whats your HOF philosophy???

[familytoad]

I'm going to set the PED argument aside for a bit and present another voting alternative . The debate in this thread and the other couple concurrent ones is fun to read and you all present your cases eloquently .

My version probably won't be:

While watching them play, I liked all of the 4 new entries just fine. In fact I think Johnson and Martinez were as dominant as any pitchers ever! They rank among the all-time finest considering the hitters era they played in.
The other two were good enough to be in the conversation for HOF, and I am not surprised that they made it. I personally wouldn't have voted for them before Piazza. But that doesn't fit in my new view of the HOF voting! See below:

My radical idea for the HOF is that a candidate is eligible after 5 years retired and he gets voted on with all other players who retired in the same year. You only get one voting year. The electors can vote in a dozen or more guys if they want. But they are either in or not in...if you don't get enough votes that first year, see ya!

You don't suddenly become a better baseball player or more deserving after you have been retired 6 years or 7 years...either you deserve to be a Hall of Fame member when you finish your career or you don't!

I would allow one catch up year to get this started. Vote as many players in from *any* era that the electors think is worthy, but no looking back. If a guy like Jim Kaat (not picking on Kitty) isn't elected in the catch up year, he's just not getting in. Finito,period.

The class of 2017 would consist only of the guys whose last year was 2012.Finito,period.
Then you don't have to worry about whether a guy makes the vote after years of garnering 50% of the vote one year, 60% another, 67% a third time, and finally the cherished 75%. He wasn't any better of a player in year 4 of eligibility than he was in year 1, but grew suddenly popular?
Hogwash!

I also don't think there are too many players overall in the HOF, but they should strongly consider the bronze, silver, gold, platinum levels of excellence to indicate a players' true relevance and fame.
It would be exciting to have new HOF wings, displays built and celebrations for each of the best of the best (posthumous, unfortunately for most, but they could invite the family)

Imagine that George Kelly and Pop Haines stay in the Hall, as Bronze members.
The Babe, Teddy Ballgame, Gehrig and Cobb are among those going platinum! (One or Two platinum winning votes per year amongst all current members. Same with the other levels.)

That could boost up the inauguration ceremony as current members are voted into elite ranks. Hey...Lefty Grove might eventually win gold!

Thoughts?