[topcat61]

I was quite disheartened by this years enshrinement by the Modern Era Committee this year, but it got me to thinking about older players...specifically those who had their careers cut short by WWII.

Most of my thoughts on this center around Dom DiMaggio, Gil Hodges Buddy Lewis and the most obvious, Cecil Travis.

Cecil Travis looks like he'll be up next on the Veterans Committee in 2021 and my concern is that these types of players are being rejected because of their service time. Now before anyone says "well, there are plenty of WWII veterans in"...thats true, but how many of them besides Hank Greenberg were drafted? Cecil Travis and Buddy Lewis were drafted and received 6 month deferments from their enlistment boards in 1941 and Dom DiMaggio was classified as 4-F but convinced the Navy his eyesight wasnt an issue. He had said that he wasn't about to sit out the war and I'd have to think that the voters on the Veterans Committee have an understanding of this era while making their vote?

Are these voters historians and should they be? I think that they should be and I think there should be more of an emphasis on what voters look for when voting and why they vote the way they do? Id at least like to know why a guy like Travis or DiMaggio or Hodges aren't in the Hall of Fame? Seems to me that they're being punished but I could be wrong -if I am, I'd like to know why, and why sisnt anyone out there advocating for these guys to the Hall of Fame? Thanks.