Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2010
Encyclopedia
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame
for 2010 proceeded according to rules enacted in 2001 and revised in 2007. As always the Baseball Writers Association of America
(BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recent players; one player was elected. In keeping with the 2007 reform, one Veterans Committee
convened to consider a ballot of managers
and umpires
, another to consider a ballot of executives; one manager and one umpire were elected.
A Veterans Committee election to select from older players had been held in the 2009 cycle
. The next election for players whose careers began in 1943 or later was scheduled for the 2011 class of inductees while the next for pre-1943 players was scheduled for the 2014 class.
However, a reform of the Veterans Committee(s) was announced in July 2010. Henceforth long-retired players and all non-playing personnel will be considered on a single ballot, with the ballot restricted by the "Era" in which candidates made their greatest contributions. The next Veterans Committee elections, held in December 2010 as part of the 2011 induction cycle, considered only figures from what the Hall calls the "Expansion Era"—1973 and later. Candidates from the "Golden Era" (1947–1972) will be considered in the balloting for 2012, and candidates from the "Pre-Integration Era" (1871–1946) in the balloting for 2013. Subsequently the same three committee meetings will occur in rotation.
Andre Dawson
, Doug Harvey
, and Whitey Herzog
were selected as members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Results of the 2010 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 6. The ballot consisted of 26 players, including 11 candidates returning from the 2009 ballot (a record low, displacing the previous year's record of 13).
539 ballots were cast (including five ballots which supported no candidates), with 405 votes required for election. A total of 3,057 individual votes were cast, an average of 5.67 per ballot. Those candidates who received less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a †. The candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and was elected is indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics. The candidates who received less than 5% of the vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with a *.
The newly-eligible candidates included 11 All-Stars
, who were selected a combined total of 51 times – a notable decrease from 2009, when 22 All-Stars became eligible. Among the first-ballot candidates were 12-time All-Stars Roberto Alomar
and Barry Larkin
, 7-time All-Star Edgar Martínez
, and 5-time All-Stars Andrés Galarraga
and Fred McGriff
. With respect to major end-of-season awards, the new field contained one Cy Young Award winner (Pat Hentgen
), one MVP (Larkin) and one Rookie of the Year (Eric Karros). Alomar won ten Gold Gloves at second base (the most for any second baseman). Robin Ventura
received six at third base. Larkin holds the record for most Silver Slugger Awards by a shortstop (nine).. Edgar Martínez is tied for the record for most Outstanding Desginated Hitter Awards (with David Ortiz
) at five (the award has since been renamed the Edgar Martinez Award
).
For the first time in the history of BBWAA voting, two players fell shy of election by fewer than 10 votes. Blyleven, on the ballot for the 13th time, fell 5 votes shy; he gained 62 votes from his 2009 total. Alomar fell 8 votes short in his first appearance on the ballot, and received the highest percentage ever for a first-time candidate who was not elected at that time. Both would be elected in .
A Historical Overview Committee of sportswriters appointed by the BBWAA's Board of Directors met to develop a ballot of 10 managers and umpires. The managers/umpires list was then submitted to a panel composed of Hall of Fame members, executives and veteran media members for a final vote. A separate ballot of 10 executives was developed by a panel including executives, players and writers, which was the same committee which finally voted in that area. The final ballots were released in November 2009. Each panel member was allowed to vote for up to four individuals on each ballot, and each candidate who received 75% of the vote from either panel was elected; therefore, a maximum of five inductions were possible from each ballot. Voting was conducted at baseball's winter meetings in Indianapolis
on December 6, 2009, with the results announced the next day; as was the case with the 2008 class of inductees, the Committee met to discuss the candidates, although the previous three elections had been conducted by mail.
In contrast with the 2008 election, voters made less of an effort to vote for as many candidates as they were allowed. While at least 58 of the permitted 64 individual votes were cast in 2008, the number of known individual votes cast in this election was 48 of the possible 64. (Vote totals for the five trailing candidates were announced as "less than 3", or 0 to 2.) Seven of the candidates had been on the preceding ballot in 2008, with Grimm, Kelly, and O'Neill appearing for the first time and umpire Cy Rigler
dropping off the ballot. Four candidates were living when the final results were announced—Harvey (age 79), Herzog (78), Johnson (66), and Kelly (59).
