[Chris Counts]

I guess it's time for that semi-annual ritual, the Net54 Hall of Fame debate. I'll start things off with my rallying cry, "Go Minnie!" Actually, I'll be happy if any of the players listed get in. But I'm one of those "open the flood gates" guys ...

Eight Players, Two Executives from 1947-’72 Era to Be Considered at Winter Meetings

November 03, 2011

COOPERSTOWN, NY – Eight former major league players and two former executives comprise the 10-name Golden Era ballot to be reviewed and voted upon Dec. 5 at the Baseball Winter Meetings, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum announced today.

Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Allie Reynolds, Ron Santo and Luis Tiant are the candidates for Golden Era Committee consideration for Hall of Fame election for the class of 2012. Bavasi and Finley are included for their contributions as executives, while the other eight are inclusions for their on-field careers. Kaat, Minoso, Oliva and Tiant are living; all other candidates are deceased.

Any candidate to receive votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Golden Era Committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 22, 2012, along with any electees who emerge from the 2012 Baseball Writers' Association of America election, to be announced on Jan. 9.

The 10 Golden Era finalists were selected by the BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee from all eligible candidates among Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players whose most significant career impact was realized during the 1947-72 time period. Eligible candidates include: Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons, who are not on Major League Baseball's ineligible list, and have been retired for 21 or more seasons; and Managers, Umpires and Executives with 10 or more years in baseball.

The Golden Era ballot was determined this fall by the Historical Overview Committee, comprised of 11 veteran historians: Dave Van Dyck (Chicago Tribune); Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun); Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau); Bill Madden (New York Daily News); Ken Nigro, (formerly Baltimore Sun); Jack O'Connell (BBWAA secretary/treasurer); Tracy Ringolsby (FSN Rocky Mountain); Glenn Schwarz (formerly San Francisco Chronicle); Claire Smith (ESPN); and Mark Whicker (Orange County Register).

The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Golden Era ballot features Hall of Fame members Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson, Don Sutton and Billy Williams; major league executives Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Roland Hemond (Diamondbacks), Gene Michael (Yankees), and Al Rosen (retired); along with veteran media members Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell and Dave Van Dyck.