Dreyfuss elected to hall of fame, Murtaugh passed over again

Barney Dreyfuss, former owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates,  has been selected to join the Baseball hall of fame in 2008. His name was on 10 of 12 ballots, surpassing the 3/4 requirement. What is little known is that he came over from the Louisville Colonels after the 1899 season, opting to merge with another club rather than be contracted completely out of the league.

From the MLB.com artice:

Dreyfuss passed away in Pittsburgh in 1932 at the age of 66, serving as the team's president up until his death. He created the tradition of the World Series, became the National League's first vice president and helped direct the erection of one of baseball's storied ballparks and own a Major League franchise.

Dreyfuss' most widely known association with professional baseball came from the 32 years he spent as the president and general manager of the Pirates.

He arrived in Pittsburgh after investing in the American Association's Louisville Colonels and working his way up to full ownership of the team by 1899. But with baseball enduring a period of restructuring, Dreyfuss decided to prevent the Colonels from folding by merging the club with the Pirates. Dreyfuss purchased half ownership of the Pittsburgh club in 1900 and would assume full ownership very shortly after.

After beginning his association with the Pirates, Dreyfuss ushered in a group of players that included Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, Rube Waddell and Clarke, all of whom left Louisville to join the Pirates. With a total of 14 players moving in that particular transaction, Dreyfuss' move still remains the largest transaction in Pirates history.

As an owner of the Pirates, Dreyfuss watched his club win two World Series championships (1909 and 1925), claim six pennants and finish second or higher in the National League 13 times. Though Dreyfuss and the Pirates organization endured a string of frustrating seasons from 1914-1920, he was still always widely recognized as one of the best talent evaluators in the game.

The other news item was former Pirates Manager Danny Murtaugh not being selected this year, only netting 6 votes of 16 voters, 6 votes short of the 75% necessary for secection.  Murtaugh was manager during the 1960 and 1971 World Series seasons:

Former Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh was among 10 managers being considered for election. However, Murtaugh, who managed the Pirates for 15 seasons, received just six votes among a 16-member electorate.

"We are deeply disappointed that Danny Murtaugh was not elected to the Hall this year," Coonelly said. "Danny was one of the most successful managers in Major League Baseball history and we continue to believe that he will ultimately be recognized as such by the Hall of Fame."