Ripken, Gwynn Deck the Hall

Aaron, others want disgraced player in Hall of Fame

(NEWSER) - Pete Rose may yet have a shot at baseball’s Hall of Fame: Commissioner Bud Selig is weighing ending Rose’s lifetime ban for gambling on the sport, the New York Daily News reports. Hank Aaron, whose opinion counts heavily with Selig, told reporters over the weekend he’d like to see Rose in the Hall; members of its board of directors also want the suspension tossed. More»

(NEWSER) - The Baseball Writers of America turn out to be a predictable lot. A new computer program from a Missouri State computer science professor can accurately predict who’ll join the Hall of Fame, the Wall Street Journal reports. Given a set of 1,592 players who retired between 1950 and 2002, it accurately identified 98.7% of those selected to be Hall of Famers. More»

Players battle for spot with political-style campaigns

(NEWSER) - This weekend, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice are headed for baseball’s Hall of Fame—and a life without financial headaches, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retired players make money with autographs, speeches, and endorsements, and a place in Cooperstown means their values skyrocket. “‘HoF’ after a signature is the single best predictor of baseball price,” a memorabilia expert says. More»

(NEWSER) - With Rickey Henderson set to enter the Baseball Hall of Fame next month, the Pepper blog rehashes top Rickey-being-Rickey moments. Some highlights:

• “People are always saying, ‘Rickey says Rickey.’ But it’s been blown way out of proportion. People might catch me, when they know I’m ticked off, saying, ‘Rickey, what the heck are you doing, Rickey?’ They say, ‘Darn, Rickey, what are you saying Rickey for? Why don’t you just say, 'I'?' But I never did. I always said, ‘Rickey,’ and it became something for people to joke about.”

Could Bonds, Clemens face exclusion?

(NEWSER) - Mark McGwire's awful showing in Hall of Fame voting—he got only 21.9% of votes this year, which is actually worse than last year and way below the required 75%—is a good sign that that fellow steroid pals Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds face long odds when they appear on the ballot four years from now, writes Bill Shaikin in the Los Angeles Times. More»