Posted By:
Max WederA few points. Please note that I am a supporter of Buck O'Neill for the Hall, and was disappointed to see that he did not get elected. However:
The SABR directory shows that Ray Doswell and Rob Ruck are not listed as SABR members, so it is unclear to me whether all 12 in fact were SABR members. (Robert Peterson just recently passed away; he was a SABR member)
Second, there is no indication to me that any of the members were appointed to the committee in their capacity as a SABR member. As you are all no doubt aware, SABR is open to anyone who will complete the form and send in the fee. It does not exclude. SABR did not have the power to determine how any of the committee members would vote.
It is unclear to me how his resignation from SABR will help the cause of Mr. O'Neill if SABR cannot indicate its organizational support. I am not an excutive or a director of SABR, and no doubt we will see some comments on Mr. Olberman's position in the SABR-L list. It is not clear to me whether such support would require a members' resolution, given that SABR members hold a wide array of views on every issue in baseball. I didn't see the interview, but will make a posting on SABR-L to elicit some response if others have not already done so.
Of course, anyone who is not a SABR member can join SABR (http://www.sabr.org) to follow any discussions or to contribute to the debate.
I do wish Buck had been elected, but I thought these points were important to note.
Max