add this to Bud Lite's List of Fails (cont'd)

Santo falls short again of Hall of Fame induction

December 8, 2008
BY CHRIS DE LUCA Staff Reporter

LAS VEGAS — Despite a restructured process that was thought to favor him, former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo was again denied entry into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today when the Veterans Committee failed to vote in any of the 10 finalists on the post-1942 ballot.

Santo got the most votes, but fell well short of the 75 percent necessary. He got 39 votes, good for 60.9 percent. Jim Kaat got 38 for 59.4 percent and Tony Oliva got 33 for 51.6 percent. None of the other 10 finalists got more than 50 percent of the vote.

‘‘When our board of directors restructured the Veterans Committee after the 2007 election, it did so with the goal of ensuring the voters — the living Hall of Famers — would review their peers,’’ Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. ‘‘The 10 post-1942 ballot finalists all spent a substantial part of their playing career in the 1960s or the 1970s, and a vast majority of the voters were either actively playing, managing or involved in baseball in those two decades.’’

A sub committee did review a ballot of players who began their careers before 1943 and elected nine-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion Joe Gordon, a second baseman who played for the Yankees and Indians.

Among the players on the post-1942 ballot, Santo was the clear favorite under the revamped system, which cut the field to just 10 names before a final vote. There has been growing pressure on the committee to swing its doors open after gaining the reputation for being hard-liners.

‘‘The process was not redesigned with the goal of necessarily electing someone, but to give everyone on the ballot a very fair chance of earning election through a ballot of their peers,’’ Clark said. ‘‘The vote reinforces the selections of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and maintains the high standards set by the BBWAA. A 75 percent threshold is extremely difficult to attain, but the highly selective process helps ensure that enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame remains the greatest honor in the game.’’

Contacted by the Sun-Times on Sunday, Santo admitted he was anxious.

‘‘Nothing's going to change in my life if I don't get in,’’ he said before the results were announced. ‘‘I believe what I've done in baseball is Hall of Fame, and that would satisfy me immensely. But it's not going to make a difference to [family, friends and fans who have reached out]. They're still going to be around if I don't get in. That's what means a lot to me. ‘‘Am I excited about it? I've been so disappointed. This is my best chance, so don't get me wrong. But I thought I had a great chance [the past two elections].’’

Rounding out the post-1942 ballot were Gil Hodges (28 votes, 43.8 percent), Joe Torre (19, 29.7 percent), Maury Wills (15, 23.4 percent), Luis Tiant (13, 20.3 percent), Vada Pinson (12, 18.8 percent), Al Oliver (9, 14.1 percent), Dick Allen (7, 10.9 percent).

More evidence morons were voting: Dick Allen finishes behind Wills, Pinson & Oliver. His OPS+ is 19th all-time, the same as Willie Mays.
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