Hall of Fame Procedures for Managers and Umpires
The first step is for the Hall of Fame screening committee to develop a ballot. This is usually done in November and consists of members of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). The committee consists of 10-12 people who will choose 10 candidates. In 2007, the following BBWAA members were on the screening committee: Dave Van Dyck (Chicago Tribune); Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun); Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch); Steve Hirdt (Elias Sports Bureau); Moss Klein (Newark Star-Ledger); Bill Madden (New York Daily News); Ken Nigro, (formerly Baltimore Sun); Jack O'Connell (MLB.com); Nick Peters (Sacramento Bee); Tracy Ringolsby (Rocky Mountain News); and Mark Whicker (Orange County Register).
The selection committee will meet in December during the Winter Baseball Meetings. This is done every two years for managers. To be eligible, the manager or umpire must be retired from baseball for at least 5 years. The committee will consist of 16 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. shall act as the non-voting chairman of the committee and shall act as non-voting Secretary of the Committee.
The Committee shall consider all eligible candidates and voting shall be based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game. Electors may vote for as few as zero (0) and as many as four (4) eligible candidates deemed worthy of election. Write-in votes are not permitted. To be elected, a candidate must receive 75 percent of the vote. If all members vote, that means Danny Murtaugh must receive 12 votes; he received six in 2007.
In 2007, committee members were: Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Jim Bunning, Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, Al Kaline, Tom Lasorda, Phil Niekro, Tony Perez, Earl Weaver and Billy Williams; former executive Jim Frey; current executives Roland Hemond (Diamondbacks) and Bob Watson (Major League Baseball); and veteran media members Jack O'Connell (MLB.com), Tim Kurkjian (ESPN) and Tom Verducci (Sports Illustrated).
There is no guarantee that the people on the screening or selection committee during 2007 will be on the committee again in 2009, but I would expect a lot of repeats. We would want to contact as many of these people as possible.
