Joe Mauer to Hall of Fame? La Velle E. Neal III will keep vote private ... until the very end

I am pleased to reveal to all of you today, in order to be as transparent as possible, that I voted for seven players whom I believe should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

What's that? You want names? Nice try, but it's not happening.

Approximately 400 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have handed in their ballots for the class of 2024. And each voter is allowed to do what they want with his or her ballot. Many agree to have their ballots posted on the BBWAA website two weeks following the announcement. Many choose to post their ballots on social media upon completion. Some write accompanying stories in which they reveal their reasoning for their selections and omissions. I've long believed that this is a clever way for some writers to prove to their editors that they aren't taking the winter off.

These reveals have led to the creation of the Hall of Fame Tracker, operated by Ryan Thibodaux. Thibodaux does tireless work as he scours the interwebs for writers who have posted their ballots. About 25% of all ballots have been discovered and tabulated on his site.

I have no beef with Thibodaux. And the folks in Cooperstown, N.Y., probably don't mind having Hall of Fame talk during the holidays. Fans are enjoying the transparency, and want more. Many clamor on social media for all voters to reveal their ballots. And local fans are keenly interested in this particular election because one Joseph Patrick Mauer of the St. Paul Mauers is on the ballot for the first time.

Fans will get their wish. I will reveal my selection of seven on Jan. 23, the day the Hall of Fame announces its next class, and not before.

That doesn't seem to be enough for some people, who continue to ask for my selections. Those calling for transparency will get it — on Jan. 23.

I do commend fans for their passion. This is more evidence that the demise of baseball as the national pastime is greatly exaggerated. It's the most scrutinized of all the professional sports, right down to voting processes. It's also much more transparent than how other pro sports evaluate their legends.

The NFL relies on a 50-person committee to select its inductees and never reveals its votes. The NHL, per its website, states that votes for its Hall of Fame will not be released publicly. The NBA? Completely cloaked in anonymity.

Baseball is the only sport where its voters can write stories about their deliberations. Yet fans want to look over your shoulder as you fill out a ballot.

I choose to wait until announcement day to reveal my selections because I feel that Jan. 23 is the second most important day of the year for the Cooperstown folks, next to the induction day. And the Hall deserves to bask in the moment.

I choose to wait until Jan. 23 out of respect for the candidates. I wouldn't want to care about how the cake is baked, I would want to know if I get a slice. Torii Hunter needs 5% of the vote to remain on the ballot, and he has to watch his last stand take place online as votes trickle in. Gary Sheffield is in his final year on the ballot. Someone in his camp is monitoring the results. I wouldn't want the spoiler alerts, if the poll is trending the wrong way.

I choose to wait until Jan. 23 to avoid being part of a process that provides false hope. Thibodaux even admitted to the Star Tribune's Phil Miller last week that the final percentages announced by the Hall are less than the numbers he's able to cull from writers.

Take it from someone who knows a thing or two about voting. It's better to wait until all votes are counted before we start planning parades and organizing victory parties.

So you'll have to wait until Jan. 23 to discover that I, indeed, voted for Mauer.