I've always considered the majority of members of the Baseball Writers Association of America to be an insulated, pompous, grudge holding group of ink-stained wretches, for several reasons...but mostly due to their odd reasoning as to the who, when, how and why in regard to Baseball Hall of Fame voting.
Speaking of which...
The results of the Baseball Hall of Fame balloting have been released, and once again, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris get the cold shoulder from the clueless BBWAA.
In one of the tightest elections ever, Andre Dawson was the only player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Dawson received 77.9 percent of the vote, just above the 75 percent needed for enshrinement. Bert Blyleven got 74.2 percent, missing election by just five votes. Roberto Alomar, widely expected to be a shoo-in, finished third with 73.7 percent. Jack Morris and Barry Larkin were the only other players to top 50 percent.
Alomar and Blyleven (and a case for Tim Raines can be made as well) not getting into Cooperstown are more egregious slights than Trammell continuing to get next to no support. At the very least, their just missing the hall this time around almost ensures they'll be voted in before they fall off the ballot.
There were a pair of Veteran's Committee sections as well. Manager Whitey Herzog, winner of 3 NL pennants and 1 World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, and long-time NL umpire Doug Harvey were chosen to join Dawson in the hall.
Via BBWAA.com, the official vote totals are after the jump.
Trammell gets a lousy 22.4% of the vote, while Barry Larkin, who had a career very similar to Trammell's, gets 51.6%? I'd really like to hear the ink-stained wretches explain that one. Seriously, I'd like an explanation.
If Larkin gets in the hall (as it ultimately looks as he will, considering his strong performance in his first appearance on the ballot) before Trammell...I'll write a strongly worded blog post ripping the BBWAA to shreds. (Trust me, I'd like to do more...)
It'll be a huge injustice, and expose the membership of the BBWAA for what they are...a group in which the majority are writing in a dying medium, and like to throw around what little influence they have left.
As for Jack Morris, I'm not sure he can ever do much better in the voting than he is currently.He seems to be a polarizing figure with the voters. Despite all his accomplishments, it's Morris' career 3.90 ERA, more than anything else, keeping him out of the hall.
I've pretty much accepted it's going to be up to the Veteran's Committee to correct the voting wrongs when it comes to the 80's era Detroit Tigers.
And that's a damn shame.