No Golden Era honors; Allen, Oliva both fall one vote short of Hall.

• Author: Rumberg, Howie
• Position: Sports

Byline: Howie Rumberg

SAN DIEGO -- The doors to baseball's Hall of Fame remained shut to this year's Golden Era committee candidates.

Nine players and one executive whose primary contributions were from 1947-72 all failed to receive the 75 percent of the vote needed for election.

''The results today are a reminder that election to the Hall of Fame is incredibly difficult and the highest honor an individual can receive in baseball,'' Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said after the voting was announced Monday at the annual winter meetings.

Dick Allen and Tony Oliva came closest, each receiving 11 of 16 votes, one shy of the 75 percent needed for election. Jim Kaat appeared on 10 ballots, Maury Wills nine and Minnie Minoso eight.

Ken Boyer, Gil Hodges, Billy Pierce and Luis Tiant each received three or fewer votes, as did the late Cincinnati Reds general manager Bob Howsam.

Each voter was allowed to choose up to four candidates in a secret ballot, meaning there were 64 possible votes in all.

Voters who deliberated at Sunday's confidential committee meeting included Hall of Famers Jim Bunning, Rod Carew, Pat Gillick, Ferguson Jenkins, Al Kaline, Joe Morgan, Ozzie Smith and Don Sutton; baseball executives Jim Frey, David Glass, Roland Hemond and Bob Watson; and media members Steve Hirdt, Dick Kaegel, Phil Pepe and Tracy Ringolsby.

''It was a very, very difficult decision for each and every member of the committee in this process,'' said Gillick, an executive in the Hall. ''I think there were very, very healthy conversations on each candidate -- the pros and and cons -- and most of the conversation yesterday was on the very, very positive of these candidates. It's just unfortunate that one or two didn't get in. I am disappointed, but again it points out how very, very difficult it is to earn a plaque in Cooperstown.''

The Golden Era committee met for the second time since the Veterans' Committee was reformatted in 2010 panels to consider three distinct eras. In 2011, Chicago Cubs great Ron Santo was elected by the Golden Era panel. Managers Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa were...