PHILADELPHIA — Voting members of the Baseball Writers Association of America have been weighing Jim Rice's Hall of Fame candidacy for more than a decade.

With the results of another election set to be announced Monday, there are only two certainties:

This is the last time the writers association will have its say on Rice.

And Rickey Henderson will be a first-ballot selection.

Rice and Henderson are probably the two most compelling stories on this year's ballot — Rice because it is his last call before moving on to the difficult-to-crack veterans committee, and Henderson because he's a no-brainer.

Both players received check marks on this ballot, along with Bert Blyleven, Andre Dawson, Jack Morris, Tim Raines and Lee Smith.

Mark McGwire? Just not ready, though his candidacy will continue to be reviewed annually as more is learned about baseball's steroid era and his place in it.

A player needs 75 percent of the vote for election. Last year, 543 ballots were cast and a player needed 408 votes to make it.

Let's take a look at the seven players who received votes on this ballot, beginning with Henderson, who was born in the backseat of a '57 Chevy and never stopped putting the pedal to the metal.

Ricky Henderson. There has never been a unanimous selection and Henderson won't be. Corky Simpson, a retired columnist from the Tucson Citizen, has revealed that he did not vote for Henderson. The writer said it was an oversight, that given the chance to resubmit his ballot he would vote for Henderson. Too late.

Henderson still figures to challenge Tom Seaver's record of receiving 98.84 percent of the vote in 1992. The leadoff man extraordinaire played 25 seasons and is the all-time leader stolen bases and (1,406) and runs (2,295). He is second all time in walks (2,190) and fourth in times on base (5,343). He owns the single-season steals record with 130 and was a 3,000 hit man. He led off games with a home run 81 times (a record) and had 297 for his career. He was a 10-time all-star and part of two teams that won the World Series. He was the American League MVP in 1990 and finished in the top 10 of the voting five other times.

In basketball, they have a term for this: Slam dunk.

Jim Rice. The former Red Sox star is widely hailed as one of the dominant players of his time, but his detractors say his dominance didn't last long enough. They also point out that he didn't reach 400 homers (never mind the magic 500 mark), have 3,000 hits or a lifetime .300 average. Rice had 382 homers, 2,452 hits and a .298 average.

Rice's supporters say his length of dominance was long enough to get him in, and it doesn't hurt that Goose Gossage, a member of last year's Hall of Fame class and one of the most intimidating relievers ever, said Rice was the only hitter he ever found intimidating.

During his first 11 seasons, Rice averaged 30 homers, 110 RBI and hit .305. He hit 46 homers in 1978, was AL MVP, and became the first player since Joe DiMaggio to reach 400 total bases. He had five other top-five finishes in MVP voting.

From 1975 to 1986, Rice led the American League in runs, hits, home runs, extra-base hits, RBI, slugging and outfield assists.

Rice fell 16 votes short last year, receiving 72.2 percent. No player who has ever finished that high has not made the Hall. It will be fascinating to see how Jim Ed fares.

Andre Dawson. He inched closer, getting 65.9 percent of the vote, in his seventh year of eligibility. He hit 438 homers and drove in 1,591 runs. He was a National League MVP and an eight-time Gold Glove winner. He was widely respected by teammates and opponents.

Bert Blyleven. The righthander received 61.9 percent of the vote last year. This is his 12th year on the ballot. His critics have plenty of fodder. He lost 250 games. He never won a Cy Young award. He had just one 20-win season. But what about those 287 wins? He could have won 300 if he had pitched on better teams. He ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts (3,701) and ninth in shutouts (60).

Jack Morris. Like Blyleven, people love to argue about this guy's credentials. The naysayers point to that high ERA (3.90). His supporters love that he led the 1980s in wins (162) and complete games (133). He finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting seven times. His 10-inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series is one of the greatest single-game performances. Morris received just 42.9 percent of the vote last year. Not sure he'll ever get in, but he got this vote.

Tim Raines. One of the game's all-time great leadoff men received just 24.3 percent of the vote in his first appearance on the ballot last year, and he figures to be overshadowed by Henderson this year. Raines has a long way to go to reach Cooperstown, but his credentials are strong. He won a batting title and twice finished third. He finished tops in his league in steals four times, and was top five on five more occasions. He was top five in on-base percentage six times. From 1981 to 1990, he hit .302 with a .391 on-base percentage and 627 steals. He ranks fifth all-time with 808 steals, and holds the record for best stolen-base percentage (84.7) among players with 300 or more attempts. By comparison, Henderson was at 81 percent and Lou Brock was at 75 percent.

Lee Smith. He saved 478 games, the second-most ever. That's difficult to dismiss, though many voters do because Smith did much of his work one inning at a time. He also won 71 games.