I write to commend Aaron’s posts and recent column on baseball. I agree that it is a near-crime that Lee Smith isn’t in the Hall of Fame, and I also would vote in Alan Trammell in a heartbeat. If those two don’t get in, there is no justice. For years I have wavered on most of the others on his list: Al Oliver really deserves serious consideration, as does Lou Whitaker. I had not considered Ted Simmons seriously before, but I could be persuaded. But all three probably are at best on the bubble: It’s hard to say it’s an absolute injustice if they don’t make it. When you think about it, letting them in opens a Pandora’s box of equally qualified players who, if all were allowed in, would dilute the specialness of the Hall. If Oliver is in with his .303 average and 219 homers, why not Will Clark, with a .303 average, 284 homers, and OBP and slugging percentages significantly higher than Oliver’s? If Simmons is in, what about Manny Sanguillen, whose lifetime batting average was higher and who performed very well in a host of post-season appearances while winning two World Series rings? A line must be drawn somewhere, and the merely “very very good” probably shouldn’t get in. Still, Aaron writes persuasively and entertainingly on these and other sports/cultural issues, and I love the discussions! That said, the biggest crime is that the recently deceased Ron Santo isn’t in the Hall. Third baseman are terribly under-represented, and he was head and shoulders one of the best for several generations.