The 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame list was full of players with impressive careers but only one player made this year’s cut. Typically, 2-4 players will make it through the hall of fame list and into the famed Cooperstown but this year voters were very stingy allowing four non-players and only one former player to enter the coveted real estate.

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The Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum located in Cooperstown, New York was established in the late 1930s by one of the founders of the Singer Sewing to not only honor baseball’s greats but also to study the game. So far 289 former players, umpires and baseball executives have been enshrined in the hall of fame. Players are chosen each year when the Baseball Writers Association for America votes on elected members. To get into the baseball hall of fame players must be chosen on the top ten list from at least 75% of the reporters who vote in order to be inducted. To be considered for final election, players must have played at least ten years and have been retired a minimum of five years but a maximum of 21 years. There is also an adjunct committee designed to elect those that player from the World War II or earlier. This Veteran’s Committee elects players from the major league, minor leagues and the Negro League.

In 2008, there were several strong candidates that were passed over. The notables considered but that were not elected included greats Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Tommy John, Mark McGwire, Don Mattingly and Chuck Finley. Jim Rice, the longtime Boston Red Sox slugger who batter a career .297, was getting close to the cutoff since he retired 20 years ago. Brand new nominees included David Justice and Chuck Knoblauch. Though both were Rookies of the Year in the respective professional debuts, the BBWAA was not as kind. The tandem only made it on less than 1% of writer’s ballots.

The lone entrant in the baseball hall of fame players category in 2008 is Rich “Goose” Gossage. Earning the nickname “Goose” as a pun on his last name, he played for a variety of teams over his twenty two year pitching career. Known as one of the greatest relief pitchers in major league history he still sits near the top of the record book despite having last pitched in 1994. His greatest years were with the New York Yankees and then the San Diego Padres. He amassed over 300 saves in his career, and finished in the top three in history for relievers for most games pitched, most strikeouts, and in wins.

The winners for 2009 entry into the hall of fame were announced in January of 2009. The BBWAA elected Rickey Henderson and a very relieved Jim Rice for inclusion in a ceremony in to be held in July in New York and the Veterans’ Association picked Joe Gordon. All three will be inducted with past hall of fame inductees in the audience.