Monrovia's Hall of Fame. (The Roving Eye).

FORMER major league pitcher Jim Bouton calls the Baseball Reliquary Inc., which inducted him into its Shrine of the Eternals last year, the "People's Hall of Fame."

That suits founder Terry Cannon just fine.

"The mission of our group is to explore baseball's myths, folklores and legends," Cannon said of the Monrovia operation. "These are people who resonated in the minds of a lot of baseball fans, but not necessarily by establishing themselves in the record books. A lot of times they are more interesting than the Hall of Famers."

Members pay $25 in yearly membership fees and can select nine candidates from a list of 150 mailed out by the reliquary's board each April. The top three vote getters are inducted during a ceremony in Pasadena.

The inductees are not necessarily record breakers. Bouton's selection was based largely on his penning the 1970 tell-all bestseller, "Ball Four."

Since 1999, the shrine has inducted an eclectic bunch: catcher Moe Berg, who spied for the U.S. during World War II; Pam Postema, who endured sexism during her 13 years as a minor league umpire; and Curt Flood, who battled against baseball's reserve clause.

With 12 inductees and a $50,000 budget funded through membership fees, donations and grants, Cannon is looking for a permanent home to display the inductee plaques and hundreds of baseball artifacts the organization owns.

Until then, the items are part of a traveling exhibit in galleries, community centers and libraries. "As Major League Baseball has become more corporate, the fans have been pushed further and further away from the game," Cannon said. "The reliquary offers interested fans a chance to honor players from the past."