ASK THE JUDGE 06/17/2005, FEATURE FRIDAY

You've no doubt seen the press on the Magic: the Gathering Hall of Fame. I've been honored with being nominated to the Selection Committee. This is an outstanding idea recognizing the contributors to the Pro Tour's past. I'll tell you right away, it wasn't easy. There were certainly many qualified and interesting candidates, and there were names that it pained me to leave off the ballot.

Let me first say that I focused on certain specific areas. To me, "Hall of Fame," means players who are retired or semi-retired. I didn't really consider players who are still at the top of the game; I believe there should be some sort of grace period. That's why Gab Tsang, who I think is one of the best players in history, an excellent role model for sportsmanlike behavior, and one of my favorite people involved in the Pro Tour, didn't make my ballot. Gab is still tearing it up on the Pro Tour (not to mention World of Warcraft), so I can't make him a first ballot inductee. Later on, I'll talk about the whys of some other folks I didn't vote for--but let's talk about who I did vote for.

First of all, the most important word to me on the ballot is integrity. There have been many great players in our game, but there have been those that have been less than honorable. The guys that I voted for exemplified to me not only the top-level skills and noteworthy accomplishments, but a spirit of sportsmanship.

If Jon Finkel isn't on everyone's ballot, it's a travesty (or someone's trying to game the system). Jonny Ballgame is our game's Babe Ruth. Not only was he a prodigious talent, but he made good on the promise of that talent. His skills are the gold standard by which everyone else from now on will be measured. Even the great Kai Budde was called "the next Finkel." In addition to being a remarkable player, Jon became an excellent representative for the game. From both a technical and personal standpoint, he was a joy to watch.

His shining moment of shining moments was Worlds 2000. His match with Bob Maher is the stuff of legend, and may have contained the single best game of Magic ever. During that same event, I had a front row seat (quite literally, as table judge) for his dismantling of Ryan Fuller. The Christians had a better chance vs. the lions. He nearly single-handedly carried the US National team to another World Championship. All apologies to Kai, but Jon Finkel is the greatest player we've seen at the Magical cards.

If Finkel is Babe Ruth, Robert Dougherty is Johnny Bench--the leader and guiding spirit of Your Move Games (our equivalent of the 70's Big Red Machine), what I consider the first great team in Magic history. There were high profile teams before YMG, but none of them were as friendly, skilled, and most importantly, above board, as they were. I don't want to diminish the skills and accomplishment of Darwin Kastle (Tony Perez) and Dave "Broken in Untimed Rounds" Humpherys (Joe Morgan), both of whom are on the ballot (and certainly not forgetting Chad Ellis, Justin Gary, Danny Mandel, and later Paul Reitzl) but I believe Rob's vision and skills were at the forefront of YMG's PT dominance. Add to that his involvement in organized play in New England and the fact that he was once a Level 3 Judge, and he's an easy first ballot shoo-in.

Brian Hacker set the stage for fan favorites like Brian Kibler. Our Reggie Jackson, he was not only a great player, but the guy that Magic fans everywhere wanted to be. Hacker was a brilliant tactician with a sense of style, and became the first easily- and widely-identifiable variably-colored star in the MtG firmament. In addition to having outstanding skills, Brian was a treat to have at an event, a guy that always positively added to the atmosphere. A great conversationalist and quick wit, he maintained the same good-natured attitude no matter where he stood in the tournament.

David Price is our Ernie Banks or maybe Bob Gibson--sometimes distant, sometimes inscrutable, but undeniably talented and accomplished. Another great fan favorite, The King of Qualifiers was also an outstanding writer (you really need to look through the archives here on Star City; search on "Price of Progress") and forward-thinking theoretician. Despite his formidable skills, Dave was also Everyman. Fans easily identified with him and made him one of their own. What swung my vote Price's way is that I have not seen a professional Magic player with stronger ethics. In a time when everyone looked the other way at sketchy behavior, Price was outspoken about and disgusted by it. In an increasingly shallow world, I found him a true man of substance.

Finally, my dark horse: Mike Pustilnik combines attributes of Cal Ripken and Nellie Fox. He was certainly an early iron man who simply loved the game, playing well more sanctioned matches than any other DCI member of his day. Like Fox, Mikey P quietly put up excellent numbers in relative anonymity, outshone by some brighter stars. Those in the know, however, knew that they didn't want to sit down across the table from him. Equally skilled at both Limited and Constructed, his play was technically flawless, and he was always a model of sportsmanlike behavior.

As I said earlier, there are a number of folks, such as Scott Johns and Tommi Hovi, who were difficult to leave off my ballot; I just thought that the guys I voted for deserved it that little bit more, with what came down to intangibles making the final decision. I wish I could have voted for all of them.

Well, not quite all of them. The ballot says that "voting shall be based upon the player's performances, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, and contributions to the game in general." That's why a player with a reputation for shady behavior, like Mike Long (Gaylord Perry, for those of you staying with the baseball analogy), will never be on my ballot despite his outstanding record and considerable skills. Sketchiness should never be rewarded with positive recognition. Mike's antics were tolerated back in the day under the guise of creating celebrities--but this was a mistake. The game created enough heroes that it didn't need to manufacture anti-heroes. Despite an impressive record, in my opinion, Mike and his ilk retarded the development of the professional game, not enhanced it. Only when we got tougher on the its malefactors did the Pro Tour reach its potential.

I'm sure my choices will spark some debate. Feel free to address them in the forums, and feel free to disagree with me (but please avoid the "OMFG!!! I can't believe you didn't vote for so-and-so! He's the r0x0r!" If you have a good reason to disagree, I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.

Next Saturday, I'll be doing Regionals in Atlanta. If you're there, please stop by and say hello.

For the first time in a long time, this is my Final Judgement.