The Baseball Hall of Fame veterans committee will meet in a few weeks to elect candidates from the Expansion Era, with results to be announced on Dec. 6.
The two most important off-field figures in modern baseball history will be on the ballot. Is it too much to ask that the one whoâ??s still alive be inducted while he can enjoy it?
George Steinbrenner passed away in July. Heâ??s on the ballot, and the definition of the expansion era (1973-present) coincides perfectly with his time as owner of the Yankees. For better or worse, he was a dominant personality whose aggressive tactics built the perfect big-market empire. Win or lose, he and his team were impossible to ignore.
Thereâ??s no question he belongs in the Hall, and will get there eventually. I would withhold my vote on his first time up, in recognition of his Nixon-era felony plea (later pardoned by Reagan) and his suspension for paying a sleazeball for dirt on one of his own players.
There are no such stains on the record of Marvin Miller. It is a travesty that he has not yet been voted into the Hall of Fame, one that the committee of eight Hall of Fame players and managers, four executives, and four writers should undo at last.
Read Full Article »