Welcome to VoteTonyO!
By Fans, For Fans
VoteTonyO was started by a group of 12 fans in a suburban kitchen. Our mission is to help get Minnesota Twins Legend Tony Oliva in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Our first target was the 2011 Golden Era Committee vote. In the course of 3 weeks we launched a campaign that produced 26,000 website hits, 20,000 Facebook views, and over 100 Twitter followers. We encouraged fans to write letters of support for Tony to the 16 committee members. The response was astounding! Letters and post cards came pouring in across the country. Unfortunately, Tony was not inducted.
So what is the election process for Tony?
As of right now, the process is that every three years a “Screening Committee “ will create with 10 candidates from the “Golden Era,” of players coaches, umpires and executives who made their greatest contributions to the sport of baseball between 1947 and 1972. Then a 16-member voting committee made up of Hall of Famers, executives, baseball historians, and media members. The voting is based upon the individual’s record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game. Each committee member may vote for up to five candidates and all candidates receiving at least 75% or 12 votes will earn election.
The Hall of Fame is a Museum, and is not controlled by MLB, sportswriters etc. They are allowed to change their rules at any time, and in fact have done so on numerous occasions in regards to the Veterans Committee. It is our hope that the rules will change once again such that Tony does not have to wait until he is 76 to be up for election again.
But until that change occurs, we will focus on what we can control, which is shining light on a brilliant career. But what truly makes Tony a Hall of Famer is his character, integrity and contributions to the game. Our campaign will remind the public and the Veterans Committee that Tony Oliva belongs in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014!
About VoteTonyO.com
We are a group of friends, neighbors and fans of Tony Oliva, and are dedicated to educating the voters of the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee, and helping them understand why Tony belongs in the Hall of Fame. We are all volunteers, and all revenue generated goes toward expenses incurred in getting Tony elected to the Hall of Fame.
Please check out our site to find out more information about the campaign, Tony O, and how you can help!
