The Shriners Club
We look forward every year to the 50-name ballot issued by the Baseball Reliquary for its annual induction of Shrine of the Eternals -- the membership organization’s equivalent to the Baseball Hall of Fame -- and executive director Terry Cannon already has the list polished off and ready to your disemination.
There are 11 new names on the 2008 ballot that add to the eclectic mix of well-known players and those behind the scenes (in alphabetical order):
Charlie Brown: Yes, the Peanuts character created by Charles Schulz, having yielded more line drives up the middle than any other pitcher in baseball history.
Jim Eisenreich: The big-league outfielder (and one-time Dodger) who played with Tourette Syndrome.
Susan Fornoff: The Oakland A’s beat reporter for the Sacramento Bee from 1985-1991 who co-founded the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) to combat discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women sports journalists.
"Pop" Kelchner: Legendary baseball scout for 50 years (1909-1958).
There are 27 already enshrined in the Shrine of the Eternals:
Jim Abbott, Dick Allen, Moe Berg, Yogi Berra, Ila Borders, Jim Bouton, Jim Brosnan, Roberto Clemente, Rod Dedeaux, Dock Ellis, Mark Fidrych, Curt Flood, Josh Gibson, William “Dummy” Hoy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bill James, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Marvin Miller, Minnie Minoso, Satchel Paige, Jimmy Piersall, Pam Postema, Jackie Robinson, Lester Rodney, Fernando Valenzuela, Bill Veeck, Jr., and Kenichi Zenimura.
Here are the other 39 people on the 2008 ballot (with the number of years they've been on it in parentheses):
Hank Aguirre (4)
Lee Allen (5)
Emmett Ashford (2)
Eliot Asinof (4)
Billy Bean (5)
Chet Brewer (9)
Rocky Bridges (3)
Bill Buckner (8)
Helen Callaghan (5)
Charles M. Conlon (7)
Steve Dalkowski (10)
Darren Daulton (2)
Dizzy Dean (8)
Ed Delahanty (5)
Eddie Feigner (8)
Lisa Fernandez (8)
Rube Foster (10)
Ted Giannoulas (6)
Jim “Mudcat” Grant (4)
Pete Gray (10)
Ernie Harwell (5)
Willie Horton (2)
Dr. Frank Jobe (6)
Effa Manley (10)
Roger Maris (4)
Dr. Mike Marshall (3)
Tug McGraw (5)
“Nuf Ced” McGreevey (2)
Fred Merkle (2)
Phil Pote (6)
Dan Quisenberry (2)
J.R. Richard (9)
Rusty Staub (3)
Casey Stengel (10)
Luis Tiant (6)
Fay Vincent (7)
Rube Waddell (10)
Sol White (5)
Don Zimmer (4)
To be eligible to vote, Baseball Reliquary members must have their $25 annual membership fee paid by March 31. Ballots are mailed out April 1. The three new inductees will be announced in May. Induction ceremonies will be July 20 in Pasadena.
For more information, contact Cannon at:
P.O. Box 1850
Monrovia, CA 91017
(626) 791-7647
terymar@earthlink.net