Tag Archives: HOF Ballot

Early Baseball Era Committee Members

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No words… none at all. The 16-member Hall of Fame Board-appointed electorate charged with the review of the Early Baseball Era features Hall of Fame members Bert Blyleven, Fergie Jenkins, John Schuerholz, Ozzie Smith and Joe Torre; major league executives Bill DeWitt, Ken Kendrick and Tony Reagins; and veteran media members/historians Gary Ashwill, Adrian Burgos Jr., Leslie Heaphy, Jim Henneman, Justice Hill, Steve Hirdt, Rick Hummel and John Thorn. “Golden Days Era Committee, Early Baseball Era Committee Ballots To Be Considered Dec. 5 “, BaseballHall.org

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2016 Hall Of Fame Flashback

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Since some folks have forgotten, so just wanted to share what the National Baseball Hall of Fame was saying in 2016. A talented player in baseball’s earliest days who became a pioneering force on a multitude of fronts in baseball’s nascent years. Adams, who became a member of the famed Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845, helped standardize the game’s tools and contributed to the establishment of the shortstop position. “2016 Pre-Integration Committee Candidates“, BaseballHall.org In the mid-19th century, Doc Adams was first introduced to “base ball,” a sporting activity with rules and regulations that varied from team to team. … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Left Off Early Baseball Era Ballot

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As we waited with great anticipation for this year’s Early Baseball Era Committee vote, we were dumbfounded to hear that the “Special” Early Baseball Overview Committee inexplicably left Doc Adams off the 2022 ballot. Let’s revisit the undisputed facts about Adams’s contributions and accomplishments: Elected Vice-President of the Knickerbockers, and President in ’47-’49, ’56, ’57 and ’61, served as a director in other years. Created the position of shortstop and was the first to occupy it. Personally made the balls and oversaw the making of bats, for the Knickerbockers and later for other NYC clubs, to standardize the game’s equipment. … Continue reading →

Jay Jaffe Of FanGraphs On The Early Baseball Ballot

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Jay Jaffe, a supporter of Doc Adams who was quoted in Sports Illustrated saying, ” if he’s good enough for John Thorn, he ought to be good enough for Cooperstown” was as surprised as the rest of us by Adams’ mysterious omission from the 2022 Early Baseball Era ballot. As with any Era Committee ballot, a few omissions inevitably stand out. First and foremost for the Early Baseball group is that of Doc Adams, a pioneer who on the 2016 ballot led all candidates with 10 out of 16 votes. No less an authority than MLB official historian John Thorn … Continue reading →

Special Early Baseball Overview Committee Convened

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Here’s an update (excerpt) on the Special Early Baseball Overview Committee – the committee that establishes the ballot of 10 finalists to be considered for the Hall of Fame Class of 2022. Both the Early Baseball Era Committee, which will consider candidates whose greatest contributions to the game came prior to 1950, and the Golden Days Era Committee (1950-69) will meet for the first time at the 2021 Winter Meetings — with players from the Negro Leagues expected to be included on the ballots. The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors has convened a group of five distinguished … Continue reading →

6 Years Ago Doc Adams Appeared On Hall Of Fame Ballot For The 1st Time

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On October 5, 2015, Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams appeared on a Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, 153 years after he retired from the Knickerbockers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced Doc Adams as one of the 10 candidates on the 2016 Pre-integration Era ballot. This marked a major milestone on the road to recognizing Doc Adams with induction as a member of the Hall of Fame. Doc Adams has been dead since 1899; he is too well versed in the art of patience. John Thorn, Official Historian of Major League Baseball For a more detailed announcement … Continue reading →

The Countdown Resumes

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We were this close last year when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Early Baseball Era Committee election was postponed for a year. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that it was delaying the Era Committee Elections scheduled for the 2020 Meetings until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Doc Adams had to wait another year for an opportunity to appear on a ballot. This was the second delay to Doc Adams’ second chance at being honored with election into the Hall. Doc waited 153 years before appearing for the first time on a ballot in 2015 … Continue reading →

Hoping The Homework Gets Done

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Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs makes a great point. Subsequent to the vote, his “Laws of Base Ball” resurfaced and sold for over $3/25 million. This compelling artifact surely establishes that Daniel Lucius ‘Doc’ Adams is unequivocally a key Founding Father of baseball. Coming up merely 2 votes short of election in the 2015 Pre-Integration Era Committee balloting, it would seem that this evidence, written in Doc’s own hand, should convince ALL of the members of the Early Baseball Era Committee, that Doc deserves to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That is assuming the Committee does their homework. … Continue reading →

Election Opportunity Delayed Again

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Today, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced that it is delaying the Era Committee Elections scheduled for the 2020 Meetings until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Doc Adams will have to wait another year for an opportunity to appear on a ballot. This again delays Doc Adams next chance at being honored with election into the Hall. Doc waited 153 years before appearing for the first time on a ballot in 2015 (Pre-integration Era Committee). After falling 2 votes short of election, he would have been eligible again in 2018. However, the Hall revised it’s Era … Continue reading →

Doc Adams Finally Appears On Hall of Fame Ballot But Falls 2 Votes Short

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On December 7, 2015,  the Pre-integration Era Committee announced the results of the voting on the 10 candidates on the 2016 ballot at the MLB Winter Meetings. Candidates needed to receive 12 of 16 votes (75%) for election. The committee failed to elect any one of the 10 candidates. Doc Adams received the highest vote total,  just 2 shy of the required votes required for election. This was Doc’s first time appearing on a Hall of Fame ballot. Although he was not elected THIS time, being the top vote getter, so close to election, was a major accomplishment. As recently as … Continue reading →