Immortality in the abode of Cooperstown it is one of the most cherished dreams to achieve by a baseball player after hanging the spikes.
A player’s first try is to be selected by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but players with impressive stats in Major League Baseball, like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling y Sammy Sosa, who were not elected to the 2022 ceremonial by baseball writers, have a chance to be eligible to appear on the Veterans Committee ballot. There have been several different iterations of Veterans Committees over the years, but right now there are four: Today’s Game (1988-presente), Modern Baseball (1970-87), Golden Days (1960-79) y Early Baseball (anterior a 1950). In other words, hope is not lost, especially if the patient eats.
Bonds, Clemens, Schilling and Sosa played most of their games after 1987, so they would be on the Today’s Game shortlist, along with the managers, executives and umpires who are also eligible for this 10-person ticket. Veterans Committee votes are usually announced in early November, shortly after the World Series ends.
The benchmark for the election is the same as that of the Baseball Writers Association ballot; players must receive 75 percent of the votes. The Today’s Game committee has 16 members, so a candidate must get at least 12 votes.
Just when you thought you wouldn’t have to hear about Bonds, Clemens, Schilling and Sosa for a while, what a surprise. Today’s Game Era Committee meets in December 2022 to decide who will be part of the Immortals of 2023. Yes, they will also participate in the next cycle. Even if they are not on the ballot, the reasons they were left off will be a matter of discussion.
The Today’s Game Era Committee meets twice every five years. After December 2022, the committee is scheduled to meet again in December 2024, for inclusion in the class of 2025. The Modern Baseball Era Committee will meet in December 2023 and December 2025. The Modern Baseball Era Committee Era of the Golden Days will meet in December 2026. That is the end of the current cycle schedule.
Today’s Game Era Committee last met in December 2019. Lee Smith and Harold Baines were elected; Smith received all 16 votes and Baines received 12. Lou Piniella fell one vote short. and Albert Belle, Joe Carter, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Charlie Manuel and George Steinbrenner received fewer than five votes.
The board of directors of the Hall of Fame is the one that appoints the committee, which “will be composed of 16 members, immortals of the Hall of Fame of Cooperstownexecutives and veteran members of the media.”
Here is the voter list from the December 2019 meeting: Nine Hall of Famers (Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven, Pat Gillick, Tony La Russa, Greg Maddux, Joe Morgan, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith y Joe Torre), four major league executives ( Al Avila, Paul Beeston, Andy MacPhail y Jerry Reinsdorf) and three veteran members of the media/historians (Steve Hirdt, Tim Kurkjian y Claire Smith).
Good luck for the “Group of Four”, because if it’s numbers, they have them for pi-pá.
A DAY LIKE TODAY
In 1949, the superstar of the New York Yankees, Joe DiMaggiosign a one-year contract for US$100,000, becoming the first player to earn a six-figure salary in major league history. In 1948, DiMaggio hit .320, while leading the American League in home runs and RBI.
In 1958, the Dodgers officially become “Los Angeles Dodgers, Inc.” in anticipation of playing his first season on the West Coast.
In 1994, Michael Jordan, NBA star, signs a contract to play with the Chicago White Sox. Jordan will report to spring training before being assigned to the Class-AA Birmingham Barons. After a season in the minors, Jordan will return to the NBA again.
In 2010, the Lions of the Chosen They are the Champions of the 2010 Caribbean Series with a 7-2 win over the Lions of Caracas, from Venezuela. The Chosen One ends the tournament with a 5-1 record and the Mets prospect, the outfielder Fernando Martínez is named MVP of the Series after batting .348 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. It is the third Caribbean championship of the Chosen and the first since 1990.
