by Outta Leftfield » Sun Dec 04, 2005 9:40 pm
OK, assuming I've counted this right, we've had 15 ballots so far. Listing just those who recieved at least one vote, and assuming I've counted right, the balloting so far has been:
Blyleven 9
Clark 4
Dawson 9
Garvey 1
Gossage 11
Hershiser 5
John 4
Mattingly 11
Morris 4
Murphy 5
Parker 5
Rice 11
Smith 5
Sutter 10
Trammell 8
Lots of interesting stuff here. For one thing, nobody has quite enough votes for the Hall. Gossage, Mattingly, and Rice all have 11 of 15, but that's .733% and you need .75. That 3/4s is a tough standard! Also, a couple of voters mentioned only one or two players. In effect, that virtually dooms anyone not on their card to missing the cut. I wonder how often those one or two vote cards happen in real life--it might explain why Willie Mays wasn't unanimous. Did the voters really want to doom the others--or just send a really emphatic vote for those they favor? With a .75% standard, candidates can't afford to be on the losing end of too many such "short ballots," and this may explain why some of our favorite players languish year after year. Finally, like Sandberg last year, some of "short ballot" voters get around to noticing these guys and sending them a belated vote--is that what finally gets them into the Hall?
Other players attracting significant support are Sutter (10 votes/.667); Dawson and Blyleven (9/ .600); and Trammell (8/ .533)--but they've got a ways to go.
Other points of interest. Two managers mentioned Belle as deserving to be in the Hall, but nobody actually voted for him. :lol: :?: :?:
And Tim Raines didn't retire until 2002 and won't be eligible for two years. I hope he gets in. When, if ever, did Rickey officially retire?