Lynn Henning of the Detroit News joins Buster Olney in boycotting the Hall of Fame vote this year, saying the existing system punishes worthy players:

And so, after considerable thought and after one man’s earnest efforts for the past year to rid voters of this man-made obstruction to simple justice went nowhere, I’ve decided, no.

No more participation in a deeply flawed, abjectly negative exercise. There is no dignity in deciding among 13 worthy Hall of Famers which three are less worthy than the 10 whom some people, at some former time, decided must be my quota for a given year.

And, so, reluctantly and distressingly, for the first time in 25 years I’m not sending in a Hall of Fame ballot.

A once-happy, interesting, even exciting privilege and responsibility, has become a negative act resistant to simple, reasonable, ultimately necessary repairs.

If he had been able to submit all he felt worthy, Henning would have voted for Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Jeff Kent, Edgar Martinez, Pedro Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines, John Smoltz and Alan Trammell.

The question now is: Will others join Olney and Henning? And, if so, will it force change?

(h/t HardballTalk)