The Hall of Fame Ballot was announced today and it is very possible that no one will get in this year. Here are the players who members of the BBWAA are allowed to vote on:

Rick Aguilera, Albert Belle, Bert Blyleven, Will Clark, Dave Concepcion, Andre Dawson, Gary DiSarcina, Alex Fernandez, Gary Gaetti, Steve Garvey, Dwight Gooden, Rich Gossage, Ozzie Guillen, Orel Hershiser, Gregg Jefferies, Tommy John, Doug Jones, Don Mattingly, Willie McGee, Hal Morris, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Jim Rice, Lee Smith, Bruce Sutter, Alan Trammell, Walt Weiss, John Wetteland.

I think that you have to believe that the only guys who have a any chance of being eleced this year are: Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson,  Steve Garvey, Rich Gossage, Jack Morris,  Jim Rice, Lee Smith, and Bruce Sutter. All of these guys have been voted in in previous years, and unless some of these guys see their vote totals from 2005 drastically increased, the only ones who should be waiting by the phone are Dawson, Gossage, Rice and Sutter.

We'll see what happens as things get closer and the politicking begins. We may see the renewed push to get closers into the Hall, and the weak ballot may bode well for Sutter. I'd love to see Dawson get in and in the wake of the steroid stuff he should get a closer look, but I don't see it happening.

I don't see any of these guys getting in and it leads me to wonder if this will lead to the HoF revisiting the veterans committee.

DmL