This was a peaceful hubbub, though, as “King” Carl Hubbell, near the top of the voting in his first five COG ballot appearances, was a popular selection in earning induction in the 92nd round of COG balloting. In a close two-way race, Hubbell edged Paul Waner, with Roy Campanella placing third and collecting an additional round of guaranteed COG eligibility.
More on Hubbell after the jump.
This Circle of Greats (COG) vote is not to induct anyone into the Circle, but only to select two players who will either be: restored back on to the main ballot after having been previously been dropped from eligibility; or made eligible for the COG ballot if previously ineligible. This part two of our eighth “redemption round” (we’ve been holding such redemption rounds interspersed among the regular voting rounds every tenth voting round or so) gives voters a chance to reconsider past candidates who have previously fallen off the regular induction ballots, or to consider candidates who were not previously eligible for that ballot.
This post is for voting and discussion in the 93rd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG). This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1898. Rules and lists are after the jump.
Jim Fanning, who can reasonably be called the “father” of the Montreal Expos franchise, has died at the age of 87.
Fanning had been working in the Braves’ organization when the Commissioner’s office hired him in 1968 to start up MLB’s first scouting bureau. Fanning had only just arrived in the Commissioner’s office when John McHale, another MLB employee with whom Fanning had worked with the Braves, was named President and CEO of the newly christened Expos. McHale tapped Fanning to be his new GM, the first of many positions in which Fanning would serve the Expos for most of the franchise’s 36 seasons in “La Belle Province”. Included were two brief stints as the on-field manager, the first when taking over from Dick Williams in the final month of the 1981 season and guiding the Expos to their only NL East crown.
I can’t add much to SABR’s excellent biography by Norm King (except to say that Fanning is the first Illinois-born player to die in Ontario, Canada), so I will just commend the article to your reading pleasure.