The ingratitude of The Veterans Committe

This is really remarkable.

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 27 — The members of the veterans committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame are filling out their ballots. The problem is that they are not voting for enough of the same candidates. The results of their latest election were the same as their previous two: no one made the cut.

The longtime Chicago Cubs third baseman Ron Santo came closest, falling 5 votes short of election. The umpire Doug Harvey missed by 9 votes, and pitcher Jim Kaat and the union chief Marvin Miller missed by 10. “I guess it’s hard to get in, and they want to make it hard,” the Hall of Famer Yogi Berra said at Legends Field. “They had some pretty good names in there.”

The committee votes every other year on players. Every four years, it also considers a composite ballot of executives, umpires and managers. The next player ballot is scheduled for 2009 and the next composite ballot for 2011. But after shutouts in 2003, 2005 and this year, the process is subject to change.

“The board has always wanted to watch the process for three cycles before discussing any possible changes,” said Jane Forbes Clark, the chairwoman of the Hall of Fame. “We will be evaluating the process and its trends at our next meeting, on March 13, and discussing whether there should be any changes in the voting process.”

Yes, I would say that some changes are in order. I won't comment on the players, as Steve Goldman writes, they're generally the type of players who had a "but" career ("yes, he was an indifferent fielder and couldn't hit worth a damn, but...").

But to once again pass over Marvin Miller. Miller was as influential a member of the baseball community as anyone has ever been. If it weren't for Miller, players would still have to spend the winter working in coal mines and bowling alleys. Many of the same players who didn't vote for him owe their current leisurely lifestyles and their excellent health care to his efforts on their behalf. It's shocking ingratitude and a sad lack of historical perspective.