Hall Of Fame Voting: Time For a Change

It is time to end the farce which is the voting for induction into the Hall Of Fame. The Baseball Writers Association of America has proven incapable of providing a fair, objective representation of the process.

For every writer that perceives this vote as a privilege, there are others that apparently use this platform as a vehicle to exercise their personal agenda. Yes, they are only human, and have earned the right to vote as they see fit. But why should the BBWAA be awarded the only voice.

No solution will be fool proof, but I believe that there is a better alternative. Split the vote between the writers, the managers and coaches, and those who I refer to as the James gang. These are employees of the various statistically based publications.

I'm speaking of the Elias Sports Bureau, Baseball Prospectus, the Fielding Bible, and the other Bill James era organizations.

Allow me to elaborate. There is no argument that the baseball writers, for the most part, deserve the opportunity to vote. The fact that they are joined at the hip to the game, spending the majority of their time among the players and coaches, speaks volumes as to their qualifications. However, they are prone to personal views that are biased, due to personal experience.

The managers and coaches represent the best opportunity to provide an objective, fair minded contribution. The majority of these people, baseball lifers in most cases, are familiar with those up for induction, and would offer a more educated voice than the players, who might not be familiar with the era in which the nominated players participated.

Finally, the James gang is the most qualified to use statistical criteria to determine a player's qualifications. Baseball is a game predicated on numbers, and who better to judge potential members of the HOF than these folks.

Again, no method is perfect, but by dividing the vote between these three factions, at least the opportunity presents itself for a fair opportunity of expression.