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Over-Hall
Veterans Committee re-done as part of voting changes
Posted: Monday August 06, 2001 1:50 PM
Updated: Monday August 06, 2001 4:45 PM
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Bill Mazeroski, the last player to be elected by the old Veterans Committee, now has a say in the new committee. AP |
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- Hall of Famers will have a much larger
say in who joins them in Cooperstown under changes announced Monday
aimed at making it harder to enter baseball's shrine.
The revamped process eliminates the closed-door Veterans
Committee meetings held since 1953 and gives new Hall of Fame hope
to 1,700 players who had failed to receive at least 5 percent of
the votes cast by writers.
Those with renewed eligibility include former stars such as Jeff
Reardon, Al Oliver, Bill Madlock, Ted Simmons, Lou Whitaker and
Larry Bowa.
The changes will likely make it more difficult for Negro League
and pre-1900 players to be enshrined and also will make it tougher
for players not elected by the baseball writers to be enshrined.
| Revamped Veterans Committee roster |
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Members of the newly expanded, 90-member Baseball of Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, which replaces the 15-member committee that had existed since 1953:
Hall of Famers (61)
Hank Aaron, Sparky Anderson, Luis Aparicio, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Lou Boudreau, George Brett, Lou Brock, Jim Bunning, Rod Carew, Steve Carlton, Orlando Cepeda, Larry Doby, Bobby Doerr, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers, Carlton Fisk, Whitey Ford, Bob Gibson, Monte Irvin, Reggie Jackson, Ferguson Jenkins, Al Kaline, George Kell, Harmon Killebrew, Ralph Kiner, Sandy Koufax, Tom Lasorda, Al Lopez, Lee MacPhail, Juan Marichal, Willie Mays, Bill Mazeroski, Willie McCovey, Joe Morgan, Stan Musial, Phil Niekro, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, Gaylord Perry, Kirby Puckett, Phil Rizzuto, Robin Roberts, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Red Schoendienst, Tom Seaver, Enos Slaughter, Duke Snider, Warren Spahn, Don Sutton, Earl Weaver, Hoyt Wilhelm, Billy Williams, Ted Williams, Dave Winfield, Carl Yastrzemski, Robin Yount.
Ford C. Frick Award Winners (Broadcasters-13)
Marty Brennaman, Jack Buck, Herb Carneal, Joe Garagiola, Curt Gowdy, Ernie Harwell, Milo Hamilton, Jaimie Jarrin, Bob Murphy, Felo Ramirez, Vin Scully, Chuck Thompson, Bob Wolff.
J.G. Taylor Spink Award Winners (Writers-13)
Bob Broeg, Ritter Collett, Joe Durso, Charley Feeney, Jerome Holtzman, Leonard Koppett, Sam Lacy, Jack Lang, Hal Lebovitz, Allen Lewis, Edgar Munzel, Ross Newhan, Bob Stevens.
Former Veterans Committee Members-Unexpired Terms (3)
Ken Coleman, John McHale, Bill White. |
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Players not elected by the writers will be considered only once
every two years, beginning in 2003, and executives, umpires and
managers only once every four years, beginning in 2004. Previously,
Hall of Famers could be chosen from both groups every year.
The changes take affect immediately. But, because the new
Veterans Committee doesn't vote for two years, there's a chance
that no one will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next year if the
writers fail to select any candidates.
The election process was changed not just because some Hall of
Famers complained that less-worthy candidates were being inducted,
but because players deserving of consideration were being dropped
too soon, Hall of Famer Joe Morgan said.
"At the Hall of Fame dinner [Sunday] night, one of the great players said, 'It's becoming too easy to get into the Hall of Fame,'" said Morgan, vice chairman of the hall's board of directors. "This came from the players, and it should be more difficult to get into the Hall of Fame.
"We also felt there should be an appeals process for players
dropped off. This gives them a second look. They have new hope."
Bill Mazeroski's name was not mentioned Monday by Morgan or
other hall officials, but some Hall of Famers -- including Ted
Williams -- were unhappy the fielding whiz was elected this year by
the former Veterans Committee headed by Joe L. Brown. The
Pittsburgh Pirates' general manager throughout Mazeroski's 17-year
Pirates career, Brown will not be on the revamped 90-member
Veterans Committee.
Mazeroski, a career .260 hitter, never received a high
percentage of votes during his 15 years on the writers ballot and
did not begin receiving substantial Veterans Committee
consideration until Brown became chairman.
Another change is that all voting -- not just by the writers, but
by the expanded Veterans Committee -- will be made public.
Previously, a 15-member Veterans Committee elected Hall of Famers
in secret meetings in which the balloting was not revealed.
The changes do not affect the annual balloting by more than 500
members of the Baseball Writers of America Association. They do
include:
The 15-member Veterans Committee composed of five former
players, five media members and five former executives will be
replaced immediately by a 90-member group made up of the living
members of the Hall of Fame (61), the recipients of the J.G. Taylor
Spink award for writers (13), the Ford C. Frick award for
broadcasters (13) and current Veterans Committee members (3) whose
terms have not expired. As a result, two-thirds of the new Veterans
Committee will be Hall of Famers.
Sixty baseball writers will identify 25 candidates for the
players' ballot and 15 for the composite ballot (managers, umpires,
executives). The Hall of Fame board of directors also will appoint
a screening committee of six former Hall of Famers to identify five
candidates for the players' ballot.
All candidates receiving 75 percent of the vote will be
elected, just as in the writers voting.
The special ballots for 19th century players and Negro League
players were dropped. The 19th century players will be folded into
the players ballot that will be drawn up every two years. After a
Hall of Fame-sponsored study of black baseball from 1860-1960 is
completed, the board of directors will determine how Negro League
players will be considered for induction.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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