January 27th, 2021 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka If you are a fan of Major League Baseball, and let’s face it, you probably wouldn’t be reading this if you were not, there is one travel destination that you absolutely positively must go to – the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York; if not for the Hall of Fame part, most definitely for the Museum part. There simply isn’t a greater collection of baseball memorabilia – and other great stuff – on the planet.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Of course, it wouldn’t be called the National Baseball Hall of Fame if it didn’t include Hall of Famers, which are voted on annually by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America or BBWAA for short.
On Tuesday afternoon, 35 of the (current) 49 BBWAA members who cast ballots (14 did not) announced their selections for the Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
There were none.
You read that right. None of the 25 candidates on the 2021 Hall of Fame ballot received the required 75 percent of votes necessary to achieve baseball immortality – Zero.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Without casting aspersions, it is understandable that admitted (or proven) Performance Enhancing Drug users were, once again, spurned; guys like Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, and (of course) Barry Bonds. But for 20-year MLB veteran Curt Schilling and his career 216-146 record and 3.84 career ERA (not to mention his three World Series rings and six All-star appearances) to come oh-so-close at 70.0 percent in his ninth year of eligibility (out of 10) cut right to the bone. In fact, even before Tuesday’s announcement, the (now) 54-year-old Anchorage, AK native and second-round draft pick by the Boston Red Sox in 1986 out of Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ, posted a very poignant message on his Facebook page that included some harsh, Curt-Schilling-like comments. He also requested to be removed from next year’s ballot – his 10th and final year of eligibility. Here are a couple of excerpts from his (very lengthy) Facebook post (SIC):
“But I’m now somehow in a conversation with two men who cheated, and instead of being accountable they chose to destroy others lives to protect their lie.”
“I wanted to reiterate this final point. I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I’ll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player. I don’t think I’m a hall of famer as I’ve often stated but if former players think I am then I’ll accept that with honor.”
Ironically, and in case you were wondering, even if all of the 14 BBWAA members who did not cast ballots for this year’s Hall of Fame class had voted for Schilling, he would have ended up with 73.6 percent of the vote. In other words, he still would not have made it into the Hall.
As for Clemens and Bonds, they will have one more shot at making it into the Hall in 2022, after once again falling short of the necessary 75 percent at 61.0 and 60.7 percent, respectively (Veteran’s Committee notwithstanding).
Although there will be no Class of 2021 inducted into the Hall of Fame, there will be an induction ceremony on July 25, 2021; however, it will be for the Class of 2020, who did not have an induction ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The inductees will be Derek Jeter, Larry Walker, Ted Simmons, and the late Marvin Miller … so there’s that.
Play Ball!
* * * * * *
Posted in 
The HOF has become a political morass, with voters (baseball journalists) deciding whether or not to vote for players by their assumed (not proven) use of PED’s, or political correctness in social media, or under representation, etc. What a mess! You know that there is a huge flaw in the system when a player like Gil Hodges is not enshrined with his offensive numbers and recognized as the pre-eminent fielding first baseman of his generation.
For me, Schilling doesn’t meet the stats test for HOF, his numbers are very similar to the bulldog Orel Hershiser, and not as good as Tommy John. Some are trying to make his case for the HOF because of his postseason stats, which are remarkable. But the HOF voting guidelines pertain to a players entire career, not just postseason.
By the way, the day that one of the known PED cheats makes it into the HOF is the day that the HOF should change its eligibility criteria and allow voters to enshrine Shoeless Joe Jackson and Pete Rose.
Several years ago, I was invited to join the IBBWA (Internet Baseball Writers Association), a knock-off (so to speak) of the real BBWAA. Initially, I was both flattered and honored to be invited into what I assumed was a respectable association. I quickly learned that they let (practically) anyone with a computer and an internet connection in, even those with little (or no) credibility. I promptly withdrew from it and never looked back.
I imagine that when the Hall of Fame first opened in 1936, baseball writers were an esteemed bunch, as are a good many today. That said, they (collectively) have dropped the ball (no pun intended) on several occasions, without question on Gil Hodges.
I have long felt that Hall of Famers should be voted in by their peers, not by a group of very opinionated beat writers.
There… I said it.
I think there should be statistical performance criteria that must be met before a player can be considered for the ballot. Baseball writers have demonstrated that subjective evaluations are not consistent resulting in some players “making it” while other comparable players do not. Stop making it a subjective, politically influenced fraternity. If the current HOF and baseball writers cannot handle an objective method of entry, then the MLBPA should start its own HOF and ignore Cooperstown.
I wonder what the Hall of Fame might have done if Pete Rose had been banished after 1992 (the year he would have been inducted on the first ballot). Would they have removed his plaque from the gallery?
Good question. Maybe not wanting to set a precedent and opening up a vetting of all past inductees.
Joc P is on the Cubs now
1 yr 7 million.