I wondered how ESPN conducts its "polls"

"Telephone Polls" ESPN takes about blacks and whites. How do they determine a person's skin color over the phone? They don't explain here. (May 16, 2007).
The poll they use for comparison was from a different company, and they don't give any details about it except that it was "similar." That's not good enough, especially when you're ABC/ESPN and you'll be using the RESULTS OF YOUR OWN POLL TO MAKE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS. YOU CLAIM IT REFLECTS THE CULTURE, BUT THAT'S SIMPLY YOUR DESIRE AND YOUR OPINION. YOUR POLLING METHODS ARE NOT WORTHY OF CONCLUSIVENESS. One of the many who help you out is Sports Illustrated:

• Sports Illustrated picks up ESPN's telephone poll about blacks and whites. (May 7, 2007).

Padres fans keep ESPN aware they care about polls. Polls are important to Padres fans. ESPN obeys Padres fans. (Gaslamp blog, 5/31/07).

• ESPN's poll about Imus, which was pretty funny. Another blog noticed it. April 13, 2007. Posted by Laremylegel.com.

Then ESPN.com has a poll in Jan. 2007 for internet fans to vote for whom should be in the HOF. BUT ESPN EXCLUDES ALL POSTSEASON STATS. THEY HAVE A HOF LOGO, ARE CONSIDERED THE DEFINING SOURCE OF SPORTS INFORMATION, YET THEY EXCLUDE THE POST SEASON. THEY ROUTINELY DO THIS ON TELEVISION AND IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF BASEBALL NEWS. AS ONE OF THEIR SELECTED 'WRITERS.' JOHN DELCOS, NOTED IN A SUBSEQUENT POLL BEGGING THAT THEIR BUDDY TREVOR BE INCLUDED IN THE HOF,

• POST SEASON ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ONE PLAYER/PITCHER CAN RUIN IT FOR ALL OTHERS OF THE ERA (Delcos). THIS IS HOW DESPERATE THE ROUND THE CLOCK HOFFMAN PR CAMPAIGN IS. Not only do they hide the postseason stats from you, they want you to resent and feel mislead by someone OF THE SAME ERA WHO OUTPERFORMED HOFFMAN IN THE POSTSEASON. HOFFMAN HAD HIS CHANCES IN THE POSTSEASON. HE HAS A RECORD. WHY DON'T YOU CHECK IT OUT, ESPN? Has the Hall of Fame objected to incorrect portrayal of players' work?
  

Who should be in the Hall?

More Hall of Fame polls Hall of Fame Ballot Least Deserving HoFers? Hall of Fame Snubs? Steroids in the Hall? Hall Results?

Another year, another class of Baseball Hall of Fame hopefuls and another year without Pete Rose. Who will enter Cooperstown's hallowed halls this time around?

In order for a player to be elected to the Hall of Fame, he must obtain votes on at least 75 percent of ballots cast from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Candidates may remain on the ballot for a maximum of 15 years. A candidate must obtain votes on at least five percent of ballots cast to remain on the ballot.

We've listed all of the official candidates below. Check the names of those players you feel deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Click on the names for career stats.

Can't believe another year has gone by? Check out how SportsNation voted last year.

Which players would get your Hall of Fame vote? (Check all that apply)

	Harold Baines: .289 Avg, 384 HR, 1,628 RBI
	Albert Belle: .295 Avg., 381 HR, 1,239 RBI
	Dante Bichette: .299 Avg., 274 HR, 1,141 RBI
	Bert Blyleven: 287-250, 3.31 ERA, 3,701 K
	Bobby Bonilla: .279 Avg., 287 HR, 1,173 RBI
	Scott Brosius: .257 Avg., 141 HR, 531 RBI, 1 Gold Glove
	Jay Buhner: .254 Avg., 310 HR, 965 RBI, 1 Gold Glove
	Ken Caminiti: .272 Avg., 239 HR, 983 RBI, 3 Gold Gloves, 1 MVP
	Jose Canseco: .266 Avg., 462 HR, 1,407 RBI, 1 Rookie of the Year, 1 MVP
	Dave Concepcion: .267 Avg., 321 SB, 950 RBI, 5 Gold Gloves
	Eric Davis: .269 Avg, 282 HR, 349 SB, 3 Gold Gloves
	Andre Dawson: .279 Avg., 2,774 H, 438 HR, 1,591 RBI, 314 SB, 8 Gold Gloves, 1 MVP
	Tony Fernandez: .288 Avg., 2,276 H, 1,057 R, 4 Gold Gloves
	Steve Garvey: .294 Avg., 2,599 H, 272 HR, 1,143 R, 4 Gold Gloves, 1 MVP
	Rich Gossage: 124-107, 3.00 ERA, 310 saves
	Tony Gwynn: .338 Avg., 3,141 H, 5 Gold Gloves
	Orel Hershiser: 204-150, 3.48 ERA, 2,014 SO, 1 Gold Glove, 1 Cy Young
	Tommy John: 288-231, 3.34 ERA, 2,245 SO, 162 CG
	Wally Joyner: 289 Avg., 2,060 Hits, 1,106 RBI

(The list to vote on continued, but you get the idea). I clicked on Gossage's name as they indicated, and their page of stats made NO MENTION THAT THE POST SEASON EVEN EXISTED. Yes, it doesn't matter in the communist country you live in, but I don't live in a country where all information comes from 1 source. The HOF logo is displayed on this ESPN page with official stats WITH WHICH YOU'RE TO JUDGE.

• WHEN DID THE HOF SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDE POST SEASON STATS IN JUDGING PLAYERS? WHY ARE THEY ALLOWING ESPN TO DEFAME PLAYERS' LIFE'S WORK? IF I WERE ANY OF THE PLAYERS ON THIS LIST, I'D SUE BOTH ESPN AND THE HOF FOR LIBEL. This poll is from 1/9/07, and the stats page for Gossage ALSO FAILED TO MENTION 2 MAJOR AWARDS GOSSAGE RECEIVED--in 1975 and 1978 he received The Fireman of the Year from The Sporting News, their reward for relievers. ESPN/HOF only listed his 1 award for Rolaids Relief in 1978. I checked Orel Hershiser's page they linked to--also NO MENTION OF HIS SUBSTANTIAL POSTSEASON RECORD NOR A COUPLE OF OTHER AWARDS HE RECEIVED. If you're still reading this and not outraged, then you're one or more of the following:

• Either receive or would like to receive income from ESPN or MLB.

• Either are or hope to be a member of BBWAA.

• Either are or hope to be selling your writing to a mass baseball audience and want to be liked by the powerful baseball media.

• Are reading this from the Day Room of a mental hospital or your mother's basement.

SportsNation? Right.