The election committee, which was announced on the same day as the ballot, included:
Of the 16 members of the election committee, 11 voted for the class of 2008. The five new voters were all Hall of Famers—Murray, Roberts, Sandberg, Smith, and 2008 inductee Dick Williams. Because of the changes announced for future elections, this was the last meeting of this particular committee.
Of the ten candidates for election, Doug Harvey and Whitey Herzog received the 75% needed to garner induction.
As with the other committee, voters in this election made less of an effort to vote for as many candidates as allowed than in the 2008 election. The number of individual votes cast went down to a greater degree than in the managers/umpires balloting—only 28 of the possible 48 individual votes were known to have been cast in this election, compared to 44 in the 2008 voting. (Vote totals for the six trailing candidates were announced as "less than 3", or 0 to 2.)
Of the 10 candidates, six (Fetzer, Howsam, Kauffman, McHale, Miller, and Paul) were holdovers from the 2008 ballot. Autry, Breadon, and Ruppert appeared on the ballot for the first time; White, who was on the 2007 composite ballot but was not on the 2008 ballot, returned for 2010. Buzzie Bavasi
, who died in the intervening period, was on the 2008 ballot but not the 2010 ballot. Two candidates were living when the results were announced—Miller, age 92, and White, age 75.
The election committee, which was announced on the same day as the ballot, included:
Of the 12 members of the election committee, eight voted for the class of 2008. The new voters were Hall of Famers Roberts and Seaver, executive Schuerholz, and sportswriter Pepe. As with the managers/umpires voting committee, this was the final meeting for the executives voting committee because of the voting changes announced in July 2010.
Three final candidates, selected by a three-member BBWAA committee, were named on July 14, 2008 at Busch Stadium
in St. Louis
in conjunction with All-Star Game
activities: Bill Madden
, national baseball columnist for the New York Daily News
, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun
and Joe Giuliotti, retired from the Boston Herald
. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to cast ballots in voting conducted by mail in November.
On December 8 at baseball's winter meetings, Madden was announced as the recipient. Madden, who started his career in 1969 with United Press International
before joining the Daily News in 1978, received 226 votes out of the 452 ballots cast, with Elliott receiving 149 votes and Giuliotti receiving 76; one blank ballot was submitted.
has been presented at the induction ceremonies annually since 1978 to a broadcaster. Recipients are not considered to be members of the Hall, but are permanently recognized in an exhibit at the museum. After the 2007 changes to the Veterans Committee, the winner (if living) is no longer an automatic member of that body. To be eligible, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, a network, or a combination of the two.
Ten finalists were announced in January 2010. In accordance with guidelines established in 2003, seven were chosen by a committee composed of the living recipients, along with additional broadcasting historians and columnists. Three additional candidates were selected from a list of candidates through results of voting by fans conducted in December 2009 on the Hall's Facebook
page. The recipient was announced in February following a vote by the same committee which selected the first group of finalists. They based the selection on the following criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series
and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans.
Jon Miller
, radio announcer for the San Francisco Giants
, television play-by-play announcer for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and regular-season and postseason announcer on ESPN Radio
, was announced as the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award winner on February 2, 2010. Beginning his career in 1974 with the Oakland Athletics
, he is best known for his radio work with the Baltimore Orioles
from 1983 through 1996, and the Giants from 1997 to the present. Before joining ESPN in 1990, he worked with NBC from 1986 through 1989. He also worked with The Baseball Network
.
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
for 2010 proceeded according to rules enacted in 2001 and revised in 2007. As always the Baseball Writers Association of America
Baseball Writers Association of America
The Baseball Writers' Association of America is a professional association for baseball journalists writing for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying Web sites. The BBWAA was founded on October 14, 1908, to improve working conditions for sportswriters in the early part of the 20th century...
(BBWAA) voted by mail to select from a ballot of recent players; one player was elected. In keeping with the 2007 reform, one Veterans Committee
Veterans Committee
The Veterans Committee is the popular name of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Committee to Consider Managers, Umpires, Executives and Long-Retired Players, a committee of the U.S...
convened to consider a ballot of managers
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
and umpires
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
, another to consider a ballot of executives; one manager and one umpire were elected.
