Monday's Bunts and Boots--Hall of Fame Ballot

At a time when the hot stove remains arctic-like frigid, we can thank the Hall of Fame for providing us with a spot of baseball warmth on a damp winter night in Cooperstown. On Monday, the Hall of Fame released its 2009 ballot, which will be mulled over by the 700-plus members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. It's a strong ballot, but one that will probably only produce two new Hall of Famers by the time that results are announced in early January. Here are a few observations on the ballot:

*A record-low 23 players are featured on this year's ballot. Why so few? I believe that the Hall of Fame's screening committee has become much tougher in recent seasons, making it more difficult for the Mel Halls and the Dion Jameses of the world to make it to the final printed ballot. That's probably a good thing, since so many of the first-time eligible candidates (like Jay Bell, Greg Vaughn, and Dan Plesac, on this year's ballot) already have zero chance of being elected.

*Of the first-time eligibles, only Rickey Henderson has a legitimate chance at election this year--and he will be a slam dunk selection receiving at least 90 per cent of the vote. Henderson has a decent shot at reaching 95 per cent, though some members of the BBWAA may attempt to penalize him for some of the controversial moments in his career, including his chronic lateness for spring training, his Manny Ramirez-like dogging for the Yankees in 1989, and his infamous card-playing episodes with the Mets. But those are relatively minor quibbles on what is clearly an overwhelming Hall of Fame resume.

*If I had a ballot, I'd certainly vote for Henderson; he's both the greatest leadoff man and the most phenomenal base stealer I've ever watched. My ballot would also have check marks next to the names of the following holdover candidates: Alan Trammell (a very good defender at shortstop and an even better hitter), Tim Raines (a poor man's Henderson, but that's still plenty good), Jim Rice (a professional hitter who adapted well to his home park at Fenway), Dale Murphy (at his peak, the game's best player, circa the mid-1980s), and Bert Blyleven (an underrated workhorse and a terrific World Series performer). That's six players in total, more than the two who will be elected (Henderson and Rice), but less than the ten names that can be placed on any single ballot.

*Finally, we all know we're getting old when we see Jesse Orosco's name on the ballot for the first time. It's hard to believe that the ageless Orosco, whose career spanned seemingly centuries, has now been out of baseball for five years. Wasn't he just in someone's spring camp trying to make it as a non-roster reliever? And why would I not be surprised if someone invited him to spring training next year?