Inductees
J. G. Taylor Spink
October 6, 1888—December 7, 1962
"Taylor Spink is first-class. Everything he does is first-class. He travels first-class, he works first-class. He nightclubs first-class and he tips first-class. His paper is first-class. He demands the best and he gets it. —Spink on himself
John George Taylor Spink was born to Charles and Marie Spink in St. Louis, Missouri. Charles owned The Sporting News, which Spink took over in 1914, after Charles’s death. Before taking over The Sporting News, Spink had been an official scorer for the 1913 World Series, between the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Giants.
Under Spink’s tough leadership, The Sporting News became a recognized authority on baseball. In 1940, the paper began publishing the Baseball Register, a yearly almanac of baseball player statistics.
In 1962, the Baseball Writers Association of America established an annual award in Spink’s name to recognize talented individuals who write about baseball.
Spink died in 1961 at his home in Clayton, Missouri, and was buried at Bellefontaine Cemetery.