A Veterans Committee election to select from older players had been held in the 2009 cycle
Baseball Hall of Fame balloting, 2009
Elections to the Baseball Hall of Fame for 2009 proceeded according to revised rules enacted in 2001 and further revamped in 2007. The Baseball Writers Association of America held an election to select from among recent players...
. The next election for players whose careers began in 1943 or later was scheduled for the 2011 class of inductees while the next for pre-1943 players was scheduled for the 2014 class.
However, a reform of the Veterans Committee(s) was announced in July 2010. Henceforth long-retired players and all non-playing personnel will be considered on a single ballot, with the ballot restricted by the "Era" in which candidates made their greatest contributions. The next Veterans Committee elections, held in December 2010 as part of the 2011 induction cycle, considered only figures from what the Hall calls the "Expansion Era"—1973 and later. Candidates from the "Golden Era" (1947–1972) will be considered in the balloting for 2012, and candidates from the "Pre-Integration Era" (1871–1946) in the balloting for 2013. Subsequently the same three committee meetings will occur in rotation.
Andre Dawson
Andre Dawson
Andre Nolan Dawson , nicknamed "The Hawk", is an American former center fielder and right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different teams, spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs .An 8-time National League All-Star, he was named the...
, Doug Harvey
Doug Harvey (umpire)
Harold Douglas Harvey is a former umpire in Major League Baseball, who worked in the National League from 1962 through 1992. Noted for his authoritative command of baseball rules, he earned the tongue in cheek nickname "God" from players, and was among the last major league umpires who never...
, and Whitey Herzog
Whitey Herzog
Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" Herzog is a former Major League Baseball manager. Born in New Athens, Illinois, he made his debut as a player in 1956 with the Washington Senators. After his playing career ended in 1963, Herzog went on to perform a variety of roles in Major League Baseball, including...
were selected as members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
BBWAA election
The BBWAA was again authorized to elect players active in 1990 or later, but not after 2004; the ballot included candidates from the 2009 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 2004. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to voteResults of the 2010 election by the BBWAA were announced on January 6. The ballot consisted of 26 players, including 11 candidates returning from the 2009 ballot (a record low, displacing the previous year's record of 13).
539 ballots were cast (including five ballots which supported no candidates), with 405 votes required for election. A total of 3,057 individual votes were cast, an average of 5.67 per ballot. Those candidates who received less than 5% of the vote will not appear on future BBWAA ballots, but may eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.
Candidates who were eligible for the first time are indicated here with a †. The candidate who received at least 75% of the vote and was elected is indicated in bold italics; candidates who have since been selected in subsequent elections are indicated in italics. The candidates who received less than 5% of the vote, thus becoming ineligible for future BBWAA consideration, are indicated with a *.
| Elected to the Hall. These individuals are also indicated in bold italics. | |
| Players who were elected in future elections. These individuals are also indicated in plain italics. | |
| Players not yet elected who returned on the 2011 ballot. | |
| Eliminated from future BBWAA voting. These individuals remain eligible for future Veterans Committee consideration. |
|
The newly-eligible candidates included 11 All-Stars
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
, who were selected a combined total of 51 times – a notable decrease from 2009, when 22 All-Stars became eligible. Among the first-ballot candidates were 12-time All-Stars Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player , regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second...
and Barry Larkin
Barry Larkin
Barry Louis Larkin is a retired Major League Baseball player. Larkin played shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds from 1986 to 2004 and was one of the pivotal players on the 1990 Reds' World Series championship team...
, 7-time All-Star Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
, and 5-time All-Stars Andrés Galarraga
Andrés Galarraga
Andrés José Padovani Galarraga is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Montreal Expos , St. Louis Cardinals , Colorado Rockies , Atlanta Braves , Texas Rangers , San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels...
and Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
. With respect to major end-of-season awards, the new field contained one Cy Young Award winner (Pat Hentgen
Pat Hentgen
Patrick George Hentgen is a former Major League Baseball player. Hentgen was a right-handed starting pitcher in the major leagues and a Cy Young Award winner in...
