Dan Le Batard, the ESPN host who gave his ballot to the web site Deadspin so its readers could cast a Hall of Fame ballot, will no longer be allowed to vote on Hall of Fame candidates and has been suspended for one year by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
"The BBWAA Board of Directors has decided to remove Dan Le Batard's membership for one year, for transferring his Hall of Fame ballot to an entity that has not earned voting status," said BBWAA president La Velle E. Neal III, who covers baseball for the Star Tribune. "The punishment is allowed under the organization's constitution."
Neal added: "The BBWAA regards Hall of Fame voting as the ultimate privilege, and any abuse of that privilege is unacceptable."
To qualify for Hall of Fame voting, a person must be a member of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years.
Le Batard told Deadspin that he gave away his vote to call attention to issues with the voting process.
"Baseball is always reticent to change, but our flawed voting process needs remodeling in a new media world," he said. "Besides, every year the power is abused the way I'm going to be alleged to abuse it here."
The Deadspin Hall of Fame ballot was cast for Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Curt Schilling.
Maddux, Thomas and Glavine were elected in voting announced Wednesday; Biggio fell two votes short.
