We need a quick runoff vote to resolve the tie at the top in the 1905 voting. Voting closes Wednesday Friday night, so vote early. More after the jump. Continue reading →

This post is for voting and discussion in the 84th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1905. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Luke Appling was a solid second in the voting in each of the past three rounds, his first three rounds on the ballot. He finally broke through to the top spot this round, becoming the 83rd inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Luke and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →

This post is for voting and discussion in the 83nd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1906. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Jim Thome was never a mass-market superstar, and wasn’t one to attract controversy — he had a reputation as one of the nice guys in baseball. Neither was his COG support controversial, as the voters embraced him strongly in his first round of eligibility, quickly making him the 82nd inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Jim and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →

This post is for voting and discussion in the 82nd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1970. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

It was a close race between two players who had just joined the holdover list, Luke Appling and Bill Dickey. In the end it was Dickey who prevailed by a single vote, winning induction as the 81st member of the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Bill and the voting after the jump Continue reading →

If as expected Pedro Martinez will have enough votes for induction into the Hall of Fame when the current election’s results are announced Tuesday, he will be, when this summer’s ceremony in Cooperstown rolls around in July, one of the youngest pitchers ever to be included in an induction group. The five youngest pitchers inducted up to now are listed after the jump. Continue reading →

From 1904 through 1960 (AL) and 1961 (NL) the standard major league regular season schedule was 154 games long. Since 1961 (AL) and 1962 (NL) that standard schedule has been 162 games. The difference resulted in a stir (created in part by then-Commissioner Ford Frick) when Roger Maris took more than 154 games to tie and break Babe Ruth’s season home run record in 1961. The so-called Maris “asterisk” story is very old news and I have nothing to add to the tale itself. What I was curious to see, however, purely as a matter of statistical amusement, was what effect a restriction to the first 154 games of each season would have on the career home run numbers of Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. The answer, which I found even more amusing than I expected, is after the jump. Continue reading →

This Circle of Greats (COG) vote is not to induct anyone into the Circle, but only to select two players who will be restored back on to the main ballot after having been previously been dropped from eligibility.  This part two of our seventh “redemption round” (we’ve been holding such redemption rounds interspersed among the regular voting rounds every tenth voting round or so) gives voters a chance to reconsider past candidates who have previously fallen off the regular induction ballots. Continue reading →