As if there wasn't already enough controversy surrounding the annual Baseball Hall of Fame election process as voters continue to sort out the steroid era, this winter will see another layer of intrigue added to the mix.
The 10-man ballot of nominees for the Class of 2017 to be considered by the "Today's Game Era" committee in December includes such polarizing figures as former MLB commissioner Bud Selig, longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and controversial slugger Mark McGwire.
Those three will be joined by former managers Davey Johnson and Lou Piniella, executive John Schuerholz, and players Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark and Orel Hershiser on the ballot, part of the Hall of Fame's process for vetting candidates who are no longer eligible to get in via the annual writers' ballot or are being nominated for non-playing contributions to the game.
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A 16-member committee consisting of Hall of Famers, executives, and media members will meet Dec. 5 at baseball's winter meetings and vote on the 10 candidates. They must be named on at least 12 ballots to be elected.
It would seem unlikely that any of the former players would make it through after most received only modest support in their time on the writers' ballot. McGwire might have the best chance eventually but he was named on only 12.3 percent of the ballots last year, his 10th and final shot at election via the traditional route. He topped out at 23.7 percent in 2010.
The others all have legitimate arguments, though. Selig's candidacy surely will inspire the most discussion. The former Brewers owner essentially presided over MLB for a quarter century that saw unprecedented financial growth in the game, with owners and players alike feeling the windfall from expanded media rights deals and cash-generating new stadiums.
But he had plenty of detractors, whether over the 1994-95 strike, MLB's initial reluctance to delve into performance-enhancing drugs, its sometimes heavy-handed approach to dealing with cities on stadium deals, or tying home-field advantage in the World Series to the result of the All-Star Game.
Johnson led the Mets to the 1986 World Series title and also took the Orioles, Reds and Nationals to the playoffs in a 17-year managerial career. Piniella also won it all, with the Reds in 1990, and took the Mariners to the playoffs four times and the Cubs twice in a 23-year career.
Schuerholz was the architect of World Series champions in Kansas City and Atlanta and was long one of the most respected executives in the game.
Steinbrenner accounted for more titles than all of them combined, seven in his 37-year ownership of the Yankees, but his outspoken nature and tendency to rub others in the game the wrong way make him an interesting subject for the committee.
