XM MLB Chat: Hall of Fame ballot changes announced that could affect Marvin Miller vote

7/31/10, "Trading Deadline downers for Yankees, Mets: Frustrated as foes improve," Bill Madden, NY Daily News

"HALL OF A SHAKEUP

Because the Hall of Fame chose to announce it late Monday afternoon, after everyone had departed Cooperstown, its latest

revamping of the Veterans Committee's election process slipped under the radar.

But make no mistake: This is a significant change that may finally result in viable candidates actually being elected to the Hall, among them Marvin Miller, Allie Reynolds, Jacob Ruppert, Gil Hodges, Dave Concepcion and even George Steinbrenner.

In a nutshell, the Hall's Board of Directors completely blew up the old process, which had four separate ballots of pre-1945 players, post-1945 players, managers/umpires and executives.

It was replaced with three all-encompassing ballots by eras — pre-integration (1800's-1945), golden age (1946-72) and expansion age (1973-1989).

There will be three separate 16-member electorates comprised of
senior baseball writers,
former players,
executives and managers
and historians.

Most importantly, however, the composition of the ballots will be solely the responsibility of the Historical Review Committee,

which is comprised entirely of senior baseball writers.

In other words, there no longer will be any suggestion of politics, as was the case with the recent executives ballot in which Steinbrenner and equally controversial-but-impactful Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley were left off the ballot while beloved but less influential Royals owner Ewing Kauffman was on.

For whatever reason, Pat Gillick, who won World Series with the Blue Jays and Phillies and saved baseball in Seattle, wasn't on that ballot either.

The three new ballots will be voted on separately every three years and comprised of former players, managers, executives and umpires. This means, for example,

the first expansion ballot, which will be voted on at the winter meetings in December, could very well include Steinbrenner
and Miller, along with Billy Martin, Tommy John and Concepcion.

One unfortunate aspect of the new system, however, is the six-month eligibility waiting period for retired managers, meaning Bobby Cox and Lou Piniella will have to wait until the 2013 expansion ballot." ***

(Bill mentions the Historical Review committee to be composed entirely of baseball writers, but he doesn't say how many writers. The committee needs to be of substantial number for the baseball writers' own politics to be minimized). ed.

Reference: The 12 voters on the 2007 Hall of Fame Veterans/Pioneers panel, only 3 of whom--which 3 is not known-- voted for Marvin Miller:

Monte Irvin, Harmon Killebrew, Bobby Brown, John Harrington, Jerry Bell, Bill DeWitt, Bill Giles, David Glass, Andy MacPhail, Paul Hagen, Rick Hummel, and Hal McCoy....

From AP report following APSE meeting, 4/24/08:"(Donald) Fehr said