FanHouse DanPlesac

The 2009 Hall of Fame headlines rightfully belong to Rickey Henderson, who was elected the first year he was eligible, and Jim Rice, who was elected the very last year he was eligible. As for everyone else, well, there's always next year, right?

The short answer: it depends.

In Tommy John's case, no, there is no next year. Like Rice, this was John's 15th year on the ballot, the most that the Baseball Writers Association of America allows before ruling a player ineligible to be included on future ballots. Now, the only way John will ever be inducted is if the Veterans Committee votes him in -- that's the same committee that has inducted exactly one player since 2001.

I am not going to list Rickey Henderson's accomplishments here, because if you are the kind of person who reads a baseball blog, you are also the kind of person who realizes that Corky Simpson is a bad word on the Internet for leaving Henderson off of his Hall of Fame ballot. What else would you expect from a guy named Corky?

On January 12th, Major League Baseball will announce the newest round of inductees to its Hall of Fame. Some candidates, like the guy you see here on the right, are shoo-ins. Others, such as Dan freaking Plesac, are shoo-outs. But between these two is a selection of guys who deserve at least passing consideration, or at least, an expression of, "Oh yeah, I remember that guy from RBI Baseball."

We'll review the merits of every candidate on the ballot. In Part One, The Dugout vets Harold Baines, Dan freaking Plesac, Bert Blyleven, and Rickey Hennerson Rickey Hennerson Rickey Hennerson Rickey Henderson. Read it after the jump.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

The 2009 Hall of Fame ballot was released Monday, and with it is certain to come heated debate right up until and after the voting results are revealed on Jan. 12, 2009. This year's class of candidates is similar to last year's, in that it's a shallow group.

There is only one sure-fire Hall of Famer among the 23 candidates, which means this is a critical vote for the borderline players who have been up for election on multiple occasions. Now is the time for those borderline guys to get over the top or make a big push to lay the groundwork for election in future years.

After the jump is a breakdown of the ballot, complete with what I think will happen and what should happen with this year's class of Cooperstown contenders.