Media: Baseball Writers Bar Le Batard, Daily Beast's Auriemma to WSJ

The Baseball Writers Association of America has suspended Miami Herald and ESPN reporter Dan Le Batard after he turned over his Baseball Hall of Fame ballot to Deadspin, for its readers to vote.

The group said it suspended Le Batard's membership for one year for "transferring his Hall of Fame ballot to an entity that has not earned voting status," citing authority under the BWAA constitution.

"In addition, Le Batard will not be allowed to vote on [HOF] candidates from this point on," said BWAA president La Velle Neal in a statement. "The [organization] regards Hall of Fame voting as the ultimate privilege, and any abuse of that privilege is unacceptable."

Le Batard, now a freelancer for the Herald and host of an ESPN radio show, said he turned over his vote to protest the process and its "avalanche of sanctimony that has swallowed it," especially over steroid use in the sport.

"Baseball is always reticent to change, but our flawed voting process needs remodeling in a new media world," he wrote on Deadspin.com, which conducted an online poll of readers to fill out Le Batard's ballot.

ESPN said it respects and appreciates Le Batard's opinions and passion about Hall of Fame voting, noting he received his voting privilege as a writer for the Herald. "We wouldn't have advocated his voting approach, which we were just made aware of [Jan. 8]."

Miami Herald executive sports editor Jorge Rojas said: “Whatever issues might be raised about the Hall of Fame voting process, we do not condone misrepresentation of any kind. Dan had a point to make. We think there are other ways he could have made it.”

Daily Beast's Auriemma to WSJ

Adam Auriemma managing editor for The Daily Beast, is moving to the Wall Street Journal as deputy chief in the Management bureau.

The unit covers executives and corporate leadership. Bureau cheief Nikki Waller said Auriemma will "help drive and reimagine our digital coverage, and will bring wit and punch to our management, careers and workplace stories on all platforms."

A former writer for Mediabistro who interned at The New Yorker and Interview Magazine, Auriemma spent four and a half years at the Daily Beast.