Veterans Committee 12 finalists

[mr2686]

I haven't seen anything about this so if this is a duplicate, sorry. Looks like the Veterans Committee will be voting on 12 finalists for the Hall of Fame for players with post 1972 contributions with an announcement on Dec 6th. The Finalists are:


Vida Blue
Dave Concepción
Steve Garvey
Pat Gillick
Ron Guidry
Tommy John
Billy Martin
Marvin Miller
Al Oliver
Ted Simmons
Rusty Staub
George Steinbrenner

Any thoughts on the list, either who's on it or who's missing?

[Big Six]

Steinbrenner, Martin, Miller and Simmons in that order. With the exception of Simmons, most folks either L.O.V.E. or H.A.T.E. these guys making it really tough for them to get in. As for Simmons, no one realizes how good he was so he may not get the votes for the opposite reason...A.P.A.T.H.Y. Should be interesting to see final vote, though...

[Chris Counts]

I really hope Steinbrenner doesn't get in. If he wasn't ridiculously rich, would his name even be in the discussion? Miller certainly deserves it for his dramatic impact on the game, and I have a soft spot for Billy Martin, but he's definitely a borderline case. There are better candidates (Minnie Minoso, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, Ron Santo, etc.) who have been waiting far longer than these guys, but the Hall of Fame's illogical system puts them another ballot ...

[bigtrain]

I think Miller, Steinbrenner, Martin and Gillick will all be in eventually. I am sure that Reinsdorf and McPhail will argue against Miller but obviously his influence on the sport was substantial. Of the players, I like Simmons because there are not many catchers in. His defense wasn't great but he was a heck of a hitter. I would not favor Concepcion but with Perez and Bench on the committee he might have a shot.

[bigtrain]

I agree with Chris in not liking this new system of voting, mainly because Santo and others have to wait two more years. Having Ted Simmons on this years ballot raises a question for me because I have always felt that Joe Torre should have gotten in as a player. That's because I had a Torre catcher's mitt as a kid and think of him as primarily a catcher even though he played less than half his games at that position.

[barrysloate]

Marvin Miller is 93 and won't be around forever. I hope MLB has enough class to vote him in while he is alive to enjoy it. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Chris Counts]

What's really sad about Miller's situation is that Bowie Kuhn has already been inducted. A very good case could be made that Kuhn's ineptitude helped Miller successfully establish the concept of free agency. Miller clearly ran circles around Kuhn. But baseball seems to have a tradition of putting commissioners in the Hall of Fame, regardless of their competence. I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before there is a call for Bud's induction, which would truly be a shame. There are already too many suits, and not enough flannels, in Cooperstown ...

[D. Bergin]

Of the players I'd have no problem with Ted Simmons, Steve Garvey or Al Oliver getting in.

I'll leave it to others to decide about the suits.