2015 Baseball HOF ballot released

Tyler Kepner, who as a Times writer is not allowed to vote, wrote a column today urging those voters such as myself who vote for Bonds and Clemens to stop doing so in order that the logjam might end. He says the other side of the argument will never change its minds. Sorry, Tyler, that's not happening, at least on my ballot.

 

So he would have preferred a 17-player induction ceremony last summer. At what number is the "dominance" or mere "special" factor self-defeated, if there were that many HOFers active at the same time? Makes me think he holds people he has covered, and come to know, in a regard perhaps higher than they earned.

Also, Olney likes to "dismiss" views contrary to his, which in reality doesn't mean they're gone. Just gone as strawmen from his thesis.

 

It's not about that 17-man class last year, it's about the fact that the classes should have gone like this:

2010: Dawson, Blyelevn, Alomar
2011: Larkin, Palmeiro
2012: Morris, Bagwell
2013: Bonds, Clemens, Piazza, Biggio
2014: Maddux, Glavine, Thomas, Sosa

That's six fewer guys on this ballot, plus the fact that Morris wouldn't have sucked votes out 2013. You'd have Johnson, Pedro and Smoltz still as the top 3 on this ballot but Raines, Smith, Schilling, Edgar and Trammell would be the top five returning instead of being 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th.

 

The dominance/special factor was defeated many decades ago.

 

Exactly, but some folks aren't willing to admit that the voters have done anything wrong.

I disagree with how Olney is choosing to make his point because statement votes (or non votes) are a big part of the problem, but at least he sees that there is a problem. (To be fair, I haven't read his entire column because I don't have Insider.)

 

How many voters feel like Bill Ballou and actually don't vote for Pedro: "Part of me would like to leave him off the ballot just once because I'm tired of his petulant whining over not getting the MVP Award in 1999."

 

Is there any wonder there are people like me who think many of the voters should be stripped of the privilege? Any voter who uses his ballot to punish a candidate for something like that has clearly proven he never should have been given that ballot in the first place.

 

The Hall of Fame should be looking to incorporate two principles in their voting mechanisms with respect to the electorate: they should both strive to make it as democratic as possible and ensure that the best qualified experts on the subject being voting on are consulted.

Whether that means a larger electorate and a smaller electorate govern different elections, or different phases of the same election, I don't know, but an electorate comprised exclusively of BBWAA members fits neither of these objectives, nor do the good old boys on the respective era committees.

 

Lynn Henning becomes the latest to announce not turning in a ballot to protest the 10-man limit

 

Tom Gage of the Detroit News wins the Spink Award with 167 votes. Furman Bisher was second at 161. Dan Dan Shaughnessy was third with 134 votes

 

Congratulations to Tom Gage, a beat writer's beat writer. I don't think "baseball writer" first with either of the other two guys.

 

Dick Enberg wins the Frick Award over finalists Richie Ashburn, Billy Berroa, Rene Cardenas, Dizzy Dean, Ernie Johnson Sr., Ralph Kiner, Ned Martin, Joe Nuxhall and Jack Quinlan