Lee Smith & Harold Baines??

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Jim65

That already happened when Andre Dawson got in, now the gates will open for other nondeserving players like Dave Parker, Dale Murphy, etc.

Lee Smith opens the door for John Franco and Billy Wagner.

Alan Trammell and especially Jack Morris opened the door for Lee Smith and Harold Baines. The Veteran's Committee had been limiting the number of ex-players, but now seems open to putting in guys that just missed the cut with writers. Look for Ted Simmons, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker or Luis Tiant to be elected next year and Dick Allen, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat or Minnie Minoso to get elected the year after.

You may consider them nondeserving, but the HOF and its voters do not and it has been that way for a long time. Candy Cummings was elected in 1939. Tommy McCarthy was elected in 1946. Ray Schalk was elected in 1955. Lloyd Waner was elected in 1967. Fred Lindstrom was elected in 1976. Rick Ferrell was elected in 1984. The Veteran's Committee has the job of electing players that were over looked by the writers, who for the most part do a good job with Arky Vaughan and Johnny Mize being the only two really bad misses.