The JCPenney/Van Heusen Fans Choice voting has reached its second round, as they've narrowed their list of candidates down to the Top 25.
Two players whose names are synonymous with Minnesota Vikings football have made it into the second round of voting. They are wide receiver Cris Carter, who currently sits in 10th place at the time of this writing, and defensive tackle John Randle, who is languishing at #21 of the 25 semifinalists. The other player with ties to the Vikings that made it onto the list is quarterback Randall Cunningham, who is in 15th place. Now, you can color me crazy or cynical if you wish, but if you look at the voting, it appears as though the fans of a certain team located in a certain city in northern California have done a bit of ballot box stuffing. . .because if you look at the list, seven of the current top ten vote recipients are all directly connected to one team, that being the Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland/Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders. The current leading vote getting is punter Ray Guy. . .who I, incidentally, feel should have been in a long time ago.
It is important to note that while the Fans Choice voting and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have both whittled their fields down to 25 semifinalists, only 14 of those selections are the same. . .meaning that football fans have decided that there are 11 players worthy of Hall of Fame induction that the real Hall of Fame voters disagree with. For example, former Viking great Chris Doleman didn't make the cut for the Fans Choice vote, but is one of the twenty-five semifinalists named by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The opposite is true for Joe Theismann, who is still alive in the Fans Choice voting, but won't be finding himself in Canton this summer unless he purchases a ticket.
So head on over to the Fans Choice voting and show a little love to Cris Carter, John Randle, and Randall Cunningham, folks. Let the folks at the Pro Football Hall of Fame know that the fans deserve to have a voice in who gets immortalized in Canton!