Jack Morris knows his sometimes cantankerous mood around reporters as a player might have hurt his chances at getting into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It would bother him more if it was something else. "I think my relationships with the press probably had something to do with it," Morris said a couple of years ago. "And I regret that. That was then. I was an ornery crank, no question about it. I did it to protect my players. I wish I could go back and do it over. But if you're voting on my personality, I can understand your argument."

There was a time during the late 1970s when Dave Parker was arguably the best player in baseball, and he seemed destined to one day be immortalized in the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame. An intimidating 6-foot-6, 235-pound right fielder with a sweet swing and powerful arm, there was nothing Parker couldn't do on the baseball diamond during his prime. He epitomized the term "five-tool player." In a 1978 poll of general managers, he was selected as the best player in the game. However, after 12 years on the Baseball Writers' Association of America's Hall of Fame ballot, the man known as "The Cobra" is still waiting for the writers to punch his ticket to Cooperstown. His highest vote total percentage was 24.5 percent in 1998. A candidate must get 75 percent of the vote to gain election. Results of the 2007 BBWAA Hall of Fame election will be announced Jan. 8, and the induction ceremony will take place on July 27 in Cooperstown.

When Dale Murphy was playing in Atlanta, he was as beloved as any player in Braves history. Along with being one of the National League's finest players, Murphy further endeared himself to his fans with the genuine dedication that he showed to his community. There may have been a short period during the 1980s, when Murphy seemed to be a cinch for future Hall of Fame induction. But since being placed on the ballot in 1999, he's never received more than 24 percent of the votes. To be enshrined, a player must receive support from 75 percent of the voters. In 2007, Murphy's name was listed on only 9.2 percent (50 votes) of the ballots. His best year in terms of Hall of Fame balloting came in 2000, when he was listed on 23.2 percent of the ballots. Murphy hasn't gotten as much as 15 percent of the vote since 2001.

It's become an annual tradition, of sorts, for Bert Blyleven at this time of year. That is to wait and see if this will indeed be the year that his long wait to get into Cooperstown has finally ended. In his 11th year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Blyleven is still hoping for the one honor that is noticeably missing from his 22-year career. There are many people who have wondered why Blyleven has yet to receive enshrinement in Cooperstown. In a career that spanned from 1970-92 with the Twins, Rangers, Pirates, Indians and Angels, he's in the top end of almost every all-time pitching category.

At some point, having more wins than anyone not in the National Baseball Hall of Fame loses its distinction and becomes just a festering frustration. Tommy John, winner of 288 games, reached that point a long time ago. And he still appears a better bet to make the American Medical Association's Hall of Fame than baseball's. As a pitcher, consistency was his chief asset. He won 13-plus games 11 times, with an amazing 22 seasons spanning the first (1965) and last (1987). As a Cooperstown candidate, John has been just as consistent which, in this case, isn't such a good thing. The left-hander is in his 14th year on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot, making this his next-to-last shot at being voted in by the writers. He reached his highest vote total percentage of 29.61 in 2006, but his annual support has been in that same range since his first year of eligibility, in 1995.

Any mention of Rod Beck among his former teammates will inevitably prompt a recollection of the right-hander's down-to-earth demeanor. "He had an everyman type of personality to where he didn't take himself very seriously," said Brian Johnson, who caught Beck during the 1997 season with the Giants. "That's what endeared him to everybody." Beck, who died in June at the age of 38, also will be remembered for his pitching, the skill that gave him his inaugural appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2008. Beck ranks 23rd all-time with 286 saves. He recorded each one with style, staring intently toward home plate while his right arm swayed at his side like a pendulum. With his Fu Manchu mustache and flowing hair, he looked like an old West gunslinger, which was the word Giants' broadcaster Mike Krukow cited to explain Beck's nickname, "Shooter." "That's the way he approached everything," Krukow said shortly after Beck died. "He had a huge heart, a Hall of Fame heart."

The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee announced on Monday the election of five men to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Former Pittsburgh Pirates' owner Barney Dreyfuss, former Dodgers' owner Walter O'Malley, former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and former managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth each received the honor.