My research to make more Veterans Committee ballots available online continues.
I now have ballots for the eight Veterans Committee elections between 1953, when the modern version of the committee debuted, and 1964. Rather than post another long table that overlaps a bit with yesterday’s post, I’m just going to offer a link to a Google doc where I’m compiling my findings.
A few things:
- My source for all the ballots thus far has been archives for The Sporting News, accessible for all SABR members via the Paper of Record service listed at SABR.org/research. If anyone wants a quick crash course on how to use The Sporting News archives, I’m happy to offer it. I encountered a slight learning curve.
- I found 133 players, executives and umpires on Veterans Committee ballots between 1953 and 1964, with 59 now in the Hall of Fame.
- The ballots may be incomplete. I found ballots for the 1955 and 1957 elections when Hall of Fame secretary Paul Kerr said nominations would be accepted until the time of the Veterans Committee meetings.
- I haven’t found full voting results for any older ballot– they’re typically listed in news accounts for contemporary Veterans ballots, such as the most recent one— though I’ve seen top finishers listed. Forgotten candidates like Jack Coombs and Lefty O’Doul each came close to induction on at least one ballot.
- It amazed me to see some of the players on these ballots, long before Baseball-Reference.com or the 1969 publication of The Baseball Encyclopedia. Deacon White makes multiple appearances. So do Jack Glasscock, Jimmy Ryan and other 19th century stars who would seemingly be forgotten at this juncture in baseball history.
Anyhow, I’ll keep posting Veterans Committee ballots as I find them. If anyone wants to join in my efforts, I’m happy to give full credit.
Let’s get more of these ballots publicly accessible.
First let me say your information is fantasThat said most of us know that quite a few of the real oldtimers just dont have the stats to be in todays Hall of Fame
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the kind feedback.
As to the second part of your comment, I think that’s a fairly sweeping generalization and represents how some people feel, though certainly not all. I think a number of 19th century players from Bob Caruthers to Harry Stovey to Jack Glasscock merit induction and that some people 50-60 years ago felt the same.
To me, it’s not so much that older players don’t have the numbers or credentials to get in, but more that the Hall of Fame needs a long, long time to honor some players. We’re talking decades. It’s been this way since the first vote in 1936, and it’s why the Hall of Fame needs and will probably always need special committees to honor players the BBWAA doesn’t induct.
Anyhow, thanks again and talk to you later.
Graham
Graham, you undoubtedly know that SABR has a special 19th Century Committee that was instrumental in getting Deacon White , elected in 2013. Two SABR members actually served on the Hall of Fame Committee that elected him.
Hi Dennis, I’m definitely familiar with SABR’s 19th century committee. Longtime readers of this site Adam Darowski and Joe Williams have both served on it. I could see Cooperstown honoring a few of the men the 19th century committee has named an Overlooked Legend in recent years.
5 out of the 16 members of the committee that inducted Deacon White were SABR members: http://sabr.org/latest/overlooked-legend-deacon-white-highlights-2013-baseball-hall-fame-ceremony
One of those 5 SABR members, Peter Morris, wrote a book named Catcher that openly advocated for Deacon White to be in the Hall of Fame.