), one MVP (Larkin) and one Rookie of the Year (Eric Karros). Alomar won ten Gold Gloves at second base (the most for any second baseman). Robin Ventura
Robin Ventura
Robin Mark Ventura is the current manager of the Chicago White Sox. He is a former professional baseball player, a third baseman who played for four major league teams, most notably for the Chicago White Sox...
received six at third base. Larkin holds the record for most Silver Slugger Awards by a shortstop (nine).. Edgar Martínez is tied for the record for most Outstanding Desginated Hitter Awards (with David Ortiz
David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias , known as David Ortiz, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican American professional baseball player who is currently a free agent. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox...
) at five (the award has since been renamed the Edgar Martinez Award
Edgar Martinez Award
The Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, commonly referred to as the Edgar Martínez Award and originally known as the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in the American League in Major League Baseball since 1973...
).
For the first time in the history of BBWAA voting, two players fell shy of election by fewer than 10 votes. Blyleven, on the ballot for the 13th time, fell 5 votes shy; he gained 62 votes from his 2009 total. Alomar fell 8 votes short in his first appearance on the ballot, and received the highest percentage ever for a first-time candidate who was not elected at that time. Both would be elected in .
Veterans Committee elections
The Veterans Committee election process was revised in July 2007. With the 2007 rules changes, the composite ballot was split into two separate ballots—one for managers and umpires and the other for executives. Also, the voting membership of the Committee, which previously included all living members of the Hall, was reduced to include just a handful of those members, plus additional executives and sportswriters. Voting for both the managers/umpires and executives ballots, which now takes place prior to inductions in even-numbered years, began with the 2008 class of inductees, when two managers and three executives were elected. To be eligible, managers and umpires must be retired for at least five years, or for at least six months if they are age 65 or older, while executives must be either retired or at least age 65.A Historical Overview Committee of sportswriters appointed by the BBWAA's Board of Directors met to develop a ballot of 10 managers and umpires. The managers/umpires list was then submitted to a panel composed of Hall of Fame members, executives and veteran media members for a final vote. A separate ballot of 10 executives was developed by a panel including executives, players and writers, which was the same committee which finally voted in that area. The final ballots were released in November 2009. Each panel member was allowed to vote for up to four individuals on each ballot, and each candidate who received 75% of the vote from either panel was elected; therefore, a maximum of five inductions were possible from each ballot. Voting was conducted at baseball's winter meetings in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
on December 6, 2009, with the results announced the next day; as was the case with the 2008 class of inductees, the Committee met to discuss the candidates, although the previous three elections had been conducted by mail.
Managers/umpires ballot
The ballot for managers and umpires included eight managers (designated M) and two umpires (designated U), with 12 votes required for election. Candidates who received at least 75% of the vote were elected. Those that were inducted are indicated in bold italics.
|
In contrast with the 2008 election, voters made less of an effort to vote for as many candidates as they were allowed. While at least 58 of the permitted 64 individual votes were cast in 2008, the number of known individual votes cast in this election was 48 of the possible 64. (Vote totals for the five trailing candidates were announced as "less than 3", or 0 to 2.) Seven of the candidates had been on the preceding ballot in 2008, with Grimm, Kelly, and O'Neill appearing for the first time and umpire Cy Rigler
Cy Rigler
Charles "Cy" Rigler was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the National League from 1906 to 1935. His total of 4,144 games ranked fourth in major league history when he retired, and his 2,468 games as a plate umpire still place him third behind his NL contemporaries Bill...
dropping off the ballot. Four candidates were living when the final results were announced—Harvey (age 79), Herzog (78), Johnson (66), and Kelly (59).
The election committee, which was announced on the same day as the ballot, included:
- Hall of Famers: Jim BunningJim BunningJames Paul David "Jim" Bunning is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and politician.During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1955 to 1971, most notably with the Detroit Tigers and the Philadelphia Phillies. When he retired, he had the second-highest total of career...
, Tommy LasordaTommy LasordaThomas Charles Lasorda is a former Major League baseball player and manager. marked his sixth decade in one capacity or another with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers organization, the longest non-continuous tenure anyone has had with the team, edging Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully...
, Eddie MurrayEddie MurrayEddie Clarence Murray , nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He was known as one of the most reliable and productive hitters of his era. Murray is regarded as one of the best switch hitters ever to play the game...
, Phil NiekroPhil NiekroPhilip Henry Niekro , nicknamed "Knucksie" because of his usage and skill level with the knuckleball, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997....
