The trouble for the former Yankees captain's Cooperstown case is that his career spanned from 1982-95, so voters are forced to consider more than his amazing six-year run.

In those six seasons, the Yankees first baseman averaged 26 home runs, 114 RBIs and a .327 average, playing for the American League All-Star team in each of those years.

But Mattingly's next six years were spent battling back problems, tarnishing his sparkling resume in the process.

"Mattingly was a great player, there is no question about that," said one Hall of Fame voter. "But when you stack his career up against those guys in the Hall, he just doesn't make the grade."

Mattingly won the American League MVP Award in 1985, batting .324 with 35 homers and 145 RBIs, also finishing in the top five in MVP voting in 1984 and '86. Mattingly, who won the AL batting title in 1984 (.343) also won nine Gold Gloves at first base in 10 years.

But from 1990-95, Mattingly averaged fewer than 10 home runs and 64 RBIs per season, topping the .300 mark just once, in the strike-shortened 1994 season.

"After the first half of Mattingly's career, I would have said he was a lock for Cooperstown," said another voter. "It's too bad he had as many physical problems as he did, because he could have been one of the all-time greats."

Mattingly's vote totals have waned each year he has been on the ballot. He received 145 of 515 votes (28.16 percent) in 2001, his first year of eligibility, finishing ninth among eligible players.

In 2002, Mattingly's support fell, as he finished 12th with 96 of 472 votes (20.34 percent). In 2003, he received only 68 of 496 votes, as he finished 15th with 13 percent of the vote.

Two years ago, Mattingly was listed on 65 of the 506 ballots, just 12.85 percent.

Last year, Mattingly finished 14th for a second consecutive ballot, as he was listed on 59 of the 516 ballots cast, just 11.4 percent. Only three players had fewer votes than Mattingly among those that received enough to remain on the ballot.

Don Mattingly's resume Teams: Yankees (1982-95) Key stats: .307 average, nine Gold Glove awards, 1984 AL batting title Awards: 1985 AL MVP, six-time AL All-Star, three AL Silver Sluggers (1985-87) Best HOF vote Pct.: 28 percent in 2001 (First year on the ballot) Peers in Hall: Wade Boggs, Paul Molitor, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield, Kirby Puckett More stats and bio >

Mattingly was asked a couple of years ago on his Web site whether he thought he would ever be elected to the Hall.

"The Hall of Fame would be a great honor, but I do not live my life based on whether or not that will ever happen," Mattingly wrote. "So in the grand scheme of things, it is not that important."

While voters feel that Mattingly's career as a whole doesn't match up against those who have been inducted, Donnie Baseball's supporters bring up the same name every year when this argument arises: Kirby Puckett.

Mattingly's career totals are eerily similar to those of Puckett, who was a first-ballot inductee in 2001 despite having his career cut short after the 1995 season due to irreversible retina damage in his right eye.

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Mattingly retired with 2,153 hits to Puckett's 2,304, 442 doubles to Puckett's 414, 222 homers to Puckett's 207 and 1,099 RBIs to Puckett's 1,085.

Mattingly posted three more 100-RBI seasons than Puckett, two more 30-homer seasons, won one more MVP award and the same number of batting titles.

Puckett's advantage comes in team hardware, as he played an integral part in the Twins' two World Series titles in 1987 and '91. Mattingly, on the other hand, appeared in the postseason just once, losing in the Division Series in his final season of 1995.

Results of this year's Hall of Fame ballot will be announced on Jan. 10. Other candidates on the ballot include Rich Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Jim Rice, as well as first-time nominees Will Clark, Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser and Albert Belle.