BLYLEVEN: 'I'M GOING TO BE IN THERE'

Former (should-be Hall of Fame) major league pitcher and current Minnesota Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven did an interview with Yahoo's Big League Stew, and he made it clear that he believes he'll make the Hall.

The convincing, to me, is over with. I feel I'm going to be in there in a couple years. I honestly feel my time is coming.

...I think with the steroid era — how the game has changed — and with guys pitching every fifth day now, there's no emphasis on complete games. I see guys pitching eight shutout innings and then not going out for the ninth because of a pitch count. We never had the pitch count.

He also believes in a superb idea about the Hall selection process that will probably never, ever happen:

I talked to Ernie Harwell about that. He thinks I should be in. He says in his great voice, "You know, Bert, I just don't know why announcers haven't been involved in the voting for the Hall of Fame. If only because they see these players every day." A guy like a Vin Scully — my goodness. Any radio play-by-play guy or TV play-by-play guy should — if they're there a certain amount of time, just like the writers for 10 years, I think, they should have the right to vote also.

Most of the baseball writers are fantasically intelligent people who take this process seriously. There have actually been sane arguments against admitting Blyleven in the Hall. Getting into shouting matches with the Bill Conlins of the world is simply a waste of time, energy, and breath.

Say all the nice things about the BBWAA you want, but it's patently insulting that the people who broadcast the games don't have any say over who gets in. People like Bob Uecker and Vin Scully are on the outside looking in. They're at the ballpark every day, and their passion for baseball is unparalleled. With all due respect, why is a guy like Richard Justice more qualified to decide who gets in the Hall of Fame than Scully?

There are a lot of things wrong with the Hall of Fame and the system used to select its members, but this is one of the serious structural flaws that is just inexplicable to me.