The doors to baseball immortality will swing open Tuesday afternoon when results of this year's Hall of Fame balloting are announced.

        Voting is done by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Last year, 515 votes were cast. Seventy-five percent of the vote is needed for election.

        There's one lock this year — Ozzie Smith. The Wizard of Ahhs, an acrobat in a baseball uniform, is considered by some the best shortstop ever. He won 13 straight NL Gold Gloves and made 15 all-star teams.

        The Hall's doors also could open for Gary Carter and Jim Rice.

        Carter garnered 64.8 percent of the vote (missing by 53 votes) last season, and Rice got 57.8 percent (missing by 89).

        If a voter bases his or her selections on how dominant a player was in his era, Rice cannot be ignored. Over his first 11 seasons, he averaged 30 homers and 110 RBI and hit .305. He won three AL home run titles and two RBI titles in that span. He finished in the top five of the MVP voting six times, winning the award in 1978.

        Longtime Red Sox fans know the 1975 World Series might have turned out differently if Detroit pitcher Vern Ruhle had not broken Rice's wrist with a pitch down the stretch.

        Carlton Fisk's election to the Hall two years ago could pave the way for Carter, also a catcher. Carter had more 20-plus-homer seasons (nine) and more 100-RBI seasons (four) than Fisk (eight and two). His three Gold Gloves were two more than Fisk won.

        Two members of the 300-save club — Bruce Sutter (who got 47 percent of the vote) and Goose Gossage (44 percent) — also received significant support last year. With each passing season, closers seem to become more important. New York Yankees manager Joe Torre says it's impossible to contend without a reliable closer, and that sentiment is growing throughout baseball. Given that, the time might be right for Sutter and Gossage.

        It will be interesting to see if first-timer Andre Dawson gets in. He has some terrific credentials (438 homers, 1,591 RBI) and, as far as gamers go, he was an all-timer.

        Next year's list of Hall of Fame eligibles includes three likely first-ballot selections — Eddie Murray, Ryne Sandberg and Lee Smith.

Concepcion caught in Ozzie's shadow Hall of Fame awaits Ozzie Harnisch talks stall Reds Q & A with John Fay Sanders leaves D'backs for Giants

Improving Bengals offer hope for next season
Sept. 11 changed schedule, stakes
Keys to the game
Today could be Chad Johnson's day
Bengals-Titans by the numbers
Who's got the edge?
Titans' Matthews coy about retirement
Mark Curnutte's NFL picks
NFL power ratings
UC 72, East Carolina 62
Maxiell fills in just fine
Martin suspended for violence again
Xavier 66, Dayton 59
Sato settles down, then soars
Miami 100, Central Michigan 94
Mississippi St. 74, Kentucky 69
Sanders sets record in NKU victory
NKU women beat SIU-Edwardsville
What's next for Ohio State?
Best and worst of week in sports
Cyclones 9, Richmond 2
Mighty Ducks 3, Cleveland 0
Perfect Drift wins Turfway Prevue
Slominski retires as Fairfield golf pro
Sports events this week
HIGH SCHOOL PAGE
Taft's touched by an angel
Mason upsets No. 2 MND
Sycamore beats Seton on second chance
Cincinnati girls basketball roundup
Princeton beats No. 2 Hamilton
Cincinnati boys basketball roundup
Ohio boys basketball scores
Ohio girls basketball scores
N.Ky. boys basketball roundup
N.Ky. girls basketball roundup
Kentucky boys basketball scores
Kentucky girls basketball scores
Indiana boys basketball scores
Indiana girls basketball scores
This week's boys basketball schedule
This week's girls basketball schedule
Madeira wins own wrestling tourney
Cincinnati high school results

• Return to Reds front page...