What is the IBWAA?

You may have noticed I recently added a logo on the sidebar (which is also below) for the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America (IBWAA for short). Just what is this organization?

Well, a fine fellow named Howard Cole started it in 2009 “to serve as a digital alternative to the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA)” according to the IBWAA website. The IBWAA welcomes all Internet baseball writers, as opposed to the BBWAA which requires writers to work for 10 years for a major print publication. Also, the BBWAA charges thousands of dollars in membership fees while the IBWAA charges a mere $20 for a lifetime membership.

The IBWAA got a lot of publicity earlier this month when the BBWAA failed to induct any players into the Hall of Fame. A vote of IBWAA members elected Mike Piazza —  a reason for Mets fans to favor the Internet folks over the other guys.

Big name baseball writers from such websites as ESPN and Yahoo! Sports are members.

I joined up and I immediately noticed the lack of an identifying logo for the group. Howard sent me the pitcher silhouette (Sandy Koufax) he had been using and I developed the concept for the logo (I say modestly). I went on Fiverr.com and found a professional designer to come up with the final product. Not bad for five bucks, eh?!

Hopefully you will be seeing the logo on other member sites, and hopefully you will be hearing more about the IBWAA in the future.