[Westheim]

The Hall of Fame grows by four players in 2009!

2009 HALL OF FAME VOTING RESULTS

BOS LF Hjalmar Flygt – 94.0% (1st year) - ELECTED
RIC CL Lawson Steward – 88.8% (1st year) - ELECTED
LAP SP Bastyao Caixinha – 81.1% (2nd year) - ELECTED
OCT 2B Dave Browne – 77.5% (4th year) - ELECTED
ATL SP Carlos Asquabal – 69.5% (6th year)
PIT LF Diego Rodriguez – 51.2% (4th year)
WAS C Gabriel Rivera – 48.4% (6th year)
DEN SS Paul Connolly – 46.7% (5th year)
TOP SP Arnold McCray – 28.8% (4th year)
WAS CL Domingo Rivera – 27.0% (6th year)
BOS LF Jose Martinez – 21.8% (2nd year)
MIL SP Neil Stewart – 20.7% (2nd year)
LAP RF Anibal Rodriguez – 15.1% (2nd year)
IND CL Jim Durden – 14.7% (6th year)
LAP RF Yoshinobu Ishizaki – 7.0% (6th year)
DEN 3B Jesus Garcia – 4.9% (2nd year) - DROPPED
VAN SP Vernon Robertson – 3.2% (1st year) - DROPPED

Steward is the first representative for the Rebels, just like Flygt is the first Titan inducted, and Caixinha the first player in the Hall to wear a Pacifics cap. The Thunder already had a Hall member in Alfonso Aranda.

No player has been on the ballot for more than six years. 2004 was the first year of Hall of Fame balloting. Before, players were elected to the Hall of Fame by the entirely invisible Secret Ninja Committee.

Only 11 players are carried forward onto next year’s ballot, but it looks like there will be at least six more players on each of the next four ballots, and there won’t be any clear slam dunks on next year’s ballot, but in 2011 we will f.e. have Dale Wales, and if he doesn’t get in first ballot … 2011 will also hold Neil Reece, Royce Green, and David Brewer, but to be fair only Brewer has a realistic chance.