Impure votes
The writers who both cover Major League Baseball and decide its individual awards say they won't honor players whose contracts have bonus clauses tied to those honors. (http://www.examiner.com/a-1088342~Baseball_writers_vote_to_get_out_of_the_bonus_business.html) The writers don't want to appear beholden. But isn't there already a potential for bias among writers chummy with (or annoyed at) certain players? Why don't the writers see the bigger picture? Reporters should cover the news, not create it. Some major newspapers already understand this and prohibit their reporters from voting.