MLB Hall of Fame Voter Only Voted for Jack Morris, Left Greg Maddux Off Ballot

On Tuesday morning MLB.com posted how its various beat writers voted for the Hall of Fame. Since it’s 2014 and Hall of Fame voting has turned into the biggest media trainwreck imaginable, this simple post turns into yet another fun Cooperstown controversy.

This time, it’s Dodgers.com beat writer Ken Gurnick in the crosshairs since his ballot only included Jack Morris, this year’s cause célèbre. Gurnick writes he didn’t vote for anyone in what we like to refer to as the “Steroid Era” meaning Greg Maddux is lumped in with the likes of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. It also means Maddux won’t become the first Hall of Famer to receive 100 percent of the votes when the Class of 2014 is announced Wednesday afternoon. (Have your torches and pitchforks on standby.)

At this point in the Hall of Fame process, with the specter of PEDs and the increased divide between old school writers vs. stat guys, there almost seems no incentive to vote until a major overhaul occurs. Right now it’s almost a no-win process for anyone involved in the voting, you’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t and somebody is going to find fault with your voting rationale. Even if a “perfect ballot” existed (which is probably doesn’t) someone out there is going to find fault with it.)

A humble suggestion: perhaps Bud Selig, before he rides off into the sunset, ought to devote some time (publicly) on reforming the Hall of Fame voting rather than going after Alex Rodriguez, who by this point in time has about as good a chance to get voted into Cooperstown as I do under the current voting climate.