Hall of Fame Veterans Committee Ballot

[Jim VB]

The following is a cut and paste from Keith Olbermann's baseball blog.



FOR YOUR HALL OF FAME CONSIDERATION:


Everybody except me seems to have a vote in one of the 87 committees that may elect some managers, umpires, and executives, to Cooperstown next month. I'm in favor of putting in all deserving candidates and I really don't care if we put it to voice vote at Dodger Stadium one night, just so long as we honor the deserving.


So here is a yes/no on each of the candidates, without getting into the woods of who's doing the voting or how:


Manager - Charlie Grimm: No. Longevity, not results.
Manager - Whitey Herzog: Yes.
Manager - Davey Johnson: No, but close.
Manager - Tom Kelly: Yes. Rebuilt that franchise.
Manager - Billy Martin: a controversial Yes. There's an amazing stat on him: he only had nine full seasons of managing. Eight of those nine teams finished first or second.
Manager - Gene Mauch: I'm sorry, no. Presided over two of the worst collapses in history.
Manager - Danny Murtaugh: You know what? Yes. Two World's Championships, and in his last stint (1970-75) he won the second of them, and a division in four of the other five years.
Manager - Steve O'Neill: No. See Grimm.


Umpire - Doug Harvey: Yes.
Umpire - Hank O'Day: No. There are about a dozen deserving umps. Not him. Whoever you think was right in the Merkle game, his ruling was wrong. It was either a New York win or a forfeit, not a tie.


Executive - Gene Autry: No. Bringing the A.L. to Southern California would've been done 20 years before he did it, had it not been for Pearl Harbor.
Executive - Sam Breadon: Yes. Saved the Cardinals from bankruptcy or moving in the '20s, built a dynasty with Branch Rickey.
Executive - John Fetzer: No.
Executive - Bob Howsam: No. The Frank Robinson trade gets you into Cooperstown?
Executive - Ewing Kauffman: No. An elegant, dedicated man.
Executive - John McHale: No.
Executive - Marvin Miller: Yes. For good or for ill, his impact for changing the game was comparable to Babe Ruth.
Executive - Jacob Ruppert: Yes. The Yankees were a joke before him.
Executive - Bill White: Yes. Could qualify in this role, or as a player, or as an announcer. Get him in there!



Edited to add: I find his blog among the most refreshing baseball writings available. His insight into basball, both current and vintage, is very thought provoking.

http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/