Quote Originally Posted by greynotsoold View Post
And Johannsson, and Patterson, and Max Baer. Why is Jack Sharkey in there?
True enough. Historical significance does seem to play a role but Sharkey really does not even meet that requirement.

I like the way Groves put it from Ring. He wrote it prior to the inductions for 2012.

Since this scribe became an elector for the Hall's Modern category in 2001, a disturbing trend has developed: A vast majority of the 43 names that were present then remain so 11 years later. That means the electors have already made up their minds on the candidacies of many of them, including Georgie Abrams, Horacio Accavallo, Joey Archer, Jose Beccera, Johnny Bratton, Jimmy Carruthers, Hiroyuki Ebihara, Tommy Farr, Tiger Jack Fox, Ceferino Garcia, Al Hostak, Harry Jeffra, Peter Kane, Pone Kingpetch, Tippy Larkin, Raul Macias, Freddie Mills, Rinty Monaghan, Ken Overlin, Gustave Roth, Lou Salica, Dave Sands, Pete Scalzo, Yoshio Shirai and Kid Tunero,

If the majority of voters believe these 25 men weren't worthy of enshrinement this many years in a row, it's very unlikely they'll experience a sudden and collective change of heart when fresh names like Oscar de la Hoya, Felix Trinidad, Arturo Gatti, Joe Calzaghe and Virgil Hill get their first crack before the voters in the next couple of years.