HoF controversy

As readers of this blog probably know, I'm a baseball fan. And as most baseball fans certainly know, there are perpetual controversies over the Hall of Fame. Who should be in, who shouldn't be in, who should do the voting, etc. Mention the words "Shoeless Joe Jackson" to a bunch of fans, and you'll immediately start an HoF argument.

I had no idea that's there's something called the Television Academy Hall of Fame. But it does exist, and a recent article suggested some more inductees. Among the suggestions was Alex Trebek.

My first thought was, how did Alex avoid induction into the TV Hall of Fame? The guy's been around forever on television and he's a household name in just about every household, especially the Nielsen ones. Then I reviewed the list of current inductees, and I noticed that only two people mostly known for game shows are in there.

Sure, there are other inductees with plenty of experience in the genre, like Betty White and Regis Philbin. But Mark Goodson and Bob Barker are the only people known almost exclusively for game shows who have gotten the honor, even if most ordinary TV viewers have never heard of the honor. Is this another case of game shows getting no respect?

Well, maybe. Or they could have just forgotten about Alex somehow. But any Hall of Fame that can find places for Howard Cosell and Shonda Rhimes should make room for Alex Trebek.