To the right is Ron Guidry's record of vote support in the Hall of Fame balloting, straight from the official website of the HOF. He was dropped from the ballot in 2002 after dipping below 5% support. Take a good look, and then consider the following:

Lew Burdette received 24.1 of the vote in 1984 and topped 20% in five other years. He became a starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Braves in 1954 and over the next 8 years went 142-90 (.612 win%) with a 104 ERA+. After that he bounced around for six years and was largely a punching bag - an 81 ERA+ (meaning that after adjusting for park factors his ERA was nearly 20% higher than the league average). He had a great Series in 1957, beating the Yankees three times. The Yankees took their revenge the next year, beating Burdette twice, including in game 7. There is no rational explanation for Burdette receiving nearly three times the HOF support Guidry did.

Dave Stewart received more HOF votes than Guidry over the last two years Guidry was on the ballot (2001 and 2002). He was a 20 game winner for four straight years for the great A's teams of the late '80s/early '90s. Aside from those four years he was a .500 pitcher with a higher than average ERA, never winning more than 12 games in a season. He was a good post-season pitcher, going 10-6, but was only 2-4 in the World Series. In what universe does Dave Stewart receive as many votes for the Hall as Ron Guidry?

Mickey Lolich received 25.5% of the vote in 1988 and topped 10% seven times. He had a great World Series in '68, winning three games and beating the great Gibson in game seven. He was considered one of the best pitchers in baseball in '71 and '72 (2nd and 3rd place Cy Young finishes) but at no other time. Take away those two years and he was barely a .500 pitcher even though he pitched for a Tigers team that averaged nearly 90 wins a season during his peak from '64 to '73. During his prime from '64 to '73 he had a .578 winning percentage for a Tigers franchise that had an average winning percentage of .550 over that period, displaying an almost Blyleven-like tendency to perform to the level of his team. In a rational world Guidry would outpoll Lolich in HOF balloting by a significant multiple.

Don Newcombe received 15.3% of the HOF vote in 1980 and topped 10% three other years. He anchored the pitching staff for the Boys of Summer in Brooklyn for 5 1/2 years between 1949 and 1956 (losing 2 1/2 years to the Army), winning 112 and losing only 48 with a 3.41 ERA (119 ERA+) during that span. He then went 37-42 over the last four years of his career to finish with a 149-90 record and 3.56 ERA. Newk was a great pitcher for a great team for 5 1/2 years, but is he more deserving of induction to the Hall than Ron Guidry?

Roy Face topped 10% seven times. He was probably the premier relief pitcher in the National League for five years in the late '50s/early '60s. He went 18-1 in 1959, but was a sub-.500 pitcher other than that. The Yankees pounded the crap out of him in the 1960 World Series, his only post-season appearance. Excuse that last statement - Roy Face was a great relief pitcher. But he wasn't Ron Guidry and there is no earthly explanation for why he routinely topped 10% in the HOF vote while Guidry never did.

Wilbur Wood received 6.3% of the vote in 1987. For four years in the early '70s he was the knuckleballing Iron Horse for the White Sox, averaging 22.5 wins and over 340 innings pitched per season. His career record was 164-156 with a 113 ERA+.

I loved Sparky Lyle, and have no problem with him getting 13.1 of the vote. Same for Elston Howard - great catcher for great Yankee teams, so 20.7% of the HOF seems reasonable? But can anyone explain why Guidry would receive significantly less support than either Lyle or Howard?

Johnny Sain - 34% of the vote in 1975. 139 career wins. .545 winning percentage. 106 ERA+. Truly mystifying.

Allie "Superchief" Reynolds finished at 25% or above for eight straight years, topping out at 33.6%. In many ways his stats are similar, though not as good, as Guidry's. What explains the vast disparity in their HOF votes? No disrespect to the Superchief, because I think he deserved every HOF vote he got, maybe more. Hell, I wouldn't be offended if they inducted Reynolds, Raschi and Lopat en masse - that rotation won five straight World Series! I just can't understand how Allie could get more than a third of the vote and Guidry never even hit double digits.

Johnny Vander Meer twice finished just shy of 30%. 119-121 career record. But apparently two straight no-hitters not only trumps a decade's worth of pitching pre-eminence in the American League, but trumps it handily.

Don Larsen topped 10% three times. He was 81-91 in his career, but was a Baseball God one afternoon in October 1956.

Bobo Newsom's HOF vote history is almost identical to Guidry's - an average of about 6% per year. Newsom's big claim to fame is that he led the league in losses four times. Bobo Newsom. Just incredible...Bobo Newsom? (Seriously, click here and look at Newsom's record and consider how amazing it is that HOF voters consider him the equal of Ron Guidry)

Bucky Walters got 23.7% of the vote in 1968. He was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 1939 and 1940, but look at the record - does he deserve triple the HOF support as Ron Guidry?

Mel Harder received 25.4% of the vote in 1964. He was a damn good pitcher for the Indians for about eight years in the 1930's, but...

Terry Moore received 11.7% of the vote in 1964. I'm a pretty big baseball fan, but who the hell was Terry Moore?