Everyone who likes baseball a lot enjoys debating over what players are worthy of having their likeness hanging in the Hall of Fame for all eternity, or until the designated hitter rule is abolished.

Everyone who loves baseball understands, sadly enough, that the DH will last well into the planet’s next incarnation, and would be content with never seeing a career DH inducted into the Hall.

Setting aside the DH, which outlasted its usefulness at least one generation ago, casual and rabid fans have grumbled in agreement over the way voting for the Hall of Fame is done and, more specifically, who does it.

In short, they demand to know why only 10-year veterans of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America are the ones allowed to pass first judgment on who is worthy of a spot in Cooperstown.

(Candidates may also be voted in by the Veterans Committee, members of which tend to be a bit more lenient in their grading.)

Fans have also called for transparency in the voting process. From this corner, transparency is interpreted as making the voting public.

Having failed to find a reason why unfolding the secret ballot would pose a threat to humankind, mine included votes for the following players:

Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, Curt Schilling and John Smoltz.

Note: By design, steroids do not factor into my vote. The reasons have all been cited countless times by voters who share this opinion.

Mark McGwire did not receive my vote because his lone claim to greatness was hitting home runs during an era in which home runs have been stupendously devalued. Anyone who remembers when 20-home run seasons marked batters as top-shelf sluggers understands this. My oft-given rational includes the following:

McGwire hit 583 home runs while Jim Rice hit 382. McGwire drove in 1,414 runs, Rice drove in 1,451.

That statistical comparison is one patch of turf upon which sabermatricians may peacefully co-exist with those who believe that scouts know more about baseball than do many general managers.

Voting for the Hall of Fame is an honor that is taken seriously by anyone fortunate enough to have one. And, like any collection of scribes, we have our fundamental differences.

Some voters insist that no one should get in on the first ballot, a position that baffles me, but explains why no one – including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, and every other no-brainer – has been elected unanimously.

The voting results will be released Tuesday.

Feel free to use the contact info referenced below to let me know what a tremendous job I did this election.

Alan Greenwood can be reached at 594-6427 or agreenwood@nashuatelegraph.com. Also, follow Greenwood on Twitter (@Telegraph_AlanG).