Frank Thomas always will be remembered to fans on the South Side of Chicago as the Big Hurt and arguably the greatest hitter in franchise history. As of 1 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Thomas also holds the distinction of the 28th player with White Sox ties to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Barry Bonds didn’t gain any ground as he came under the scrutiny of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in its annual voting for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his second year of eligibility. The all-time leader with 762 career homers and 73 in a single season, Bonds slipped slightly from 36.2 percent of the vote in his first appearance on the ballot to 34.7 in voting for the Class of 2014.

When Frank Thomas was 9 years old, he committed himself to becoming “a great pro baseball player.” He didn’t do it because of pure ambition; he found the drive for greatness out of loss.

At least for a few minutes, we need to give the Class of 2014 its due. While the voting process has many flaws, the voters elected three players who deserve enshrinement. So, let’s appreciate the careers of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.

A seemingly foregone conclusion became official on Wednesday, when Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine learned that they’d earned induction into the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

A Hall of Fame ballot acquired by Deadspin.com and submitted to the 2014 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election came from ESPN host and longtime newspaper columnist Dan Le Batard.

Named on 87 of the 571 ballots cast by Hall of Fame voters, Jeff Kent’s 15.2 percentage fell far short of the 75 percent needed for induction. Since this represented his first time on the ballot, he’ll have as many as 14 more chances — assuming his vote total never dips below 5 percent — to gain election.

One of the most majestic induction classes in the history of the National Baseball Hall of Fame was set on Wednesday with the announcement that Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas were elected by eligible writers of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, all of them by big margins.

The Dodgers continue to receive favorable medical reports on outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, shortstop Hanley Ramirez and starting pitcher Josh Beckett.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame electorate has once again said no to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. In fact, Hall of Fame voters have issued an even stronger message than the one they delivered in last year’s voting.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said he continues to have discussions with representatives for Clayton Kershaw and Hanley Ramirez regarding contract extensions, while also checking in on coveted Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka.

The 2015 ballot of candidates for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame will deliver another brushback pitch of reality that an era marked by home runs and slugging really was one flush with great pitching.

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on Wednesday confirmed manager Don Mattingly’s three-year contract in a news conference at Dodger Stadium while the skipper was snowed in back on his Indiana farm.

Craig Biggio, who was the face of the Astros for two decades and is arguably the greatest player to wear a Houston uniform, fell just shy of being elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in voting released Wednesday. Biggio appeared on 74.8 percent of the ballots of the voting members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, two votes short of the 75 percent needed to get elected.

Mike Mussina could be facing a long wait to hear a “Moose” call on the doorstep of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., as suggested by the voting results produced by the eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.

Bobby Cox had to be smiling Wednesday when it was announced that Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, who pitched together for him for a decade in Atlanta, along with slugger Frank Thomas, had been elected as first-time candidates and will join the former Braves skipper and managers Tony La Russa and Joe Torre this summer in Cooperstown.

Ever the realist, Curt Schilling proved to be prophetic when sizing up his Hall of Fame chances in a phone conversation a couple of months ago.