Hall of Fame announcement open thread

It is a big baseball day today with the results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting being released tonight. You can watch the results come in on MLB Network starting at 6:00 PM ET, and you can certainly discuss what you are expecting and feeling about tonight in the comments below. Obviously there is some stuff with certain players on the ballot this year on which discussion can get a little heated and out of control, so remember to be respectful of one another. We will be monitoring these comments as best we can.

With that being said, fans of the Boston Red Sox in particular are going to be extra tuned in for this year’s results with David Ortiz on the ballot for the first time. Based on the early votes which have been made public, it looks like he has a solid chance to make it, but by no means is it a foregone conclusion. Right now, if I were a betting man I’d probably be placing my bets on him being the only player to make it in.

Along with Ortiz, there are plenty of other former Red Sox on the ballots. The other most notable three are Curt Schilling, Roger Clemens, and Manny Ramirez. For the first two, it is their last year on the ballot and there are off-the-field issues for both (as well as steroid connections for Clemens) that is likely to keep them off. For Schilling’s part, after just missing the cut last year he indicated he no longer wanted to be on the ballot, though the BBWAA did not take him up on that request. As for Ramirez, his own connections to steroids are likely to keep him below the 75 percent threshold.

The other former Red Sox on this year’s ballot are: Carl Crawford, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Peavy, A.J. Pierzynski, and Billy Wagner. The full ballot is below.

Let’s hope for good news for Ortiz!