On Monday, 26 February 1996, I posted the following to the Pirates e-mail list.
Finally, the article says Joe Brown (former Buc GM and Vet's Comm member) will NOT be able to attend the election conference due to health reasons. I was optimistic before about Maz's chances this year, but without an advocate on the VC, I think Maz's chances are not very good. (for this year)
I still stand by my previous assertions that Billy Maz belongs in Cooperstown; I'm not optomistic about his chances this year now that Joe Brown is out of the balloting procedure.
On a slight tangent, the Cards have decided to retire HOF'er Red Schoendienst's uniform number this year and declare a day in his honor. Details at ESPN. Glenn
PITTSBURGH (Feb 26, 1996 - 18:21 EST) -- The Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Association, one of the majors' most active chapters, is pushing to have second baseman Bill Mazeroski enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The alumni association has sent a detailed packet of information extolling Mazeroski's qualities to the 15-member veterans committee that will meet next month in Tampa. ,p. Mazeroski no longer can be voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers of America. But he remains eligible for induction by the veterans committee of former players, executives and media members.
The Pirates alumni argue that Mazeroski's statistics compare favorably to the 13 former second basemen in the Hall of Fame, including Red Schoendienst, Billy Herman, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Evers and Charlie Gehringer.
Mazeroski's defensive statistics are at the top or near the top in every category. Total Baseball, a detailed statistical analysis recognized by major league baseball, ranks Mazeroski as the best defensive player at any position in major league history and the 80th most productive player of all time.
Mazeroski won eight Gold Gloves and played in seven All-Star games in his 18-season career from 1955-72. He holds major league records for most seasons leading a league in double plays, most double plays in a season and most double plays in a career.
However, Mazeroski ranks behind all 13 Hall of Fame second basemen in career batting average (.260), runs scored (769), walks (447), on-base percentage (.302) and stolen bases (27).
He is best known for hitting the ninth-inning home run that won the 1960 World Series for the Pirates against the New York Yankees.
Among the other players the veterans committee will consider are Jim Bunning, Larry Doby, Nellie Fox and Gil Hodges. Bunning and Fox narrowly missed being elected in BBWAA balloting, but Mazeroski was never close to election during his 15 years on the ballot.
Mazeroski's chances also may have received a setback when Former Pirates general manager Joe L. Brown, a committee member, said he would not be able to attend due to health reasons.
Glenn's note: Thanks to Nando
According to an article in the *Chicago Tribune*, Maz only received 5 votes. 11 were needed for election. Both Bunning and Nellie Fox had 11 or more votes, but since the Vet's can only bring in one player a year, Bunning, who recieved 12 votes was the winner. There were several players who had more votes than Maz--Larry Doby, Dom DiMaggio, and someone else who's name is escaping me. Joe Gordon also got some votes, but I can't remember if he had more than Maz or not.
Ted Williams, who's on the Vet's committee, has been stumping for Dom DiMaggio for several years now, so it's no surprise that he got votes. Being honest, Joe Gordon is probably as deserving as Maz of election to the HOF.
I suspect the results might have been a bit different if Joe L. Brown had been able to attend the meeting, although I don't think Maz would have been elected ahead of Bunning and Fox.
Oh well, there's always next year...what concerns me is that there are going to be a lot of guys who played in the 60s and 70s who will be coming up to the Vet's Committee in the next few years as they drop off the writers' ballot (Ron Santo and Tony Oliva come to mind), and that since the Vet's can only elect one player, Maz could get overshadowed.
BTW, how many people remember that Ned Hanlon, who was also elected to the HOF by the Vet's Committee, started his managing career in Pittsburgh? Supposedly Hanlon was kept out of the HOF for many years because John McGraw always claimed that he and Hughie Jennings were actually responsible for many of the innovations which the Baltimore Orioles brought to the game in their glory years in the mid-1890s. It's good to see Hanlon get some recognition which IMO was *long* overdue.
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