Marvin Miller probably has had as much impact on baseball as any other non-player in history. Whether you think that influence was baleful or positive-I think it is almost entirely positive, economically and ethically-it is undeniable. His liberation of players from the reserve clause, while not as satisfying as Branch Rickey's work in integrating baseball, is akin to that effort, and Miller's contribution is less equivocal than Rickey's was. That he is not enshrined in the Hall of Fame is itself shameful.

Why would you call Branch Rickey's integration of the Dodgers "equivocal," budd?

Let's see: this election is taking place just as Tori Hunter has turned down $40 million to stay with the twins so he can get $80 million from Los Angeles. Johann Santana has turned down $80 million and will probably get twice as much from New York or Boston. The Marlins are shopping Miguel cabrera to the Los Angeles teams. Barry Bonds is under indictment for perjury and Mark McGwire has a huge cloud because Miller and his henchmen refused to allow testing or even try to reduce steroid use that hurts players' health. By all means put this mustachoied four-flusher in Cooperstown.

Barry Bonds is under indictment for perjury and Mark McGwire has a huge cloud because Miller and his henchmen refused to allow testing or even try to reduce steroid use that hurts players' health.

Schuey, the worst you can say about Miller's role in the steroids scandal is that he's supported the Players' Union stonewalling whenever he's been asked about it. But he hasn't been connected to the Union since 1982.

And as for the salaries, better the players than the owners. If there were a way to kick back some of that extra loot into lower ticket prices without having it all eventually wind up in the hands of club-owned scalper cartels, that'd be great. Just tell us how that would happen.

Even if you detest everything about Miller, though, you can't deny his enormous influence. In this sense, he's Walter O'Malley on the other side of the barganing table, and they're the two most deserving non-playing candidates on the ballot.

Let's see: this election is taking place just as MLB has raked in $6B in revenues.

Are the owners too poor to actually start building their own stadiums?

The MLBPA shied away from drug-testing in part because they didn't believe that the owners/commish would deal in good faith. And after agreeing to drug-testing deals:

- The first one, more than two decades ago, falls through after Bowie Kuhn declares that he was the sole and final arbiter for anything not specifically written out in the program's language.

- MLB tries to ban players by circumventing the CBA repeatedly.

- When a new drug-testing deal is made, the initial survey triggering the testing was supposed to be confidential, yet it was happily turned over to the government, with player names apparently linked to the anonymous tests.

- MLB happily lets Congress be it's mallet in re-opening a provision of the CBA.

- MLB hints repeatedly that they're going to grandfather in penalties, suggesting that Giambi and the group of players named recently could face penalties for actions not specifically outlined in the CBA or the drug-testing program.

The MLBPA feared bad faith and thus far, they've been shown no indication that they were wrong to be worried about that.

And when the Mitchell report comes out, dollars-to-donuts it's another bullet point above. We haven't read it, but can anyone reading this, whether rabidly pro or anti drug testing, honestly say they think the Mitchell report will put the slightest onus on management and that the report won't be used by MLB as a stick to beat on the MLBPA?

I don't know anyone (anyone that isn't against non-players being elected) that's against Miller going in.

I read a blurb last year where Bud Selig personally came out in favor of putting Marvin Miller in Cooperstown.

This is the year. If Miller isn't elected in, I will have lost all faith in the Veterans Committee process. Travesty that he's not in already.

“The committee members were former adversaries of mine.”

Mostly true. According to the Hall of Fame website there are a couple of players and 3 members of the media:

The 12-member electorate that will review the Executives ballot includes Hall of Famers Monte Irvin and Harmon Killebrew; former executives Bobby Brown (American League) and John Harrington (Red Sox); current executives Jerry Bell (Twins), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Bill Giles (Phillies), David Glass (Royals) and Andy MacPhail (Orioles); and veteran media members Paul Hagen (Philadelphia Daily News), Rick Hummel (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and Hal McCoy (Dayton Daily News).

However, IIRC, Monte Irving was also a MLB executive for a considerable period. I'm not a fan of having small committees make these decisions. Too much opportunity for playing favorites, log rolling, and just plain old incompetence. I couldn't find these names on the HoF website when I did a quick check a few days ago, but now they are included in the lead article about the executive ballot. Maybe I missed it, but it would be better to have the membership and contact info posted permanently, and voters should be required to disclose their ballots. I'd certainly be curious as to how committee members would justify passing on Miller.

However, IIRC, Monte Irving was also a MLB executive for a considerable period.

From 1968-84 he was assistant to the commissioner. That's right when Miller and Kuhn went at it. Killebrew's the only player from the Miller era on the ballot. Then again, some of the execs - I'm thinking of MacPhail here - came along after Miller was gone.

Killebrew's the only player from the Miller era on the ballot.

And he benefited not at all from what happened in the post-Messersmith era.

I'm thinking of MacPhail here - came along after Miller was gone.

Yeah, but what did his Dad tell him?

Based on that committee makeup I would expect someone like Bill Giles or Hal McCoy to be fairly influential.

No. No. NO. If Marvin Miller, the man who caused ticket prices to skyrocket out of the range of most Americans, is let in the Hall of Fame, they should board up the place. I've said it before, and I will repeat: Marvin Miller has done more to DESTROY baseball than any man alive. It's because of Miller we have million-dollar salaries paid to drugged-up athletes. If I ran the HOF, I'd chase Miller and his kind away from the front door with an ugly stick.