Trying to cut annual nominee list to 25 candidates

	Thurman Thomas was a finalist for Hall of Fame induction in 2006, but didn't get enough votes to be enshrined. Rick Stewart/Getty Images
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I just opened my yearly package of misery. It comes from the Hall of Fame and it's called the Preliminary nomination list for the Class of 2007.

A brief perusal shows me that once again Eddie DeBartolo, a convicted felon who had the good fortune to own the San Francisco 49ers, marches shoulder to shoulder on the list with Clark Shaughnessy, who 66 years ago conceived and implemented the offense that remains in play today.

Eddie is on as a returning nominee. Shaughnessy is included because I nominated him. Nominated him? I did more than that. I spent some time in the offseason writing letters to the Seniors Committee to please take a look at what Shaughnessy did for football -- he brought in the modern T-formation with a man in motion in 1940 (1940, for God's sake!) -- and why he'd be the most logical Seniors candidate you could propose. So who are their candidates? Gene Hickerson, a guard who was not as good as Bob Kuechenberg, who keeps climbing the ladder and getting chopped at the end, and Charlie Sanders, a tight end who wasn't as good as Todd Christensen, who never has even made it to the finals.

Am I bitter? Yeah, every year at this time, when I see some of the names that appear on this list. They'll be chopped to 25 this month, then to the 17 finalists (15 moderns, two seniors) who will become subjects of the debate from which a maximum of six enshrinees will emerge on Feb. 3, 2007, when our Selection Committee has its final meeting.

Right now there's a huge collection of names, many of which appear because some poor fool, such as your faithful narrator, sent his name in. Thus we have people such as C.O. Brocato, a longtime scouting coordinator, and replay official Rex Stuart, entries I classify as "time wasters." I won't include them in this massive and slightly loony report the HoF has supplied us.

Instead I'll try to narrow the list of 120 down to the 25 or so I've chosen to move to the next round.

Quarterbacks

I'll give you a tip. Elvis Grbac, whose name appears on the list of first-time eligibles, will not make it. Guaranteed. So from this list of 11, I have checked off only one, Ken Anderson, and I hope he reaches the final round.

Running Backs

Nine names listed, and I've got one definite, Thurman Thomas, and one maybe, Terrell Davis. Thomas should be one of the strongest candidates of the entire list of nominees. Why he hasn't made it into the Hall before this puzzles me. He was the glue that held the Bills' K-Gun offense together, the run in the run 'n' shoot; an exciting, productive back. Davis had only four functional years of a seven-year career, but wow, were they ever outstanding. And the Broncos rode to a pair of Super Bowl triumphs on his coattails. His injury-plagued career was short, too short. The debate will be lively about whether or not he played enough years to merit consideration. I'm not sure how I'll go.