ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, January 9, 1996               TAG: 9601100131
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: Associated Press 


HALL'S DOORS CLOSED NO ONE ELECTED FOR 1ST TIME IN 25 YEARS

For the first time in 25 years, no player was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, with 300-game winners Phil Niekro and Don Sutton and slugger Tony Perez again falling short Monday.

Not since 1971 had members of the Baseball Writers Association of America failed to elect a candidate. But with 75 percent support needed, Niekro received only 68.3 percent, followed by Perez with 65.7 percent and Sutton at 63.8 percent.

This was just the seventh time since the original selection in 1936 that the BBWAA failed to elect anyone.

Niekro, on the ballot for the fourth time, got 321 votes, 32 short of the 353 needed for election. The knuckleballer had a career record of 318-274.

``I really have nothing to say,'' Niekro said in Atlanta.

Perez, on the ballot for the fifth time, was listed on 309 of the record total of 470 ballots. He had 1,652 RBI lifetime, most among any player not already in the Hall.

``It's disappointing,'' Perez said from Puerto Rico. ``I don't know what will happen next year. I can go down. You never know.''

Sutton, on the ballot for the third time, got 300 votes. He was 324-256 lifetime.

``He pitched a lot of games for me, won a lot of ball games for me,'' Sutton's former manager, Tom Lasorda, said Monday. ``You talk about durability, the guy never missed an assignment. He was a winner. I'll tell you, he belongs in the Hall of Fame.''

There is still a chance someone will be enshrined during Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Aug.4 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

The Veterans Committee, which considers players no longer on the ballot, along with managers, executives and former Negro Leagues stars, will meet March 5 at Tampa, Fla. Jim Bunning, Nellie Fox and Gil Hodges are among those who may be chosen.

``The absence of an electee this year emphasizes the exclusivity of membership in the Baseball Hall of Fame,'' said Hall of Fame president Donald Marr.

Tony Oliva (170 votes), Curt Flood (71) and the late Vada Pinson (51) were in their 15th and final years of consideration. Only Oliva will eventually be considered by the Veterans Committee.

Just three of the 13 first-time candidates - Bob Boone, Fred Lynn and Keith Hernandez - received the required 5 percent to remain on the ballot next year.

Pete Rose, not on the ballot because he is on baseball's ineligible list, received 19 write-in votes. He got 14 last year.

No eligible pitcher with more wins than either Sutton or Niekro has been left out of the Hall. Perez ranks 16th in career RBI.

While all three players had impressive totals, the knock on all of them has been that they were very good for a long time, rather than being great for at least 10 years.

Niekro never won a Cy Young Award in his 24 years and Sutton was shut out from baseball's top pitching award in his 23 seasons. Perez, who hit 379 homers, never led the league in home runs or RBI in 23 years.

The BBWAA did not select anyone in 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958, 1960 and 1971, although there were some years when no elections were held.

In 1971, the top three vote-getters were Yogi Berra (67 percent), Early Wynn (67 percent) and Ralph Kiner (59 percent). All three players were eventually elected.


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