European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 16, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 16,1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary opinion is what baseball is All about in slamming the doors of Coope noun on Jim running s lingers nine baseball Hill of Fame voters each signed and mailed a Blank ballot in this year s election. Had those Voiers chosen simply not in return a Hallow. Bunning would be in the Hall of Fame with the slugger Willie Stargell. Bui inc 214-Gamc Winner the Only Pitcher to win at least 100 games in each league remains an he outside looking in. Again the Hall of Fame emerges As a philosophy As much As a museum. As a member of the House of representatives from Kentucky running was victimized by Itie democratic voting procedure of the baseball writers association or America. Any baseball writer s Hall of Fame ballot reflect his own Hall of Fame standards. Some Are too Strin gent some Are Loo lenient some Are somewhere in Between. Agreement is impossible. Out As lung us a ballot reflects Art honestly thoughtful opinion it s a valid ballot. Opinion after All is what baseball is Oil about. And opinion is what its Hall of Fame is All Abom. This voter does t agree with those who mailed a Blank ballot bul he agrees with their right to do it this voter invariably tills All 10 slots on his Hal of Fame Ballul but Only with candidates who qualify according to his standards. And Hose standards Are too subjective to be defined. One Man s candidate can be another Man s outcast. Some voters prefer o vote for Only two or three candidates some for Only one. And is happened this year nine preferred to vote for none. In order to be voted into the Hall of Fame a candidate s name must appear on 75 percent of the total ballots cast by those who have been association members for at least 10 years. Of the 100 baseball personalities in the Hall of Fame Only 14 have been elected on the writers bal lot the other 126 were chosen by inc veterans com Mittee or other special committees. But every so often he writers vote is strange. Nine of 415 ballots Dave Anderson in 1982 did not include i vote for Henry Aaron. Of the lib ballots in the original election in 1936, two did not include a Vole for Tycobb and i1 did nol include a Vole far babe Ruth. But those writers who did t vote for Aaron Cobb and Ruth 31 least voted for somebody. In this year s election nine voters did t vote for anybody. Some did t believe that a valid Hall of Fame candidate not even Stargell existed on this year s ballot. Others did t think that Siar Gilt deserved to go into the Hail or Home in Bis first year of eligibility. But to this voter if a player belongs he belongs As much in his first year As in any future year. Wilh 427 Balois cast this year 321 Voles were necessary for election. Stargell the Atlanta braves coach who hit 475 Home runs for the Pittsburgh pirates received 352 votes More than enough. Bun Ning received 317 votes four Short. But if Hose nine no name ballots had not been signed and mailed thereby reducing the total number of ballots to 418, sunning would have needed Only 314 votes. His 317 would have been enough. Of the nine voters who signed Blank bal lots seven were from the new York area including Phil pipe and Bill Madden of the new York daily news and Mast Klein of the Newark n.j., Star Ledger to me the Hall of Fame should be reserved for great players not for very Good or pretty Good play ers Madden said wednesday. I did t consider my vote a vote against Stargell or Bunn ing As much As i considered it a statement of my half of Fame philosophy another Blank ballot  cast by the reigning baseball writers president. Mem Plagg Nhoc who covers the Octroi 1 timers for eight Booth newspapers in Michigan what steered me away from Dunning said Pla san Hoff was thai i d never voted for him to the past. And his numbers really Aren t that much differ ent from Mickey Uil Icli whom i also seriously considered. With Stargell the first year thing and some thing to do with 11. 1 could t bring myself to vote for la on the first ballot when players like Nellie fog Bill Mazeroski and Phil Riz Uto Aren t in the Hall of Fame even though they were More dimensional than  Fox once the Chicago White sox second base Man missed by Only two votes in 1985, his last year on the writers ballot. Mazuroski. Once the pirates second baseman finished seventh this year with 143 Voles. Ruzzuto. He Yankee shortstop in heir glory years hns been discussed and rejected by the Hall of Fame veterans committee in Merit years bul his candidacy is Cip Eclid to be discussed again at the committee s March meeting. Timing occasionally helps a player s candidacy. Stargell happened id be the Only truly out standing candidate this year. And now thai Bunning has missed again he might not come so close in the years ahead. Next year for example Bunning must compete for votes with five first Lime candidates with belter credentials