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The Baseball Hall of Fame has issued a ballot of 27 players as well as a 15-person "composite" ballot of owners, umpires, and other officials.
The players are: Dick Allen, Bobby Bonds, Ken Boyer, Rocky Colavito, Wes Ferrell, Curt Flood, Joe Gordon, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, Mickey Lolich, Sparky Lyle, Marty Martion, Roger Maris, Carl Mays, Minnie Minoso, Thurman Munson, Don Newcombe, Lefty O'Doul, Tony Oliva, Al Oliver, Vada Pinson, Ron Santo, Luis Tiant, Joe Torre, Cecil Travis, Mickey Vernon, and Maury Wills.
The composite ballot consists of: Buzzie Bavasi, August Busch Jr., Harry Dalton, Charlie Finley, Doug Harvey, Whitey Herzog, Bowie Kuhn, Billy Martin, Marvin Miller, Walter O'Malley, Gabe Paul, Paul Richards, Bill White, Dick Williams, and Phillip Wrigley.
To gain inducation, a candidate needs to gain 75% of the votes from the electors, who are the living members of the Hall of Fame plus recipients of the Ford C. Frick Award (for broadcasters) and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award (for writers). There are 84 men in that group (there is also one member of the old Veterans Committee who gets a vote because his term hadn't expired, John McHale.)
The previous two times this system had been used, no one was chosen. Gil Hodges and Ron Santo have come the closest. Joe Torre was nominated for his playing days, not his managing days, which are obviously ongoing.
Marvin Miller is the other no-doubt no brainer in the group. I bet he'd have a fantastic speech - I only hope they don't wait to elect him until he's dead because they're afraid of what he would say.
Education by induction?
And I'd use the term "living members" loosely based on their voting habits. I'm guessing that unless the party machine gets them to the polls, they'll just sit in the room drooling at the TV.
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