Thoughts, lists and other compulsive bits about baseball from comedian filmmaker television producer/Red Sox fan Paul Francis Sullivan.... feel free to call him “Sully.”
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Blank Ballots?
5 writers left their Hall of Fame ballots blank.
That’s what Bob Costas said on MLB Network, and why would Bob Costas lie to us?
So that means there were 5 sports writers who looked at the 2010 ballot and said “Nope, no Hall of Famers here.”
I want to know who those 5 were.
And then take a close look at the ballot NEXT year… If they voted for anyone next year who was on the ballot THIS year, they should have their voting privileges removed and given TO ME!!!
Seriously, Robbie Alomar? Bert Blyleven? Andre Dawson? Nobody?
Is this the classic “He’s not a First Ballot” lunacy taken to an extreme?
And oh yeah… Blyleven came up 5 votes short. If those 5 lunatics scribbled Bert’s name on it and called it a day, Bert would be there this summer.
Now of course with two players in the 70 percentile (and Barry Larkin and Jack Morris over 50%) there is a strong chance that Robbie, Bert and another hold over will be elected NEXT year.
Jeff Bagwell is the closest thing to a sure thing for next year’s ballot. Unless of course people are going to look away at Rafael Palmeiro’s shady past and vote HIM in. (Ask Mark McGwire how voters are opening their arms to him!)
But if Alomar, Blyleven and any other hold overs get in with votes from writers who didn’t vote for them THIS year… the question remains:
Did their stats improve?
And why isn’t your ballot blank again?
Alomar did not get in because of the Spitting indecent., Bagwell should be a slam dunk.
ReplyDeleteI really hope Blyleven gets in next year, And I think Alomar will get in,
As far as those 5 guys who left the ballots blank they should be investigated and if they are the among the ones who left guys like Tom Seaver off the ballot they should have the votes stripped from them now and they should be banned from all ballparks for life.
the spitting incident... you mean the one that he and Hershbeck (sp?) have made peace on and Alomar has contributed time and money to his charity works? That one?
ReplyDeleteThat's what's keeping one of the 4 best second basemen in history out of the Hall of Fame?
REALLY?
I heard on FAN 590 Stephen Brunt (from Toronto) admitting he submitted blank ballots two years in a row before this year. And this year he didn't receive the ballot anymore.
ReplyDeleteBrunt explained he was protesting the voting process (about the drug issue and how it's idiotic with other writers going by the 'first-ballot' rule thing), and was giving up his voting priviledges for good.
And thus, this year he didn't receive the ballot.
Maybe the five this year is protesting the way Brunt did ?