The Future of Negro League Players in the Hall

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by Klrdds

You are completely correct . They are eligible in 2020 and 2030 under the Early Baseball era umbrella, and while there are probably 20 players/executives give or take from the complete Negro League era with Hall of Fame worthy credentials it is doubtful any will get elected given the current makeup of the Veterans Committee. Additionally by 2020 and certainly by 2030 the number of ex-Negro League players still living who could lobby or promote candidates will be few. The Negro Leagues will have lost their voice and history to time. While I hope for more Negro Leaguers to get inducted, without strong advocates such as Monte Irvin and Buck O' Neil the chances are slim.

I hope that as technology continues to get better and old newspapers are better cataloged and available for research to everyone, we will continue to gain better insights into the Negro Leagues, and that will push interest. As a relatively young white male (born in the 1980's) who finds the history of the Negro Leagues both interesting and important for the story of America, civil rights etc. i hope I am not the only one.

[pclpads]

The obvious reply is, "dim." This is why the HOF is such a pathetic embarrassment. For all he did for baseball, Negro leagues and the bigs, to have have passed on Buck O'Neill tells you all you need to know about the joke known as the HOF.

[Jason19th]

Buck O'Neil was a great man, a trailblazing coach and scout, a tremdous story teller and the sole reason that the Negro League museum exists. He was a utility player who was not a hall of fame player on his best day. He would tell you that. There is really no one who is in the hall with his type of credentials.

[pclpads]

So he didn't hit over 600 HR's and bat over .300 over 20 years. No NL hofers did. Records from the NL's are so sketchy today. But, for what he did, his overall contributions to the game, I submit he is deserving. A voice in the wilderness I agree, but, as noted in my first post, prospects are sadly dim for any more Negro leaguers getting to Cooperstown. Most are dead and unheard of, so lobbying on their behalf is futile.

[rats60]

There have been two special committees to elect Negro League players and in between 9 more players elected, including a 7 year mandate to elect one per year. The Hof has been very thorough in attempting to represent the NL in the Hof. Unless there is new information discovered, I would say that it is unlikely we will have any new members elected from the NL.

[Scocs]

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

[Jason19th]

Originally Posted by Scocs

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

To some extent this is how the hall gets in trouble with the idea that you can only let so many people in for a particular year. If Dick Lundy isn't a hofer in 2006 how does he become one in 2017. The hall has to stop being afraid. To just put in a ton of people if such is warranted. I understand that this is done in part because they want market the induction weekends but all it really does is lead to arguments about who should be in. I also wonder to what extent we should apply new sabrrmetrics to old players. It's the hall of fame and I think there is an argument that we should recognize those who were reconginzed at their time.
If we look back we now can say that players like Maxie bishop who drew huge Numbers of walks before we valued them were really good players, but does that make them a Hofer. Does that mean we should take out the players who we can now look at and say that hey were actually pretty average players i.e. Fred Linstrom

[tazdmb]

Originally Posted by Scocs

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo .

That committee had a former Cubs Beat Writer, Cubs Manager and Cubs HOF Player on it to push his campaign-plus no Joe Morgan

Seriously, if these committees can't get Marvin Miller in, who has had countless supporters on the committee, I don't know how they are going to get a long deceased Negro League player in with the current format. Honestly, if I had to bet on one person getting in, it would be Buck O'neil-since the 2006 committee had an entirely different makeup than the committees today (2006 were all Historians) plus he served on all the older veterans committees until their disbandment in 2001. I bet his name never came up since he was on the committee. IE-He never got a realm chance under the current makeup which was similar to now, where as all other Negro Leaguers did. Plus he also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and other countless awards and recognition that 2020 members were alive to see. Just my 2 cents.

[aljurgela]

Originally Posted by Scocs

I don't know. A decade has past since the last committee convened. At that time they had whittled a list of 39 names down to the final 17 (and five of those people never even PLAYED baseball).

If the HOF could ultimately induct Ron Santo after all those rejections, slights, and overlooking, perhaps Cooperstown will at least revisit those other 22 Negro Leaguers who almost made the final cut, like Dick Lundy, Oliver Marcelle, Alejendro Oms, Dobie Moore, John Donaldson, John Beckwith, Grant (Home Run) Johnson, etc.

All Great choices....