2013 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

The BBWAA ballot was announced on November 28, 2012. The BBWAA was authorized to elect players active in 1993 or later, but not after 2007; the ballot included candidates from the 2012 ballot who received at least 5% of the vote but were not elected, along with selected players, chosen by a screening committee, whose last appearance was in 2007. All 10-year members of the BBWAA were eligible to vote, and had until December 31, 2012, to return their ballots to the Hall. ESPN.com columnist Jim Caple noted in the days before the announcement of the 2012 results that the PED issue, combined with the BBWAA's limit of 10 votes per ballot, was likely to result in a major backlog in upcoming elections: Several other players returning from the 2012 ballot with otherwise strong Hall credentials have been linked to PEDs, among them Mark McGwire (who admitted to long-term steroid use in 2010), Jeff Bagwell (who never tested positive, but was the subject of PED rumors during his career), and Rafael Palmeiro (who tested positive for stanozolol shortly after publicly denying that he had ever used steroids). Players who were eligible for the first time who were not included on the ballot were: Antonio Alfonseca, Tony Batista, Mark Bellhorn, Hector Carrasco, Alberto Castillo, Rhéal Cormier, Juan Encarnación, Robert Fick, Steve Kline, Ricky Ledée, Mike Lieberthal, John Mabry, Tom Martin, Damian Miller, Doug Mirabelli, Mike Myers, Orlando Palmeiro, Neifi Pérez, Desi Relaford, Paul Shuey, Scott Spiezio, Kelly Stinnett, John Thomson, José Valentín, John Wasdin, Rick White, Bob Wickman, Preston Wilson, Jay Witasick, and Jaret Wright. ==Pre-Integration Committee==

In keeping with the new voting procedure by eras, the BBWAA-appointed Historical Overview Committee, made up of 11 BBWAA members, identified ten Pre-Integration candidates who were judged to have made their greatest contributions prior to 1947. Along with the era, these rules defined the consideration set: The Pre-Integration ballot for election by the Pre-Integration Committee was released on November 1, 2012, Dahlen received 10 of 16 votes, the highest total of anyone not elected; no one else received more than three votes. ==J. G. Taylor Spink Award==

The J. G. Taylor Spink Award has been presented by the BBWAA at the annual summer induction ceremonies since 1962. Through 2010, it was awarded during the main induction ceremony, but is now given the previous day at the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation. It recognizes a sportswriter "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing". The recipients are not members of the Hall of Fame but are featured in a permanent exhibit at the National Baseball Museum. The three nominees for the 2013 award were selected by a BBWAA committee and announced on July 10, 2012, at the BBWAA's annual All-Star Game meeting. They were Paul Hagen of MLB.com; Jim Hawkins, formerly of the Detroit Free Press; and Russell Schneider, formerly of The Plain Dealer of Cleveland. It was the second consecutive nomination for both Hagen and Schneider. Following the announcement of the nominees, the entire BBWAA membership voted in fall 2012 to determine the recipient. Under BBWAA rules, the winner was to be announced either during the 2012 World Series or at the 2012 winter meetings; in keeping with the practice of recent years, the announcement was made at the winter meetings. Hawkins received 87 votes and Schneider 60. Hagen began his career in 1974 with the San Bernardino Sun, covering the Los Angeles Dodgers. He moved in 1977 to Dallas–Fort Worth, covering the Texas Rangers first for the Dallas Times Herald and later the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. From there, he moved to Philadelphia in 1987, covering the Phillies for the Philadelphia Daily News before becoming that paper's national baseball columnist in 2002. After a 25-year career at the Daily News, he joined MLB.com in 2012. ==Ford C. Frick Award==

The Ford C. Frick Award, honoring excellence in baseball broadcasting, has been presented at the induction ceremonies since 1978. Through 2010, it had been presented at the main induction ceremony, but is now awarded at the Awards Presentation. Recipients are not members of the Hall of Fame but are permanently recognized in an exhibit at the museum. To be eligible, an active or retired broadcaster must have a minimum of 10 years of continuous major league broadcast service with a ball club, a network, or a combination of the two. The honor is based on four criteria: longevity; continuity with a club; honors, including national assignments such as the World Series and All-Star Games; and popularity with fans. The recipient was announced on during the 2012 winter meetings, following a vote by the same committee that selected seven of the finalists (below). Ten finalists were announced on October 9, 2012. • Committee selections: • Ken Coleman • John Gordon • Graham McNamee • Eric Nadel • Eduardo Ortega • Mike Shannon • Dewayne Staats • Fan selections: • Tom Cheek • Jacques Doucet • Bill King Six candidates were living when the ballot was announced—the active Doucet, Nadel, Ortega, Shannon, and Staats; and the retired Gordon. During this tenure he had a 27-year streak of 4,306 consecutive games plus 41 post-season games called, which lasted from the first ever Blue Jays game on April 7, 1977, to June 3, 2004, when he traveled to Salinas, California, for his father's funeral. Cheek was forced to retire shortly after the funeral when he discovered he had a brain tumor, and he died in 2005. Just before his death in 2005, Canada's Sports Hall of Fame created the Tom Cheek Media Leadership Award, with Cheek as its first recipient. ==Notes and references==