Baseball Hall Of Fame Blows The Call Again

The results of this year's balloting for for ex-players haven't been announced yet, but when they are, pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are mortal locks for the Baseball Hall of Fame, Class of 2014.

Today, however, the "Expansion Era Committee" (one of 3 iterations of the old Veterans Committee) released it's non-player inductees:  former managers Tony LaRussa, Joe Torre and Bobby Cox.  These three are rock-solid, if obvious, choices.  No argument here.

But this Committee of 16 former players, executives and historians also blew it big-time.  Their list has two glaring omissions:  George Steinbrenner and Marvin Miller.  With 12 votes needed for election, neither received even six.  Huh?

Steinbrenner was the long-time principal owner of the New York Yankees.  "The Boss" was controversial, egotistical, free-spending, boorish, dictatorial, dishonest, even occasionally criminal.  He changed managers like most of us change socks.  Non-Yankee fans (like me) loved to hate him.  But George Steinbrenner was highly successful.  His teams won championships and his franchise is currently worth $2.3 billion, the most valuable in all of sports.  His impact was huge.  He died in 2010.

Miller was likewise a value-creator.  As its' Executive Director, he turned the MLBPA into the first effective players union.  He ushered in the first collective bargaining agreement, salary arbitration, true free agency and the resulting multi-million dollar player contracts (many offered without hesitation by Steinbrenner).  Miller's work opened the floodgates for massive escalation in broadcast and cable revenue for the teams.  Together with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, Marvin Miller is one of the three most important men in baseball history, and one the most influential figures in all of sports.  He died in 2012.

This is my third mention of Marvin Miller in four years.  The last time he appeared on the ballot, he received 11 votes -- one short of induction.  This time, he inexplicably went backwards.  It's a travesty.

The Hall of Fame loses credibility with this bullshit.  Rod Carew, Carlton Fisk, Joe Morgan, Paul Molitor, Phil Niekro, Frank Robinson, Whitey Herzog and Tommy Lasorda are on the Committee.  The next time they check their bank accounts, they ought to drop to their knees and thank George Steinbrenner and Marvin Miller, and vote correctly the next time.