And the fact that he ‘probably did it too quickly’ tells me that voting doesn’t mean anything to him anymore.

But really not that big of a deal, as far as I’m concerned. Matt Williams- you’ve got to be kidding!

And the Epic FAIL of the year award goes to …

But it was worth following up on the prior story. What a disaster. It’s embarrassing.

taking his vote away.

It’s very obvious that the HoF ballot really isn’t that important to Corky. He just filled it out without much thought and hasn’t really paid attention to the baseball scene for a long time.

I don’t think that’s a crime. Lots of people don’t pay much attention to baseball, and lots of people fill out crap they get in the mail without paying much attention. I don’t blame him for that.

When people pointed out his error, his response was essentially “Oh yeah, you’re right, I hadn’t thought of that,” which proves that he wasn’t being malicious or intentionally slighting Rickey; he just had no idea what was going on.

If unanimity is such a big freaking deal — and I think this episode proves that it isn’t — then the HoF should take more care about giving away the ballots. Have some sort of qualifying test or renewal requirement to stay eligible for voting.

But if they hand out a ballot to any guy who was a fine sportswriter 20 years ago but today isn’t paying attention, then they have no one to blame for it but themselves.

(And by the way, Rickey is my favorite baseball player of all time. That has nothing to do with my opinion of Corky.)

I agree that the guy’s reasoning for the non-vote is lame. Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter in the histroy of baseball. However, if Hank Aaron wasn’t elected unanimously, then I can’t justify how any other player from the modern era should be.

…the state of Arizona hasn’t had Major League baseball to speak of for very long (and certainly not during Rickey’s prime). Why would a reporter who worked in a non-baseball market for the majority of his career be qualified to be a voter in the first place?

I would think a prerequisite for being a voter would be having spent a significant amount of time at the ballpark, speaking with players/coaches, attending games, etc. Otherwise, wouldn’t anyone with a TV or radio be qualified to vote?

Would I rec this post if I had it to do all over again? Damn right, I would.

This post deserves to be rec’d and if I had my ballot back, louismg would have a shot at unanimity — and I wouldn’t be hated by quite so many people.

If I had properly researched the situation, I would have rec’d this if for no other reason than its reference to Dan Plesac.

Seriously, he’s a wonderful writer and I simply goofed. I voted for “Chat with Ziggy” instead.

You do get your knickers in a twist pretty quickly. I can’t get excited about the Hall of fame, a somewhat bogus concept, let alone getting into a lather because Rickey didn’t get a unanimous vote.

…but to expect a unanimous vote, based on voting patterns in the past, is basically guaranteeing disappointment.

Corky Simpson’s vote is proof that the criteria for Hall of Fame voter eligibility needs fixing, but it should be to make sure the vote is as legitimate as possible, not to ensure that any player gets in unanimously.

utter stupidity on the writers part. Just lame!

The fact that at least one guy out of 500 is an idiot?

now that everyone knows this clown left Rickey off his ballot, and their idiotic stance against unanimous selections remains intact, maybe no one else will feel the need to leave Rickey off their ballots….

I know that’s pushing it, but it still could be cool percentage-wise. Rickey needs 537 out of 543 to get 98.89%, which would be the highest percentage of votes ever.

is pure racism. Makes me think of the 1991 Public Enemy hit “By The Time I Get to Arizona” which was about the fact that the Arizona state legislature decided that MLK day was not worth celebrating. Looks like racism is still running rampit down there. I mean come on… Matt Williams? Rickey WAS the greatest player of our era. He played the game right. He lived baseball. Anyone old enough to remember Rickey in the green and gold knew that he would be a difference maker, in a major way. Stats aside, he was a straight up baller. He was a HR threat, and a nightmare for a battery to hold on 1st base. Who else in MLB history can you say that about?

wtf does that mean? Like you need time to understand who the ONE AND ONLY CLEAR- CUT HOFer ON THE BALLOT IS.

eminds me of like 3 or 4 years ago when PJ Brown of the Hornets got 1 mvp vote over like Tim Duncan, Kobe, etc…

Who doesnt give a flying fuck?

Honestly, I couldnt care less HOW he’s voted in, as long as he IS voted in. Why the hell does it matter?

he will be voted in but should get all the recognition he well deserves

…as published on Rickey Henderson Collectibles Blog

Brad: I can’t think of any good reason I didn’t vote for Rickey Henderson. The eight men I did vote for are all very deserving. Rickey is, too. So, if it is essential that he should enter the Hall of Fame on a unanimous ballot, then I goofed things up.

Some day some historian will attempt to find out why 11 voters failed to give Babe Ruth unanimity when he was elected to the Hall of Fame. In that same class of ’36, Ty Cobb missed unanimity by four votes, Honus Wagner 11, Walter Johnson 37 and Christy Mathewson 23. Why did Willie Mays miss by 23, Mickey Mantle 43, Jackie Robinson 36 and Cal Ripken Jr. by eight?

When I was a kid, there were three giants who walked the earth: Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and Stan Musial. None made it to the Hall of Fame unanimously. Joe missed by 28 votes, Ted Williams by 20 and Musial 23. Why? Well, a bunch of people goofed up. Rickey made about $41 million in his career, I think, and he’ll be in the Hall of Fame. What a wonderful life he has had.

Hope I’ve helped you, Brad.— Corky Simpson

Ricky will get into the hall, on the first ballot, with well over 95% of the votes. Corky Simpson will not be the only person who didn’t vote for him.

And it hardly matters.