Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville
— the mighty HISTORICAL OVERVIEW COMMITTEE has struck out.

Based on Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s “Casey at the bat”

2015: Doc Adams was named to the 2016 Pre-Integration Era ballot but, the Pre-Integration Era Committee fouled it off by coming up two votes short of election. Strike one!

2021: Even after the re-discovery of Doc Adams’ handwritten “Laws of Base Ball”, the Historical Overview Committee did not see fit to name Doc Adams to the 2022 Early Baseball Era ballot. Strike two!

2024: The Historical Overview Committee focused mostly on “recent” recycled candidates, once again not seeing fit to name Doc Adams to the 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballot. Strike three!

Unsurprisingly, the BBWAA-Appointed Historical Overview Committee produced Classic Baseball ballot perfectly fit the Hall of Fame’s desired outcome, that’s for another time.

A person who I highly respect once told me (and I’m paraphrasing) not to get worked up about who is or isn’t elected to the Hall of Fame. and that it’s the Hall of “Fame” not the Hall of “the greatest players or most influential pioneers”.

There re many factors that play a large role in who appears on a ballot and who is inducted and who isn’t. Not all of those are statistics and contributions to the game. Especially, when it comes to the Era Committees. Certain individuals are considered over-and-over-and-over again and continue to appear on ballot-after-ballot-after-ballot even though they don’t come close to receiving the required number of votes for election while other more deserving candidates continue to be overlooked and snubbed.

Yet a baseball pioneer about whom John Thorn, the Official Historian of MLB, said “is baseball’s most important figure not in the Hall of Fame“, has appeared on the ballot only ONE SINGLE time. He was the top-vote getter that year, receiving 10 of the 12 votes required for election at that time.

Subsequently, his hand-written “Laws of Base Ball” were rediscovered. Again, in Thorn’s words, “With the recent discovery of his ‘Laws of Base Ball’” we have tangible primary evidence of his genius. More than anyone else, he created our game of nine innings, nine men, and ninety-foot base paths.”

Doc Adams has been eligible for two ballots since then, the 2022 Early Baseball Era and 2025 Classic Baseball Era ballots, and conspicuously omitted both times. Of course, the Era Committees have been restructured multiple times during that time which has no small impact on Adams chances of ever being receiving the recognition he deserves.

Stay tuned for more reactions.