A quick update for a Tuesday afternoon:
First off, voting closed Sunday night for my project on the 25 most important people in baseball history. Thanks to the 262 people who voted! I’m excited to share the voting results and will unveil them next Monday. I want to take my time writing between now and then to do this project justice. I’ll try to get a couple regular posts up in the interim, though I’m not promising anything in-depth.
On a related note, as some may know, I do an annual project having people vote on the 50 best baseball players not in the Hall of Fame. I’ve done this project for four years now and it’s always been a December-January thing. I’ve done it at this time because interest in Cooperstown spikes between the time the Veterans Committee announces its inductees in December and when the Baseball Writers Association of America does likewise in January.
That being said, I’ve decided to do something different this year. Because I do not want to burden people who just voted in my project on the 25 most important people in baseball history by asking them to immediately fill out another ballot, I’m pushing my project on the 50 best players not in the Hall of Fame out at least a few months. Ideally, I’d like it to run in late July, when interest in Cooperstown peaks during the annual induction weekend.
I may ask for votes a few months before July, though, as I’m interested in doing the next version of my Hall of Fame project as a book. That’s right. I’m 31, I’ve never written a book, and I know I have one in me. I also think I’ve maybe taken my Hall of Fame project as far as I want to in blog form. I’m eager to explore the creative possibilities that doing my project as a book may allow. I also believe in continuing to give myself challenges and growing. It’s an important part of life, not just for writers.
I’m posting all of this here as an explanation to anyone who was looking forward to voting in a month [eight people have voted all four years of my project; dozens of others have voted two or three years.] I also want to invite anyone interested in helping me plan a book. I know I’m going to need a lot of help for this thing to be a success.
If you need some illustration help with your book just let me know. I’m a huge sports fan and have done a lot of sports illustration in my career.
Awesome, thanks Tim.
Don’t worry about being 31 and no book. Some of my co-workers are saying there’s a book in me after I finally shared a few short essays. I’m 34, why did I wait so long? How long before I get it all together. Stupid employment.
I hope you come out with this book, Graham. I’d buy it, proudly. I enjoy your baseball writing.
Graham, I have worked as a professional editor off and on for over 30 years. If I can help you with this project in an editing capacity please let me know. I would enjoy helping out.
Thanks, Graham ……. I appreciated the opportunity to vote for the 25 most influential people in baseball history and I enjoyed seeing the results. I was just wondering if there was a list of the top ten (or twenty) best players who only played for one team throughout their careers. Also, I have tried to find the names of all the black players before 1960, but I’ve found the going difficult…..is there a place to look ?
Finally, just curious, how many of the 262 voters were women ?
Thanks, again …. Paul Plater