, Tony PérezTony PérezAtanasio Pérez Rigal , more commonly known as Tony Pérez, is a former Major League Baseball player. He was also known by the nickname "Big Dog," "Big Doggie," and "Doggie."...
, Robin Roberts, Ryne SandbergRyne SandbergRyne Dee Sandberg , nicknamed "Ryno" is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. During a 16-year baseball career, he played from 1981–1994 and 1996–97, spending nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named after relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best...
, Ozzie SmithOzzie SmithOsborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...
, Billy Williams, Dick WilliamsDick WilliamsRichard Hirschfeld "Dick" Williams was an American left fielder, third baseman, manager, coach and front office consultant in Major League Baseball. Known especially as a hard-driving, sharp-tongued manager from 1967–69 and 1971–88, he led teams to three American League pennants, one National... - Executives: Jim FreyJim FreyJames Gottfried Frey is a former manager and coach in Major League Baseball. He led the Kansas City Royals to their first American League championship in 1980, in his first year with the team...
, Roland HemondRoland HemondRoland Hemond is a longtime executive in Major League Baseball who in 2007 returned to the Arizona Diamondbacks as Special Assistant to the President, Derrick Hall...
, Bob Watson - Media: Tim KurkjianTim KurkjianTim Kurkjian is a Major League Baseball analyst on ESPN's Baseball Tonight and SportsCenter. He is also a contributor to ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com. He guests on Mike and Mike in the Morning on Thursdays at 7:44 AM, discussing the latest in happenings in Major League Baseball...
, Jack O'Connell, Tom VerducciTom VerducciTom Verducci is an American sportswriter who is currently writing for Sports Illustrated and its online magazine SI.com. He writes primarily about baseball. He is also a field reporter for the MLB postseason on TBS...
Of the 16 members of the election committee, 11 voted for the class of 2008. The five new voters were all Hall of Famers—Murray, Roberts, Sandberg, Smith, and 2008 inductee Dick Williams. Because of the changes announced for future elections, this was the last meeting of this particular committee.
Of the ten candidates for election, Doug Harvey and Whitey Herzog received the 75% needed to garner induction.
Executives ballot
On the executives ballot, 9 votes were required for election; no candidates were elected.
|
As with the other committee, voters in this election made less of an effort to vote for as many candidates as allowed than in the 2008 election. The number of individual votes cast went down to a greater degree than in the managers/umpires balloting—only 28 of the possible 48 individual votes were known to have been cast in this election, compared to 44 in the 2008 voting. (Vote totals for the six trailing candidates were announced as "less than 3", or 0 to 2.)
Of the 10 candidates, six (Fetzer, Howsam, Kauffman, McHale, Miller, and Paul) were holdovers from the 2008 ballot. Autry, Breadon, and Ruppert appeared on the ballot for the first time; White, who was on the 2007 composite ballot but was not on the 2008 ballot, returned for 2010. Buzzie Bavasi
Buzzie Bavasi
Emil Joseph "Buzzie" Bavasi was an American executive in Major League Baseball who played a major role in the operation of three franchises from the late 1940s through the mid-1980s....
, who died in the intervening period, was on the 2008 ballot but not the 2010 ballot. Two candidates were living when the results were announced—Miller, age 92, and White, age 75.
The election committee, which was announced on the same day as the ballot, included:
- Hall of Famers: Robin Roberts, Tom SeaverTom SeaverGeorge Thomas "Tom" Seaver , nicknamed "Tom Terrific" and "The Franchise", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He pitched from 1967-1986 for four different teams in his career, but is noted primarily for his time with the New York Mets...
- Executives:
- Retired: John HarringtonJohn Harrington (Red Sox CEO)John L. Harrington is an American business manager. He was the CEO of the Boston Red Sox.-Early life and career:He graduated from Boston College in 1957, and received his MBA from Boston College in 1966. After college, he was an officer in the U.S. Navy, then worked for both the General Accounting...
- Active: Jerry Bell, Bill DeWittWilliam DeWitt, Jr.William O. DeWitt, Jr. is an American businessman and currently the managing partner and chairman of the St. Louis Cardinals. He served on the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board during the George W...
, Bill GilesBill Giles (baseball)William Yale Giles is the chairman and part owner of Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies.-Personal:He is the son of former National League president Warren Giles...
