08:59 PM
12/21/24
12/21/24
February 27, 2006
First woman elected to Baseball Hall of Fame: Effa Manley and 16 other Negro Leaguers get their due. Buck O'Neil and Minnie Minoso get passed over.
posted by BullpenPro to baseball at 01:38 PM - 2 comments
Well, I find it odd that Buck O'Neil didn't make it. What the heck? It is newsworthy that the first woman has been inducted to the HOF- I could have sworn there were others, such as some of the female players whose story was fictionalized in "A League of Their Own" (I do believe there are displays about them in Cooperstown, at least). Given that basketball has had numerous female inductees, it's a little surprising there haven't been any female HOFers until now.
posted by hincandenza at 03:06 PM on February 28, 2006
The Hall has some issues ahead of them with this election. No, it's not that the first female electee is named "Manley." No, it's not the requisite giggle when anyone says "Cum Posey" (I just giggled). The biggest problem is that, historically, when a Negro Leaguer has been inducted posthumously, a family member has been allowed to speak on his behalf at near-to-full length (for an induction speech). With 17 deceased electees, by a lot the Hall's largest class ever, allowing for them all to get their equal time could make for the longest and most excruciating ceremony ever (the speeches of family members have rarely been very popular.) However, cutting their time short -- or off altogether -- could raise all kinds of predictable issues and find the Hall being charged with unfairness when fairness was the point of the exercise to begin with. It will be interesting to see what they do.