Baseball Hall of Fame 2016 announcement: Time, TV schedule, live stream, candidates, and more

Nothing quite marks the start of a new year like the Baseball Hall of Fame election announcement. We get answers to perennial questions such as: 1. Who's going in on his first year of eligibility? 2. Will he finally get in after falling short by a relatively small number for enshrinement last year? 3. After eight tries, does he finally get in on his ninth? 4. And, of course, why is Hall of Fame balloting more about the voters being moral arbiters who want the spotlight on them than on the players?

Let's see: 1. Ken Griffey Jr. will definitely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman probably not. 2. Mike Piazza was the first man out on the 2015 ballot, falling 28 ballots short. He should see Cooperstown this year. 3. Tim Raines is on his ninth ballot in 2016 after garnering 302 votes last year (412 was needed for induction in 2015). 4. Actually, I don't have an answer to this one.

But I do have answers to some other questions you might have!

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So, you're going to deliver on your headline?

Sure. The Baseball Hall of Fame announcement is today, Wednesday, January 6 in the year 2016.

And?

We'll find out the newest members of Cooperstown at 4 p.m. MT. But there will be three hours of pre-coverage starting at 1 p.m. MT on MLB Network to get you pumped.

Oh, joy. Nothing like talking heads yapping for hours and hours.

Yeah, I know.

What if I can't be in front of a TV because I have one of those things we call a job?

You're in luck, even if your employer isn't! MLB.com will stream all of its coverage of the event starting at 1 p.m. But are you really going to watch all three hours leading up to the announcement? You seemed so overjoyed about that earlier.

I guess it's better than, I don't know, throwing pencils into the ceiling like Fox Mulder in the X-Files.

But those pencils could fall out and hit som—er, nevermind.

We all know you want to see them drop and hit someone walking by.

The truth is out there, but believe that lie if you want.

OK, because I'm a Rockies fan, what's up with Larry Walker?

Not going to be elected, probably stays on the ballot for another year.

Hmmm, why does the Baseball Writers' Association of America suck at this Hall of Fame voting?

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What's this about a dress code for attendees at the announcement? It's stupid.

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Oh, wait, you still haven't delivered on the candidates part of your headline. Can I get it, preferably in a table?

Absolutely, and we'll update it after the results are available.

Results are in, and they can be found here!

One last question, who do you think gets voted in?

Mike Hampton, Randy Winn, and David Eckstein.

Stop trying to be funny. You're not funny.

Fine, fine. Griffey, Jr., Piazza, and Bagwell. Raines will be the first man out.