Should Mark McGwire get into the Hall of Fame?

[oberliner]

AP: McGwire may fall short in Hall vote

NEW YORK - For one glorious summer, Mark McGwire was bigger than baseball itself. America stopped to watch each time he came to the plate, and cheered every time he sent a ball into orbit. He could do no wrong, it seemed. Surely he would be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame someday.

And then came that day on Capitol Hill. Over and over, the big slugger was asked about possible steroid use, and his reputation took hit after hit as he refused to answer, saying he wouldn't talk about his past.

Now, with Hall ballots in the mail, McGwire's path to baseball immortality may have hit a huge roadblock.

The Associated Press surveyed about 20 percent of eligible voters, and only one in four who gave an opinion plan to vote for McGwire this year. That's far short of the 75 percent necessary to gain induction.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061128/ap_on_sp_ba_ne/bbo_hall_of_fame_mcgwire

[matcom]

1. nope

disgrace when he went in front of Congress then disapeared. (I thought those hearings were a sham btw, but you dope, you dope and you are a dope)

[Redstone]

2. No fucking way. You CANNOT get muscles like that from exercising.

Redstone

[Perky]

3. Yeah

For three reasons:

1) Ty Cobb (sharpened his sike so he could steal second at will and break up DPs)
2) Gaylord Perry (threw spitters habitually. Was fined...ejected for illegal activity but is in the Hall)
3) McGwire was never accused while he was a player.



Look it is up to the clubs to enforce the rule, but dingers puts asses in the seat. If he had ever been suspended for steroid use. I would say no he should not be in the Hall. But absent any sanction while playing You have to let him in.

[jakefrep]

4. Yes

Baseball had no rules against steroid use at the time that he played.

[Shakespeare]

5. Nupe. n/t

[leftofthedial]

6. which hall of fame?

baseball--no

pharmaceuticals--yes

[NewJeffCT]

7. No

I think the whole modern era from around 1990 or so on is tainted.

[Perky]

8. Its Gitmo baseball

Punishment without trial or legal proceeding.

[Skittles]

9. no - he is a cheating bastard

he should not be honored for that

[Perky]

10. I am with jakefrep on this.

You can't cheat if it was not against the rules.

Again Gaylord Perry was a notorious spitballed. clearly against the rules....been ejected for it....but he is still in the Hall.

He should not be there. McGwire was never ejected, fined, accused or suspended for taking steroids while playing ball...because it was not a crime and the owner's culture had an absolute indifference if it brought people to the park.


I personally think his talent was over-rated but not becauseof the steroid use.

[Skittles]

18. excuse me

what WILL be done and what SHOULD be done are two entirely different things

[unsavedtrash]

11. yes

He was pretty big in his early days with the A's
Who knows though. I have always liked him and I would love to see him in the HOF

[bluestateguy]

12. Hell yes

He has the numbers, and there has been no finding of fact that he violated any of Major League Baseball's rules.

[Oeditpus Rex]

13. Same with Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver

But they're associated with the 1919 "Black Sox" and thus received a lifetime ban from baseball.

[bluestateguy]

14. I'd say Weaver should be reinstated, but not Jackson

Jackson accepted money from the gamblers, which taints him beyond redeemability.

Weaver should have been suspended for one season for not reporting the foul play to his club, but then allowed back in.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Jackson hit .375 in that Series

with three doubles and a homer.

As someone noted above, it's all about the numbers.

:sarcasm:

Point made.

[Perky]

16. That is the difference

McGwire was never even accused. let alone charged.

[RetroLounge]

17. Yes

right after Pete Rose does...

:eyes:

RL