The BBWAA is not beyond making petty judgements when determining Hall of Fame inductions.
Nolan Ryan is a member of the Hall of Fame, and he was inducted with grand ceremony in 1999. However, he received 98.79% of the vote (491 out of 497 ballots). This is quite spectacular, but was tainted. It was well known at the time that at least two writers did NOT vote for Nolan Ryan because they did not want him to receive 100% of the vote. In fact, it is suspected that the 6 dissenters did not have Ryan on their ballots for that very reason (or had personal grudges against Ryan).
As well, the BBWAA also decides on the season-end awards: Cy Young Award (best pitcher in each league), Most Valuable Player (in each league), Rookie of the Year (in each league) and Manager of the Year (in each league). There are many stories about how a member of the BBWAA has screwed a specific player or pitcher from winning an award (ex: New York writers, Pedro Martinez, 1999 MVP).