Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Minoso . . .

My baseball Hall of Fame ballot just arrived, and there are 30 names on it. Help me out here. I can vote for as many as 10, or for as few as none.

They are, alphabetically:

Dick (Richie) Allen, Bobby Bonds, Bob Boone, Dave Concepcion, Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Ken Griffey (Sr., obviously), Ron Guidry, Keith Hernandez, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Terry Kennedy, Mickey Lolich, Fred Lynn, Minnie Minoso, Graig Nettles, Phil Niekro, Dave Parker, Tony Perez, Terry Puhl, Rick Reuschel, Jim Rice, Ron Santo, Mike Scott, Rusty Staub, Bruce Sutter, Don Sutton, Gary Templeton, Luis Tiant and Joe Torre.

See any Hall of Famers there?

I do, but I’m not sure any will be inducted.

Nobody new in 1995 was voted into the Cooperstown shrine, with Niekro, Perez and Sutton coming the closest. This is Niekro’s fifth year on the ballot, Perez’s sixth and Sutton’s fourth.

The first-timers on the 1996 ballot are Evans, Griffey, Kennedy, Parker, Puhl, Reuschel, Scott and Templeton. The only last-timers are Allen and Torre, each in his 15th and final year of eligibility.

(Old-timers’ committees can elect players later, as they did a year ago with, for example, Jim Bunning.)

Voting for the Hall of Fame is a privilege and a problem. Am I qualified? Of course not. But neither is the typical fan who agrees or disagrees with my opinion, yet we all have strong opinions on certain players, yea or nay.

As long as I am lucky enough to have a vote, I take my responsibility seriously. One vote either way can tilt the outcome, as it once did for Nellie Fox.

The catch is this “vote for as many as 10” clause, which means a decision must be made whether to vote solely for a player who is worthy of the Hall, or to help keep a candidacy alive that might succeed with the passage of time, as perhaps it will this year for Niekro, Perez or Sutton.

To remain on the ballot, a player must obtain no less than 5% of the total vote. Therefore, let’s say I thought Niekro was no Henry Aaron, or even a Tom Seaver, and was not a first-ballot no-brainer. I might abstain for a year, then vote for him a year later.

Trouble is, if too many voters think the same way, a top player might receive so few votes that his candidacy is permanently marred. He might drop off the ballot. Or, more likely, other voters might be swayed by seeing how few people thought this player belonged in the Hall.

In a perfect world, all 30 of these players could have a plaque in Cooperstown.

I even know voters who always use up the full complement of 10 per ballot. One once told me he gave Jerry Remy a vote, if only so Remy’s children and grandchildren could know for eternity that he got consideration for the Hall of Fame. It was a gesture, not a statement.

My problem with that is, somebody sees the vote count, then writes in, “See how stupid you sportswriters are? One of you even thinks Jerry Remy belongs in Cooperstown.”

It is a no-win situation.

Do I believe Don Sutton belongs in the Hall of Fame? To be perfectly blunt, I am on the fence, and have been for years. Yet I vote for Sutton each time because I wouldn’t want to be responsible the day he fell one vote short. I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Statistics dance. Niekro’s supporters point to his 318-win total. They contrast it with Sandy Koufax’s 165 wins. How can you explain to such a person that admiration is like art, that you know what you like when you see it? Koufax was a lock, to most of us. Niekro’s a good pitcher with a great number.

Nonetheless, I vote for him.

I won’t lie to you: I’m nominating six this year. They are Sutton, Niekro, Perez, Santo, Garvey and Parker.

Look, I am as surprised as you are. Justifying a vote is the hardest thing I do. I read the research, then rely on instinct. For instance, I hadn’t planned on voting for Parker, until I took a longer look at the new Angel coach’s numbers. They are pretty close to Perez’s, although Parker played four fewer seasons.

So why not Rice, who hit .298 to Parker’s .290, had 43 more homers and nearly as many RBIs, in only 16 seasons to Parker’s 19? I can’t honestly say. It’s tricky. I might change my mind on Rice, eventually.

Defense, baserunning, intangibles, so many things count.

Perhaps no one will make it. A couple of years from now, Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount might all make it simultaneously, on the first ballot.

You want to start an argument? Ask yourself which active players are a lock. Eddie Murray? Cal Ripken Jr.? Ozzie Smith? (Might not be active.) Don Mattingly? (Ditto.) Tony Gwynn? Paul Molitor? Rickey Henderson? Roger Clemens? Dennis Eckersley? Lee Smith? Barry Bonds?

You might have fun with this. I did have fun with this, before I had a vote.