Geraldine Said:

What 5 current baseball players would you consider voting into the Hall of Fame unanimously? More?

We Answered:

Nice question, my choices:

Roger Clemens
Randy Johnson
Greg Maddux
Mariano Rivera
Pedro Maritinez

Andrea Said:

what do you think should be done to change how voting is done for the baseball hall of fame?

We Answered:

To answer your last question, I feel that voters should have to pick at least two candidates for the hall each year. If they don't wish to then they should be suspended from voting for one season. Voting is A privilege, not A task.The reasons that were given by the 8 (or some of the eight) for not voting was the were protesting the hall and baseball as A whole for the steroid scandal. Basically they were saying that they were fed up with steroid abuse in baseball during that era and didn't cast votes. Which is funny, because I would like to know what pills Tony Gwynn or Cal Ripken took in their career for those voters to snub them. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but there are dozens of eligible players for the hall every year, when A player is not selected his status is still active for A set amount of years. These writers are looking for players with freakishly high numbers (or sweet-talking abilities) and overlooking those who's number were high and respectable for their time.

One way to change the voting is to have managers and players allowed to vote in the same election. (Currently there is A veterans committee of players that vote for A nominee(s) every 2 years. But by allowing the writers, players and managers vote in the same election you could have A more objective look than what you would get from just one side of the spectrum.

Another change they must make is to change the percentage of votes one needs to get into the hall. I believe the number is between 70% - 75% of votes to get in. That is an unfair number seeing how there are so many great players that won't get in because of whatever unjust reasoning on the behalf of these voters.

No voting structure in any sport (or democracy for that matter) will ever be void of all flaws, but baseball has A long way to go to even call it's voting acceptable.

There are more things that could be done, but that is all I could get out of my head at the moment. :):):)

Ana Said:

Will Jeff Kent have to deal with the same thing Jim Rice had to regarding Hall Of Fame voting?

We Answered:

Probably more due to the steroid / hgh / supplement era he was involved in (directly or not remains to be seen, but at this point they are all suspicious, in my opinion anyway)

Jenny Said:

Should sports writers who doubted Jose Canseco be banned from Hall of Fame voting?

We Answered:

absolutely. those moronic idiots should be forever banned from any type of voting. and aroid should be banned from ever getting into the hall of fame

Bernice Said:

If fans could have a vote in Basketball Hall of Fame voting?

We Answered:

Bernard King, one of the most underrated and unappreciated players in NBA history.

Evelyn Said:

How much influence do fans have when it comes to the Veterans Committee hall of fame voting?

We Answered:

Pretty much none at all. If Blyleven finally gets the plaque, it in part will be due to widespread (albeit low-level) fan support and campaigning on his behalf -- but he's still on the BBWAA ballot. So, one supposes, the worthiest amongst the VC candidate population, Santo, has been and will continue to be the acid test for the notion of fan influence, because there has been long-lasting and vocal support for his elevation to Cooperstown.

The VC is again a new beast anyway; the 2003-07 edition elected no one (using a very different means, but achieving the same result, as having no committee at all) and has been dumped, and good riddance. The new VC has four ballots in its portfolio, only one of which has a large electorate. The other three (two test-driven in 2008) have small subcommittees of 16 electors or fewer, and so far have inducted a dubious, borderline lot, bottoming out with the choice of Commissioner Kuhn. So, while this VC respin is sending more work to the minter, it is not necessarily making the Hall a better repository of history.

Given that the 2003-07 VC elected no one, and was largely (not completely) composed of living HOFers who are known to be stingy about handing out more keys, we cannot with any accuracy predict what the 2009 ballot returns will look like -- maybe the living HOF players luuuuv Santo and it was the various Spink or Frick award winning reprobates who were holding him back, and he gets the plaque later this year; or maybe he just is lacking in due respect amongst his ballplaying peers, and his candidacy remains doomed under this electoral methodology.

If Santo gets elected, then fans deserve a li'l bit of credit. But in general our influence is nonexistent.