The late Nellie Fox is expected to be enshrined next year, but in the meantime, the show will go on here Sunday with the induction of four old-timers into baseball’s Hall of Fame, the ultimate reward for diamond excellence.
The inductees are Jim Bunning, the first pitcher since Cy Young to win 100 games in both the American and National Leagues; Earl Weaver, the highly successful manager of the Baltimore Orioles; Bill Foster, star pitcher for the Chicago American Giants of the old Negro leagues; and Ned Hanlon, an innovative turn-of-the-century manager.
For the first time since 1971, the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to approve any of the 35 “modern” candidates on the BBWAA ballot. Players are added to this list five years after retirement and can remain on the ballot for the next 15 years.
To win election, a player must be named on 75 percent of the ballots cast. Pitcher Phil Niekro, who won 321 games during his 24-year big-league career, came closest with 68.3 percent. Also close were slugger Tony Perez, 65.7 percent, and 324-game winner Don Sutton, 63.8 percent. They will be on the ballot again next year.
Chicago fans may be especially interested in Bunning’s journey. Like Fox, he never received the required 75 percent. He came closest in 1988 with 74.2 percent, best showing of an unsuccessful BBWAA candidate with the exception of Fox, who drew 74.7 percent in 1985.
It is a somewhat complex procedure. If a player annually draws a minimum of 5 percent of the vote but doesn’t win BBWAA approval, he can be considered by the veterans committee, which, in the main, “corrects” BBWAA mistakes.
The old-timers committee elected Bunning, Weaver, Foster and Hanlon. Fox was one vote short in this ballot last March, and, more than likely, will be inducted posthumously next year. Former Cubs star Ron Santo, who never has received more than 37 percent of the BBWAA vote, also is expected to be elected by the veterans committee. He has two years remaining on the BBWAA ballot.
A Congressman from Kentucky since 1987, the side-arming Bunning won 224 games during his 16-year big-league career. He pitched no-hitters in both leagues: a perfect game against the Mets in 1964 when he was with the Phillies, a no-hitter against the Red Sox six years earlier when he was with Detroit.
Bunning, an eight-time All-Star, was influential in the players’ association. He was on the search committee that found and recommended Marvin Miller for the position of executive director of the association. It was during Miller’s administration that the players won a string of financial battles with the owners.
Weaver was among baseball’s most successful managers. In his 17 seasons with Baltimore, the Orioles won six division titles, four pennants and one World Series. His teams were built essentially on strong pitching and power hitting. The Orioles almost always had the AL’s lowest earned-run average. During Weaver’s reign, they also had six Cy Young Award winners.
Often compared to John McGraw and Casey Stengel, Weaver helped popularize platoon baseball and was among the first managers to rely heavily on scouting reports and computer charts. A fiery competitor, he often fought with umpires and was ejected 91 times, believed to be a record.
Weaver was born in St. Louis. His father dry-cleaned the uniforms of the Browns and Cardinals. A failed infielder, Weaver began his managerial career in the minors. He took over as the manager of the Orioles in 1968, in midseason, and led the club to the pennant in ’69. His teams won 100 or more games five times.
Foster had a 15-year career in the old Negro leagues, which he joined at the age of 19. He pitched for several clubs, but mostly with the Chicago-based American Giants. Hanlon managed four big-league clubs, including the old Baltimore Orioles and the Brooklyn Robins, predecessors of the Dodgers.
Joe Durso of The New York Times and Minneapolis baseball announcer Herb Carneal will also be honored. Durso is the winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink award for “his outstanding contributions to baseball writing.” Carneal won the similar Ford Frick award given to broadcasters.
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