A Continuing Travesty

The Hall of Fame voting was announced today, and Andre Dawson was the lone player to receive the magic number of 75% for election. Congratulations to The Hawk, and he becomes the 33rd Red Sox player to go to Cooperstown. (Thank you Gordon Edes for the info.)

Here are the top nine vote-getters:

Andre Dawson	420 (77.9%)
Bert Blyleven	400 (74.2%)
Roberto Alomar	397 (73.7%)
Jack Morris	282 (52.3%)
Barry Larkin	278 (51.6%)
Lee Smith	255 (47.3%)
Edgar Martinez	195 (36.2%)
Tim Raines	164 (30.4%)
Mark McGwire	128 (23.7%)

Is it just me or does Mark McGwire get 23% of the vote every year?

It was hysterical listening to Mike "Fatso" Francesa on WFAN after the vote ranting about how Dawson and Barry Larkin aren't Hall of Famers and never should be. He went on about how Don Mattingly would be there if his career hadn't flamed out. I feel like I drop a few IQ points whenever I hear this dimwit go on and on. No wonder Phil Mushnick calls him "The Pope."

But unfortunately, Bert Blyleven was passed over for the 13th time. I won't go on and on here about his Hall of Fame-worthy numbers, but this year's vote was especially galling. Blyleven missed by just five votes, and as it turns out, five voters actually handed in blank ballots.

Those morons should be stripped of their votes for good. (And if all five had abstained and not sent in their ballots, Blyleven would have been elected, as his voting percentage would have gone past 75%. So Bert has every reason to be miffed at these guys.)

I want to hear one of those five (if they have the guts) explain why Dawson, Blyleven, Tim Raines, Lee Smith or Barry Larkin don't merit inclusion. I was surprised Alomar missed, as most people felt he was a sure bet for election this year, but he came up just short, at 73%. I believe he was hurt by the spitting incident in Toronto in the early 1990s, as well as they way career fizzled out in New York, and the fact he was in the tabloids not long ago over an ex-girlfriend. He also wasn't the friendliest guy with the press, so that can't benefit him either.

But Alomar will get in, and probably next year. Blyleven, on the other hand, has just two years left. The fact his numbers continue to grow every year should merit his inclusion next year. But it's still a travesty he's been kept out this long.