Probably the most unhappy people in the universe about Wednesday’s announcement that the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to vote in any modern era players are the merchants of Cooperstown. Hall of Fame weekend is the biggest stretch of good business days in Cooperstown. The downtown of the small town in upstate New York is overwhelmed by baseball shoppers who wish to schmooze with Hall of Famers signing autographs and buying souvenirs of the national pastime. But next July? Forget about Christmas shopping, the hobby shops and memorabilia stores will probably seem more like Christmas day–closed for lack of interest. (more…)

Jacob Ruppert, Hank O’Day, and Deacon White, all of them deceased long ago, will enter the Hall come July even if they are overshadowed by whatever happens in the balloting involving players who were caught up in baseball’s steroids era. (more…)

Now O’Day has a chance to be brought back to life, in a way, since he and his baseball career are being examined anew by the Hall of Fame’s Pre-Integration Era Committee scheduled to meet the first week in December at the Winter Meetings. O’Day is one of 10 nominees on the committee ballot and just as it does in regular Hall voting it takes a 75 percent plurality to be approved. (more…)