But the board also purged the voting body of about 100 writers, none of whom have actively covered the sport within the past 10 years. Older voters who have stepped away from the game for 10 or more years will continue to be nudged out the door.
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Two of baseball’s greats were elected into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday. He was the iconic player of his generation, the one everyone playing Little League wanted to be when he grew up.
The newest Hall of Famer played two seasons in the minor leagues, including 17 games with the Vermont Mariners of the Eastern League in 1988.
Griffey was on 437 of 440 votes in his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot.
If the results of this year’s Hall of Fame balloting are any indication, Bonds and Clemens might want to start working on their Cooperstown speeches now instead of putting it off until the last minute.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame added a pair of sluggers January 6, inducting outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and catcher Mike Piazza into its ranks. Votes were held every three years from 1940 to 1945, and then every other year from 1957 to 1965, further clogging the pipeline.
Griffey, though, wouldn’t let the fact that he came so close to unanimity spoil his special moment when he spoke with BBWAA members on a conference call.
“I’d rather not share”, Griffey said. “It’s certainly an honor to be elected”.
“I’ve known him all my life, just the stories and him being my dad’s teammate”, Griffey said. But it’s just not something I’d ever see the Hall of Fame allowing. He won his lone MVP award in 1997 after hitting. The lone holdover selected, he’ll join Ken Griffey Jr. when the class of 2016 is enshrined on July 24.
After a trade to Cincinnati during the 2000 season, Griffey would never play more than 145 games for the final 11 seasons of his career. Griffey was the first overall pick in 1987, chosen by the Mariners, becoming the first such player in the Hall.
Of those who received fewer than 5 percent of the votes and thus will not be on the ballot next year were former Angels David Eckstein, Garret Anderson and Jim Edmonds. Meanwhile, outfielder Sammy Sosa garnered 7 percent, barely enough to keep him on the ballot for another year.
Griffey said he and Bonds speak on the phone on average of five times a month but the conversation is usually about their shared love of mountain bike riding. “I don’t think that way”. “I can’t control any of that, so I don’t worry about those things. I was really surprised it was so high”.
However, Griffey was willing to talk about why he never gave in to the temptation of using steroids.
With his backward baseball cap and million-watt smile, Griffey’s popularity transcended baseball in the 1990s to include video games and even a chocolate bar. “At the end of the day, you can only do so much as a player and that’s what I focus on”.
Despite only one 20-win season, Mussina won at least 15 games a whopping 11 times throughout his almost 20 years on the mound. “I was already popular”. “I never even thought in my wildest dreams… that I would get the opportunity where people would even be thinking about me, talking about me in that way”. But it wasn’t that I had to have help. “I was able to block everything out, put my nose down and work”.
Griffey’s talent and effervescence carried him clear of all the din and debate on Wednesday. “Happy to get into such an elite club”, the Mariners and Reds superstar said.
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The Hall of Fame’s board of directors would like to be done with Bonds and Clemens. “Hopefully, I get an invitation. I’m looking forward to finally seeing it”.
