By Ted Knorr | Harrisburg, PA January 8, 2025

Just following up on Milton Kirby’s article, December 8, 2024, in The Truth Seekers Journal, about my two-decade-long effort to get Negro League outfielder Rap Dixon inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. As mentioned, Dixon failed even to make this year’s Ballot, but I had hoped on the day of that article that at least one of the two Negro League candidates on the Ballot might gain the necessary 75% for induction. Alas, neither Vic Harris nor John Donaldson topped 25% of the votes. However, two deserving candidates from the recent past – Dick Allen and Dave Parker – were voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While it is always good to see deserving athletes like Allen & Parker achieve the ultimate prize, the fact that those two great players were pitted, on the Ballot, against players whose prime was before either of the two inductees was born.  There is something wrong with a system that has inducted 137 players from either the NL or AL debuting during baseball’s segregated era, only 28 from the Negro Leagues. 

Let me present the current rules (to be followed), and I suggested new rules for the Classic Baseball Committee, which shall consider retired Major League Baseball players, managers, umpires, and executives whose greatest contributions to the game were realized prior to 1980. 
 

Membership: The Committee shall consist of 16 members, comprised of members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, executives, and veteran media members.  

Time and Place of Election – Beginning in 2024, an election shall be held once every three years.

Eligible Candidates – must be selected from managers, umpires, executives, and players, who meet the following criteria related to their classification:

·         Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons.

·         Managers and umpires with 10 or more major league seasons.

·         Executives

Ballot Size

The final Ballot shall consist of eight candidates. 

Voting

The Committee shall consider all candidates and may vote for as few as zero and as many as three eligible candidates.

Number to be Elected

All candidates receiving votes on at least 75% of ballots will earn election. 

Amendments

The Board of Directors of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. reserves the right to revoke, alter or amend these rules at any time.

The above rules failed to deliver more than 25% of ballots cast for either of the two Negro League candidate; further, no set of Hall of Fame rules have inducted any Negro League players since 2006. The following is my recommendation:

Special Committee on the Negro Leagues (This will be the third time, joining predecessors in 1971-1977 and 2006, that this name has been used, and the Committee will have the same purpose as before to identify Negro League players, managers, umpires and executives meriting additional consideration.)

 Membership: The Committee shall consist of 16 members, all of whom will have sufficient knowledge of the Negro Leagues. The Society for American Baseball Research Negro League Committee will be glad to offer advice to assist in selecting the members.

Time and Place of Election – Beginning in 2025, an election shall be held annually until justice is achieved.

Eligible Candidates must be selected from managers, umpires, executives, and players, who meet the following criteria related to their classification:

·         Players who played in at least 10 major league seasons.

·         Managers and umpires with 10 or more major league seasons.

·         Retired Executives

Ballot Size

The final Ballot shall consist of 21 candidates including the 20 remaining from 2006 plus Vic Harris. Ideally, as a deeper “cap tip” to the successful 2006 process it could include 39 candidates. 

Voting

The Committee shall consider all candidates and will provide an up or down vote for each.

Number to be Elected

All candidates receiving votes on at least 75% of ballots will earn election. 

I feel the above changes to the Classic Era Committee will enable the Hall, rather quickly, to address the lack of sufficient Negro League representation. With 21 longtime recognized consideration deserving candidates given an up/down vote December I would anticipate 10 new Negro League Hall of Famers. That would be a good start. In addition, to offering my opinion here on a very important topic; I see The Truth Seekers Journal as a good home for periodical discussion on Negro League baseball and, should any readers have questions on Negro League history, I’d love to take a crack at answering them.