He says there are several others he feels are worthy, but only picked nine this time around. Love to know why he left one spot blank.

A very respectable ballot overall

No Mike Piazza again. I am really flummoxed by the tepid support for him. But any ballot with Raines gets my A-OK.

Ya I don't get the blank spot instead of Piazza either.

No Mike Piazza again. I am really flummoxed by the tepid support for him. But any ballot with Raines gets my A-OK.

And no Biggio. I'm starting to think zero inductees from the BBWAA is the clubhouse favorite.

And no Biggio. I'm starting to think zero inductees from the BBWAA is the clubhouse favorite.

Right. Lee Smith but not Piazza or Biggio? I'm just going to focus on Raines' inclusion so I don't go nuts.

There's no debating that this is a Fine ballot.

I'm getting the sense that having more than five players worthy of induction on the ballot is somehow overtaxing voters' minds. What the hell is going on with Biggio and Piazza?

But any ballot with Raines gets my A-OK.

There are at least a dozen guys on the ballot who have no business being there. I suspect that Tim Raines plus nine of them would not meet with your approval. So I have to ask, are you forgiving the Lee Smith vote, or do you actually think Smith should be elected?

I'm getting the sense that having more than five players worthy of induction on the ballot is somehow overtaxing voters' minds

I think that makes perfect sense. You are picking the best of the best so it is somewhat counterintuitive that such a list would require a "continued on next ballot" line.

I still think Morris goes in alone.

Could they put Morris's plaque between Freddie Lindstrom's and Jim Rice's?

do you actually think Smith should be elected?

Well ...

Let me state unequivocably that I would not have voted for Sutter or Gossage. Maybe I would have voted for Eck. But ...

Lee Smith would not be out of place in a HoF group where Sutter, Gossage and Fingers form 60-75% of the inductees (Wilhelm not really a closer). You might make the case that he's the worst of that bunch in which case he's borderline, but if you think closers belong, a vote for Smith is not unreasonable.

And under the Morris argument, you can probably argue that Smith was the best closer between Sutter (last big season 1984) and Rivera (first big closer season 1997). If closers belong in the HoF and Smith was the "best of his era" (if he was) ...

The problem isn't Lee Smith's HoF-worthiness per se, it's the HoF-worthiness of closers. The induction of Gossage and Sutter creates a real conundrum for us thinking fans -- closers have been deemed HoF-worthy which means we have to give at least serious consideration to guys like Smith, Rivera and Hoffman.

Now Lee Smith on this ballot from a roids-accepter makes no sense at all ... but neither does Dale Murphy.