Johnny Bench Carl Yastrzemski Gaylord i Crry a Erguson Jenkins and Jim Kant. In 990, Joe Morgan and Jim Palmer will be eligible in 1991. Rod Carew and Kollie fingers. In 1 992, of course Pete Rose and Tom a Caver will have been Silling in Cooperstown s waiting room for the required five years. Do you think i la be a unanimous Choice Rose once asked Jack Lang the writers association Secre tary treasurer who counts the ballots each year. Do you think i la be inc first unanimous Choice Hank Aaron was t even unanimous Lang said. Who knows How the writers will Vole some Guys think to Derek is n 9." to emf Vor a to twi Elway s masterful drive still haunts Browns by Chuck Melvin Denver a in its 50-Nlus years. Cleveland stadium has never been louder. The Denver Broncos were pinned at the Cleveland 2-Yard line it was late in inc fourth Quarter and the drowns were going Ard Field goal by Rich Karfis Send ing the Broncos to the super bowl with a 23-20 Victory in he year s acc championship game. But the picture on the cover of the Denver press guide this year appropriately shows of Way throwing inc game lying pass with 37 seconds left in regulation. He started Oul in ankle deep mud on the 2-Yard line. We should hate slopped him but we did to Model . Brawns defensive players prefer not to talk Aboul the drive and refuse to speculate on what they would do differently. They la protest that it was jiul another scoring drive that happened to come at a dramatic time. But Coch of them remembers watching Elway March Down Flold and wondering Why he could t be slopped. Fans blame inc prevent do few. A zone designed to give up inc Short pass and prevent the Long one. We played a Little bit of urho Nian and a Lillic bit of Rone says comeback Hanford Dixon. The drive began after the Brawns took a 20-13 Lead on Crnic Kosar s 4s-Yard touchdown pass to Brian Brennan with 5 4.1 to play. Mark Moseley followed with a Knut Leball kick that bounced toward the Side line and was covered by Ken Bell As Browns defenders slacked him up Elihe 2-Yard line. The most memorable plays would come later but Thra of the biggest were the first thro. Elway escaped John glow in took Broncos 98 Yards to Force the of. Trouble in he end zone and hit Sammy Winder for 5 Yards. Winder Wini 3 Yards with a pit Choul. And on third-and-2 from the Denver 10-Yard line. Winder bulled Over left guard for a first Down. I remember they Nad to measure for the first Down and they got in says Browns linebacker Mike Johnson. By the length of a football the Broncos were still breathing. The sequence that followed in the 1 5-pay series was Elway at his Best. He scrambled 1 1 Yards on second Down to the Denver 26. He threw 22 Yards to Steve Scwll and 12 Yards to Steve Watson in Lake the Ball to inc Cleveland 40 Ai the two minute warning. The Browns were growing uneasy Hul they Felt protected because the Broncos needed a touchdown not just a Field goal to tie it. Until they did it More pressure was on them than  says safety Ucli Wright. Cleveland regrouped during inc two minute warn ing determined to Slop this thing. Elway threw an incomplete pass an first Down his first incompletion of the drive. On second Down. Dive pus Mioli the Browns designated pass rusher trotted onto the held in Hopes of gelling la Elway. With Clay mall cos and Reggie Camp pressuring the Denver quarterback from the sides Pumi Oti was blocked to the ground Bui Tot up and sacked Elway As he stepped into the Pockl. Third and in at the Cleveland 48. Ii was no Beautiful Anistis move or anything said Puzzuoli who was Bock on the sidelines for the rest of Fth drive. To Tell inc truth i think i was rolling around on the ground and Igol up and ran right Inlo  rut Elway quickly gathered his learn went Inlo the Shotgun saved a nearly fumbled snap and broke the Browns spirit with a 20-Yard pass to Jackson cutting across the Middle for a lint Down at the 28 with 1 1-2 minutes to play. Other than the touchdown it was the biggest play of the drive and Elway recalls it vividly. We were just coming Oft he sack and we wanted to gel Back half the yardage he said. The snap hit olt Steve Watson s hip Watson was in motion but was t misdirected much and i was Able 10 Ca Ich it. They were in a zone defense. Jackson found a Hole and 1 was Able 10 get him inc  Wright was playing Aboul 25 Yards off the line of scrimmage and tried to make the tackle of his life hoping to shake the Ball Loose. Jackson Hung on. Elway threw an incomplete pass on first Dawn and then  14-Yard gain to the Cleveland Hawitha minute to go. After his third incompletion of the drive. Elway scrambled 9 Yards lobe Cleveland i. On third Down Jackson lined up in the right Slot went in motion to inc Eft and broke up Field with the snap. Elway took six Quick step Back and threw a Low. Hard pass thai Jackson caught falling to his Knees in the end zone. Kari is extra Point lied it. The headline in a Cleveland newspaper the next Day read Thiny seven seconds Loo Long