There's been a bit of an uproar in Chicago newspapers this week concerning Sammy Sosa's omission from the list of nominees for MLB's Hometown Heroes promotion, as the former Cubs slugger has made it known his feelings are hurt. There are five nominees from each franchise, and Sosa was left out in favor of Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Ron Santo and BIlly Williams -- four Hall of Famers and a probable if the new Veterans Committee ever decides to admit a new member. While fans can take part in the "healthy debate" that commissioner Bud Selig anticipates for this promotion, intended to pick the players who best represents each franchise's history, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Downey wrote this week that such debate isn't worth the fuss. Downey called MLB's latest promotion a gimmick, and it's easy to agree with his criticism of the format. With the nominees limited to five players per franchise, some of the storied franchises -- the Yankees, Cardinals, Athletics, Red Sox and others -- have no room for many Hall of Famers while the newer franchises put the likes of JIm Sundberg, Brian Schneider, Jay Bell and Todd Stottlemyre on the ballot. So, as Downey pointed out, we don't see Walter Johnson, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Christy Mathewson, Whitey Ford and Carl Hubbell among the nominees, but we will find Jim Gantner, Jim Abbott, Pat Hentgen, Schneider, Bell and Stottlemyre. Some of the nominees make little sense as well. How does Schneider get the nod over Andre Dawson for the Montreal-Washington franchise? If you're going to go with a Montreal-Washington hurler, wouldn't franchise wins leader Steve Rogers (or Pedro Martinez) be the choice over Livan Hernandez, who is 48-43 with the team? Perhaps Schneider and Hernandez make the list to generate more interest in the Washington area. How is Pie Traynor or Paul Waner passed over for BIll Mazeroski? And Grover Cleveland Alexander is a far better pick than Richie Ashburn among the five Phils. The bottom line is, such MLB promotions shouldn't be taken too seriously. After all, like All-Star Game balloting and elections in Chicago decades ago, this promotion allows for voting as many times as you want.