Derek Jeter leads the newcomers on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

Former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is among 18 otherwise lackluster newcomers on the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and is an overwhelming favorite to be elected.

Jeter batted .310 with 3,465 hits in 20 seasons, won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1996, was a 14-time All-Star and helped guide the Yankees to five World Series titles. Other than that, he didn’t accomplish much.

The other newcomers on the ballot: Bobby Abreu, Josh Beckett, Heath Bell, Eric Chávez, Adam Dunn, Chone Figgins, Rafael Furcal, Jason Giambi, Raúl Ibañez, Paul Konerko, Cliff Lee, Carlos Peña, Brad Penny, J.J. Putz, Brian Roberts, Alfonso Soriano and José Valverde. None of those players are likely to be elected.

Among the players returning to the ballot are Curt Schilling, who received 60.9% of votes last year (you need 75% to be elected); Roger Clemens (59.5%); Barry Bonds (59.1%) and Larry Walker (54.6%). Walker is on the ballot for the 10th and final time. Others returning are: Todd Helton, Andruw Jones, Jeff Kent, Andy Pettitte, Manny Ramirez, Scott Rolen, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Omar Vizquel and Billy Wagner.

In other words, it looks like Jeter will be the only player elected this year from the main ballot.

Results will be announced Jan. 21.

Good cause

On Sunday, San Francisco 49ers star Richard Sherman learned through Twitter of a Pop Warner football team in Compton that was trying to raise money to cover expenses for traveling to Florida for the National Youth Championship.

When Sherman read about the team and its goal, the squad had raised $700 of the $15,000 it needed. He immediately donated $5,000 and retweeted the link to the team’s GoFundMe page. Oakland Raiders defensive back Keisean Nixon saw it and donated $2,000. Football fans soon followed, donating $5 or whatever they could afford.

As of Monday evening, the team had raised more than $27,000.

So it appears that on rare occasions, social media can be a good thing.

Your favorite sports moment

What is your all-time favorite local sports moment? Email me at [email protected] and tell me what it is and why, and it could appear in a future Sports newsletter or Morning Briefing.

This moment comes from Mark Powell:

On a Saturday afternoon in early December 1948, while serving in the U.S. Air Force at Fairbanks, Alaska, I tuned the radio (sorry — no TV then) to the USC-Notre Dame football game being held in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Notre Dame was unbeaten and untied and tended to dominate college football in the early years post WWII and, as expected, was favored over a good but not great USC team.

Surprisingly, the score was 7-7 until the final minutes of the fourth quarter when USC scored a touchdown for a 14-7 lead. Bedlam ensued. The radio announcer placed his microphone outside facing the crowd and the roar of 100,000+ people was absolutely deafening and continued for at least five minutes.

This happened 71 years ago and in all of my 91 years I have never before and have not since experienced a vocal expression of that magnitude.

By the way, with all its talent, Notre Dame scored again in the final minute and the game ended in a 14-14 tie.