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Baseball Hall of Fame rule changes could help Buck O'Neil, others

Alan Trammell could have been a happy man this weekend. So could many stars from baseball’s Steroid Era, chiefly Mark McGwire, as well as any descendants or friends of late, great Negro League ambassador Buck O’Neil.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Board of Directors announced a series of rule changes on Saturday during its annual induction weekend, changes primarily designed to have its Era Committees place “much greater emphasis on modern eras.”

Previously, the Hall of Fame had split its veteran vote into three committees-- Pre-Integration Era, spanning 1871-1946; Golden Era, spanning 1947-1972; and Expansion Era, spanning 1973-2016-- which each voted every three years, on a rotating basis.