Marvin Miller might not get to see his Cooperstown plaque, but he'll get one someday

Marvin Miller, one day, will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It just won't be this year. And that is a shame.

Granted, getting in the Hall of Fame is a sort of popularity contest. And to a major part of the consituency, Miller is reviled, not revered. A 16-person Veterans Committee decided Monday that GM Pat Gillick deserves to be in the Hall of Fame - no real problem there - and that Miller, who changed pro baseball in a profound way, does not. By one vote.

And Miller, now 93, still is fiesty about the topic. Part of his statement Monday:

"Many years ago those who control the Hall decided to rewrite history instead of recording it The aim was to eradicate the history of the tremendous impact of the players' union on the progress and development of the game as a competitive sport, as entertainment, and as an industry."

The committee that selected Gillick, but not Miller (or George Steinbrenner) is made up of four baseball executives, four media members and eight Hall of Fame players. Their votes weren't made public, but all it took was one player or media member not to pick Miller, because it doesn't seem likely that too many baseball executives on the management side want to see that Hall of Fame plaque. Or maybe they just don't want the satisfaction of Miller getting the satisfaction of joining their club.

But they've got it so wrong.  If you make a list of five people who are the most influential in baseball history, it has to include Miller. (My five: Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Kennesaw Mountain Landis, Branch Rickey and Miller.) While some fans long for the nostalgic days of players staying with one team for their entire careers, it wasn't fair to the players. Miller balanced the scales of justice between the players and owners, finally killing the reserve clause that amounted to indentured servitude, and that move led to a growth in the game that made the owners just as much money as it did the players. The Steinbrenner family's Yankees wouldn't be worth billions without Miller.

For a great argument on why Miller deserves to be in Cooperstown, read Peter Gammons' take on the league's official site. Even Bud Selig, a former owner, acknowledges that Miller should be in the Hall of Fame.

Miller made too many enemies, and he'll likely pay by never getting to deliver a speech on the steps of the Hall of Fame. But posthumously, on the first ballot, they'll let him in. Count on it.