You Always Remember Your First Time

[Cowtipper]

It only ever seems to be a flawed system when the guy someone wants in doesn't get in or the outcome someone wants doesn't happen.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It only ever seems to be a flawed system when the guy someone wants in doesn't get in or the outcome someone wants doesn't happen.

Not really. If there are 11 Hank Aarons on the ballot, eleven candidates who clearly belong in the HOF, then it's understandable that one of those eleven might not get inducted, given that each voter may only vote for 10 candidates.

Here's the 1982 HOF vote tallies:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/awar ... 1982.shtml

Nine voters omitted Aaron from their ballots. 45 voters couldn't bring themselves to vote for Frank Robinson.

I wonder why.

[Edgy MD]

There was a very different electorate in 1982. The group has since been pared down considerably. Fewer 98 year olds who haven't written in 25 years.

There were also writers back then who only covered baseball for a short part of their career, but whose BBWAA membership somehow stayed active, even though most of their career might have been on a boxing beat, or restaurants, or dance.

[batmagadanleadoff]

There was a very different electorate in 1982. The group has since been pared down considerably. Fewer 98 year olds who haven't written in 25 years.

There were also writers back then who only covered baseball for a short part of their career, but whose BBWAA membership somehow stayed active, even though most of their career might have been on a boxing beat, or restaurants, or dance.

So what? That doesn't justify excluding Aaron and Robinson from the HOF ballot.

[Edgy MD]

I didn't exclude them. Nor did I justify excluding them.