HOF Veterans Committee Procedure Changed Significantly

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Posted By: Paul

The HOF Veterans Committee procedure has changed significantly. I can't tell you who will be elected, but under the new procedure it's a good bet that someone will. Here's a link to an article on it.

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1387&Itemid=42

There is a similar article on the HOF website.

The articles are a little confusing. But from what I can tell there are now four procedures.

(1) For players whose careers began in 1943 or later, the Veterans Committee (the same committee that exists today) will somehow "pare down" a list of 20-25 candidates selected by a historical committee to a list of 10. The same Veterans Committee will then vote from among the 10. (That's the confusing part to me.)

(2) For players whose careers began before 1942, their fate will be decided by a committee of six. That sounds very reminiscent of the old system, where six old guys got together and voted in their friends. The difference is: this committee meets only once every five years. Also, few candidates that old will have living friends.

(3) For managers and umpires, it is the old system. A group of 12 (I think it's 12) meet in person and decide who to vote for.

(4) For executives, they haven't decided yet.

It's not clear to me if Negro Leaguers are eligible under any of these systems.

Votes under systems (1) and (3) will be held in alternate years, so that some election is held every year.

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Posted By: Misunderestimated (Brian H.)

I think Groups 2 and 3 will likely yield some HOFers.
Group 1 I'm not so sure about. The current HOFers who are a very large part of Group 1 seem very reluctant to elect anyone. While I think the pressure on them will increase with the parred down "top 10" candidates it still may not get enough of these voters to agree that anyone deserves to join them. Alot of these guys seem to want to avoid watering down the Hall even if it means keeping out deserving players who are good enough but not really off-the-chart great.

I think we are due for at least one or two more Umps (not sure who, but likely Umps from the later half of the 20th century)

Marvin Miller seems like a clear inductee too. I guess a committee that was promanagament and hated free agency might see him as the devil incarnate and refuse him admission. This would be a real shame because he's an very old man who much deserves induction in his lifetime.

I have a bunch of pre-WWII players I would love to see in the HOF but I have no reason to believe any one of them has any special support... except maybe Dummy Hoy who really doesn't measure up as player but would make a good story for the Hall. There will likely be some pressure to put in Shoeless Joe too -- his "lifetime ban" should have expired since his death but I doubt the Hall with let that happen... especially while Pete Rose is being held in abeyance.

The top managers not in the HOF are probably LaRussa, Cox and Torre who are not yet eligible (unless that got changed). Dick Williams is the best eligible and I think he's come close. He compares favorably with LaSorda but is hardly loved like Tommy was and is. (he's post-baseball record does him no favors either)

I think there are some Negro League (or pre-Negro League Blacks) who ought to be in (and at least one that should not have gotten in last year -- Effa Manley). I would not expect to see any more added for quite some time since the mass-induction.

Perhaps someone will figure out a way to put Buck O'Neill in but really he belongs in the HOF for reasons other than his very good (but not great) play in the Negro Leagues. Along these lines I'd love to see some way of recognizing Bill James but I'm not sure how.

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Posted By: Ken McMillan

Hopefully Santo will finally get in. The man deserves it>>>> He certainly won't make it in as an announcer. Go Cubs Go.

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Posted By: peter chao

Buck O'Neill should get in for the same reason Lefty O'Doul should get in. Great ambassadors for the game in both the U.S. and around the world. Without Lefty baseball in Japan would have taken quite a different route and who knows we might not have gotten a player like Ichiro for another generation.

Surely the Hall can find room for such great ambassadors of the Game.

Peter C.