Worst Hall of Fame ballot ever? Worst Hall of Fame ballot ever.

[secretariat]

Congratulations, Barry Stanton, news editor at ESPN. You win the prize.

The people on Barry's ballot: Jack Morris, Edgar Martinez, Tino Martinez, Don Mattingly and B.J. Surhoff.

Missing from Barry's ballot: Everyone else, including Robby Alomar and Bert Blyleven.

 

[Armchair_QB]

How do I get a ballot? I can do better than that.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

This is already on the Alomar thread, but maybe this deserves one of its own.

I'm sorry, but if you think BJ Surhoff should be in the HOF, your vote needs to be taken away.

 

[secretariat]

Here's some background on Barry and why he might have voted for Surhoff and (Tino) Martinez. It also mentions he was fired from his previous job for plagiarizing a Joe Posnanski column.

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/04/who-the-heck-is-barry-stanton/

 

[Armchair_QB]

1. Mark Grace
2. Rick Sutcliffe
3. Shawon Dunston
4. Mini Ditka
5. Fred McGriff

 

[secretariat]

You jest, but Mark Grace did have the most hits in the 1990s. Which is just as ludicrous as those who cite Jack Morris and his most wins in the '80s.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

You jest, but Mark Grace did have the most hits in the 1990s. Which is just as ludicrous as those who cite Jack Morris and his most wins in the '80s.

You can justify voting for either of those guys before you even consider Surhoff.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

The article makes a good point. I know there are a lot of writers who haven't covered a baseball game in ages who have a HOF vote. A few of them are on this board.

To be fair, I'm guessing none of them voted for Tino or BJ.

 

[Dick Whitman]

People always make a big freaking deal out of these outlier ballots, and want to reform the entire system because of them. Usually, sites like BP and HBT lead the outrage charge.

I have way less of a problem with some random voter who votes for B.J. Surhoff than I do with the fact that 75 percent of voters voted for Andre Dawson and Jim Rice - but not Bert Blyleven.

That's where the outrage and reform should be focused. Not on some random looney ballot with no effect on the outcome.

 

[JackReacher]

Someone was using their Deadspin Headline flash cards today.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Well, that's the thing about borderline players. Some get in, some don't.

I think it's a travesty that Tony Perez is in the hall. Well, 75 percent of voters that year think I'm wrong.

I think Blyleven should be in, but if I had to choose between him and Tim Raines, I'm picking Raines.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

It's very unfortunate that the Hall of Fame electorate of which I am a member is so limited, because it both overemphasizes the popular significance of its outlier ballors such as this one, and more importantly, because it convinces the millions of baseball fans who are rightly convinced they have as much knowledge about the sport as we voters that the whole process is fraudulent.
I submit that if voting was open in some way to the public (one man-one vote for adults only, please) the results would be demonstrably more wrongheaded than they are now. I still support letting fans vote, but just on grounds of principle -- it'd be a trainwreck in many ways.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Fans shouldn't vote. That's absurd.

I like how the NFL does it, except it should be made public who votes for who.

One writer from each city and a handful of "at-large" voters.

I think you'd see a lot less of this kind of bull****.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Mizzou, I say this with all respect for the Football Hall election committee, some of whom are good friends of mine, but there's WAY more bull**** with their elections than there is with the baseball voting. I could cite examples of real pettiness, but in fairness, I'll say that one Hall committee member, a friend and a most respected colleague, said he would NEVER allow a kicker to be elected, because they weren't football players.
Suppose a baseball voter said the same thing about relief pitchers.

 

[Mizzougrad96]

Mizzou, I say this with all respect for the Football Hall election committee, some of whom are good friends of mine, but there's WAY more bull**** with their elections than there is with the baseball voting. I could cite examples of real pettiness, but in fairness, I'll say that one Hall committee member, a friend and a most respected colleague, said he would NEVER allow a kicker to be elected, because they weren't football players.
Suppose a baseball voter said the same thing about relief pitchers.

Trust me, I've heard my share of stories about what goes on in that room. The thing is, I don't think they would act like that if they were held accoutable for it. Hell, let the NFL Network televise it.

But the NFL doesn't have issues like (I'm trying to think of the NFL equivalent of BJ Surhoff) getting HOF votes.

 

[Lester Bangs]

Guys like this get votes every year. It's the ballots that leave off undeniable HOF guys like Rickey Henderson that are at issue.

 

[spnited]

MLB.com writers votes:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110104&content_id=16389462&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb


And the football Hall of Fame is total bull****....writers "presenting" nominees and pitching them to the rest of the "select" committee.

 

[nmmetsfan]

Guys like this get votes every year. It's the ballots that leave off undeniable HOF guys like Rickey Henderson that are at issue.

I'd argue that Robbie Alomar should be undeniable

 

[Mizzougrad96]

I agree the "presentation' aspect of how the NFL does it is pretty stupid, but I like the idea of "experts" discussing and arguing the merits of certain players.

 

[spnited]

I agree the "presentation' aspect of how the NFL does it is pretty stupid, but I like the idea of "experts" discussing and arguing the merits of certain players.

And don't forget they are required to have at least 6 inductess a year .. even if there aren't six deserving guys.