By WFAN.com
Even Mariano Rivera's most vocal critic among Hall of Fame voters is now backing the Yankees great.
In November, Bill Ballou of The Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Massachusetts, caused a stir by writing that he did not plan to vote for Rivera but would not submit a ballot, therefore not hurting the all-time saves leader's chances of becoming the first-ever unanimous selection to Cooperstown.
"He has had a long career, albeit in a role I do not value, a role I equate with a PAT kicker in football or a shootout guy in hockey," Ballou wrote then. "Rivera could be the first Hall of Famer elected unanimously. I think I'm right about closers, but not so much that I would deny Rivera a chance to be the first unanimous Hall of Famer."
But Ballou has had a change of heart and wrote Tuesday that he did indeed submit a ballot and voted for Rivera.
MORE: 5 Greatest Mo-ments In Mariano Rivera's Career
Ballou wrote that he was swayed by the feedback he received after his November column. That feedback included that abstaining was worse because it would hurt other candidates and that Rivera's longevity and postseason history should be weighed heavily.
"Lost a little bit in the internet outrage was the fact that despite that fact that I distrust the save as an indicator of greatness, I could not bring myself to vote against the Yankees' closer," Ballou wrote. "So, if I were going to vote, the ballot had to include his name."
This year's Hall of Fame class will be announced Tuesday evening.
The closest anyone has ever come to a unanimous election was Ken Griffey Jr., who received 99.3 percent of the vote in 2016.
Ballou wrote that he also voted for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Roy Halladay and Manny Ramirez this year.
