The Baseball HOF yesterday announced its '14 expansion era inductees, which include former managers TONY LARUSSA, JOE TORRE and BOBBY COX, but not late MLBPA Exec Dir MARVIN MILLER nor late Yankees Owner GEORGE STEINBRENNER, according to Jorge Ortiz of USA TODAY. Miller three years ago came up just one vote shy of selection (12 votes), but HOF officials said that this year he was "among the candidates that received six votes or fewer." Committee member and HOFer ROD CAREW said that Miller "got due consideration." Carew: "At this time we thought the figures we named were the ones worthy of going into the Hall of Fame, but who knows if in the future we'll have another chance to vote in Miller and some of the other players and executives" (USA TODAY, 12/10). ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wrote if there was "a reason to lament the expansion era committee's selections, it was the decision to stop at three." Miller is the "most troubling omission from the Hall." The HOF "will never be truly complete without him" (ESPN.com, 12/9). MLB Network's Dan Plesac said of Miller, "I really thought this time around ... that he was going to get really close to being voted in because the wall is broken down. That wall isn't as big as it was between the owners and the players' union." MLB Net's Ron Darling: "I thought with the death of MICHAEL WEINER that that might have been an impetus to say, 'Hey, listen, all bets are off. Now we put him in there.' It's a shame that he's not there because he revolutionized every player that plays today" ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 12/9).
WRONG DECISION? CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote it "may be time for the MLBPA to buy a piece of land across from the Hall and declare it the Marvin Miller Hall of Fame, with plaques of all the Hall of Famers he did help enrich" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 12/9). MLB Net's Peter Gammons said, "I do not understand Marvin Miller not being in the Hall of Fame. I don't understand George Steinbrenner not being in the Hall of Fame. Baseball is a lot better for him buying the Yankees, taking them out of the CBS era and putting New York and the New York Yankees in every headline in baseball" ("MLB Tonight," MLB Network, 12/9). In N.Y., Ken Davidoff notes what "ultimately could hold Steinbrenner back is his two suspensions from baseball, the first for his conviction for illegal contributions to RICHARD NIXON’s re-election campaign and the second for his involvement with gambler HOWIE SPIRA to dig up dirt on DAVE WINFIELD." As for Miller, he "has Steinbrenner’s impact without his skeletons." It is "laughable intellectually to think Miller isn’t already in the Hall" (N.Y. POST, 12/10). The AP's Jim Litke wrote under the header, "Denying Labor Giant Marvin Miller Again Means Joke Is On The Hall Of Fame" (AP, 12/9).
WHAT'S HOLDING THEM BACK? In L.A., Bill Shaikin writes baseball's "longest streak of absurdity continued Monday." The credibility of the HOF "continues to suffer, by the omission of Miller but even more so by a process shrouded in secrecy." Some of the resistance to Miller reportedly "lies in his strident rejection of drug testing -- even after he left office -- but we have no way of knowing for sure" (L.A. TIMES, 12/10). In N.Y., Gary Myers writes, "You want to know why Miller ... didn’t come close this time? You probably need to look no further than his repeated statements prior to his death in November 2012, decrying the players union’s agreeing to drug testing." Almost to a man, HOFers have "condemned the alleged steroids cheats," and Miller’s adamant stance "against taking measures to clean up the game has diminished him despite all his accomplishments on their behalf." As for Steinbrenner, who "from an owner’s standpoint had almost as much impact on the game as Miller, it would seem the committee wants more time to put his entire career ... in perspective" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/10). Also in N.Y., Murray Chass in a special piece notes Miller in '07 "requested that his name no longer be placed on the ballot." However, Miller's latest loss can be "considered good news to those who thought his desire to get off the ballot should be honored." From their point of view, this "latest voting result only proved his point" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/10).
