The Baseball Writers’ Association of America-the people who vote players into the Hall of Fame-are a notoriously stingy bunch. Last year, nobody hit the 75 percent threshold needed to get in. This year, there will be three inductees-all appearing on the ballot for the first time. Greg Maddox began his career as a Cub. The team let him go-another epic mistake in Cubs history. Maddox went on to a have a brilliant 23-year career, and is considered by many to be the greatest pitcher of his generation. But the biggest cheers were heard on the South Side, because the White Sox’s Frank Thomas got the nod. Known as “The Big Hurt” for the hurt he put on the ball, Thomas was clean power in an era of dirty steroid use. He was the MVP of the American League twice, had a lifetime average of 301 with 521 homers and 1,704 RBIs in 19 seasons-most of them with the Sox. Photo:Flickr/BaseballBacks