, David Glass, Andy MacPhailAndy MacPhailAndy MacPhail is the former president of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles. He was the president/CEO of the National League Chicago Cubs from September 9, 1994 until October 1, 2006...
, John SchuerholzJohn SchuerholzJohn Schuerholz is the President of the Atlanta Braves of the National League. Before joining Atlanta, he spent twenty-two years with the Kansas City Royals organization, including nine as the club's General Manager. Among the teams he has built are the 1985 Royals and 1995 Braves, both world...
- Retired: John Harrington
- Media: Rick HummelRick HummelRick Hummel is a St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist. He received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for baseball writing in 2007. He was formerly married to Connie Karr, who was subsequently killed in the Kirkwood City Council shooting. They have a daughter, Lauren.-External links:*...
, Hal McCoyHal McCoyHal McCoy is the Cincinnati Reds writer at FOXSportsOhio.com and a former beat writer for the Dayton Daily News , covering the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. He was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002 as the winner of the J. G...
, Phil Pepe
Of the 12 members of the election committee, eight voted for the class of 2008. The new voters were Hall of Famers Roberts and Seaver, executive Schuerholz, and sportswriter Pepe. As with the managers/umpires voting committee, this was the final meeting for the executives voting committee because of the voting changes announced in July 2010.
J. G. Taylor Spink Award
The J. G. Taylor Spink Award has been presented by the BBWAA at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1962. It recognizes a sportswriter "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing". The recipients are not members of the Hall of the Fame, but instead are featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum.Three final candidates, selected by a three-member BBWAA committee, were named on July 14, 2008 at Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium
Busch Stadium is the home of the St. Louis Cardinals, of MLB...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in conjunction with All-Star Game
2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 80th midseason exhibition between the all-stars of the American League and the National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 14, 2009, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, the home of the...
activities: Bill Madden
Bill Madden (sportswriter)
Bill Madden is an American sportswriter for the New York Daily News. A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America, he has served on the Historical Overview Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, 2007 and 2008, helping to select candidates for the final ballots presented to the...
, national baseball columnist for the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun
Toronto Sun
The Toronto Sun is an English-language daily tabloid newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its daily Sunshine Girl feature and for what it sees as a populist conservative editorial stance.-History:...
and Joe Giuliotti, retired from the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to cast ballots in voting conducted by mail in November.
On December 8 at baseball's winter meetings, Madden was announced as the recipient. Madden, who started his career in 1969 with United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
before joining the Daily News in 1978, received 226 votes out of the 452 ballots cast, with Elliott receiving 149 votes and Giuliotti receiving 76; one blank ballot was submitted.
Ford C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick AwardFord C. Frick Award
The Ford C. Frick Award is presented annually by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the United States to a broadcaster for "major contributions to baseball." It is named for Ford Christopher Frick, former Commissioner of Major League Baseball...
has been presented at the induction ceremonies annually since 1978 to a broadcaster. Recipients are not considered to be members of the Hall, but are permanently recognized in an exhibit at the museum. After the 2007 changes to the Veterans Committee, the winner (if living) is no longer an automatic member of that body. To be eligible, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, a network, or a combination of the two.
Ten finalists were announced in January 2010. In accordance with guidelines established in 2003, seven were chosen by a committee composed of the living recipients, along with additional broadcasting historians and columnists. Three additional candidates were selected from a list of candidates through results of voting by fans conducted in December 2009 on the Hall's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page. The recipient was announced in February following a vote by the same committee which selected the first group of finalists. They based the selection on the following criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans.
Jon Miller
Jon Miller
Jon Wallace Miller is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. He is currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball announcer on ESPN until the network chose not to renew his contract following the...
, radio announcer for the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, television play-by-play announcer for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball and regular-season and postseason announcer on ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
, was announced as the 2010 Ford C. Frick Award winner on February 2, 2010. Beginning his career in 1974 with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
, he is best known for his radio work with the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
from 1983 through 1996, and the Giants from 1997 to the present. Before joining ESPN in 1990, he worked with NBC from 1986 through 1989. He also worked with The Baseball Network
The Baseball Network
The Baseball Network was a short-lived television broadcasting joint venture between ABC, NBC, and Major League Baseball. Under the arrangement, beginning in the 1994 season, the league produced its own in-house telecasts of games, which were then brokered to air on ABC and NBC...
.