player because of this restriction is the moment they officially stop mattering. The criteria for these awards is already vague as hell (is the MVP the best player on the best team, or simply the most outstanding player?), and attaching more disclaimers is a slippery slope toward not being taken seriously by anyone.