Will Mark McGwire be elected to Hall after admitting steroid use?
Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:13 PM EST
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He may be a good guy in the community, that's fine but he cheated and hasn't come clean about it yet, there's no mis remembering here.
Although I think McGuire should have the opportunity to reclaim his name, and continue to do good works in the community, I don't think there should be any thoughts of HOF.
I just don't think he should be allowed to sit next to those who honored their profession.
He just did today...thats why this is up here. Look, he simply was the second best homerun hitter in the steroid era. You have to judge the era, and due to overwhelming use during that time, he is one of the best of the bunch, should still get into the HOF. Every few decades there is some sort of new rule in baseball. Dead Ball Era, Raised Mound, Steroid...etc. His numbers compared with others during the late 90s-01. Vote Big Mac
Sorry pal. This guy denied using consistently. All lies. He is attempting the mea culpa now in a pitiful attempt to curry favor with some HOF voters by trying to appear "honest." He has humiliated himself, embarrassed his family and friends and should simply have the dignity to leave baseball alone.
They should either allow all deserving members into the HOF, or none of them. Its not fair to single out certain players when we all know that probably at least 2/3 of the players during the era used steroids. It might not be fair to the few players who didn't, but this is a case of the many ruining something for the few. Even the "clean" players weren't all that clean because they kept their mouths shut and didn't speak up about the problem. I am not endorsing the use of steroids, I just don't think its fair to single out a few high profile players and allow the other cheaters into the HOF.
Let's think about something here. The use of PED's was not against the rules when he used them and he never said "I have not used ...".
With both of those facts, he did not cheat or lie.
I'm not condoning what he did, but stating facts.
Lots of guys in the Hall were cheaters or cheated now and again. Just because they weren't found out doesn't mean it didn't happen. Pitchers used to doctor the balls regularly. I'm sure even the Babe wasn't 100% clean.
Ty Cobb is in the Hall yo.................and he was a nasty fukker..............
And if you are going to put Gaylord Perry in the Hall of Fame then juicing isn't even in the same league as a spitball. Anybody can juice and most did back in the day. But very few can smear just enough vaseline on the ball so that it falls off before it gets to the plate. While it does yo-yo tricks on the way!
McGuire should never be considered for the Hall of Fame. He lied, cheated and stole. He should be required to pay back all of his gains from his false representation. Pete Rose's indiscretion seems quite minor, and he will never see the Hall of Fame. Besides from being banned from the Hall of Fame, McGuire deserves jail time for his behavior.
The Hall of Fame pushing the rewards of drug use? Lovely.
Matt(Boston) those are some world-class mental gymnastics you went through there to get to your conclusions. Always some new rule that affects things, eh? No steroids was just another one of those things...
Steroid use was unethical before it was illegal, and McGuire knew that or he would not have avoided Congress or be apologizing for his behavior now. I really don't think that lying and cheating should be rationalized away as you attempt, let alone glorified by singling the individuals who do it out for ultimate honors.
This is really the only place that greed and the unrestrained corporate pursuit of profit can take us - individuals so determined to compete effectively for the big bucks that anything resembling personal honor and integrity is really just not a consideration. Corporations so determined to produce winning teams that they overtly support lying and cheating.
Matt(Boston) - all of the "rule changes" you talk about had the same effect on everyone playing the game. Everyone had to hit the same "dead ball" and everyone had to pitch from the same "raised mound". The steroid users put themselves ahead of the other players via an artificial means, not just their talent. The "Steroid Era" only applied to those players who disrespected the game, the fans, and ESPECIALLY THEIR FELLOW PLAYERS. Cory Snyder was drafted the same year as McGwire and played eight years with multiple injuries limiting his playing time and the number of home runs he hit. That is the truth McGwire still wouldn't admit to Bob Costas or the rest of us.
The fact that he went a decade denying and refusing to discuss it will leave a horrible taste in the mouths of the HOF voters or at least most of them. As a fan of baseball he needs to be blacklisted from the HOF like Pete Rose and Barry Bonds and other cheaters. Admitting to it a decade later doesn't smooth things over in my opinion. You're a liar and a CHEATER!!! America hailed him as a flippin' HERO for goodness sakes!! He and other cheaters made a mockery of the sport of Baseball and they should not be rewarded for that. Barry Bonds was a HOF'er before he began to take steriods - that will always boggle my mind as to WHY he felt the need to do something so STUPID!!!!
Because Barry Bonds is the type of fella that believes he can do no wrong, and for to long the sporting world told him he was right!
Love him or Hate him Barry Bonds thrives on being the spoiler. That 70 Show was just too good to be true!
Absolutely! If they let McGwire in, they should roll out the red carpet for Barry.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around why no one thought there was something wrong with "leaking" testimony from a Grand Jury! If you cheat and get caught then you are OUT. I don't find Mark M any more likable/different than Barry B in that reapect...
Many of his home runs and other hits are now tainted. Does he deserve to be in the HOF without counting them? I say no way, and I've been a baseball nut for over 40 years.
He cheated. Period. I'm sure he's sorry and that he's otherwise a great guy, but he doesn't belong in the hall.
Is there gonna be an * added to Mac's 'records'? Are they gonna auction off the ball for the 70th HR and shoot it into space?
Being from STL, I can tell you that I am not a fan or never was of Mac..He is an errogant,self centered cheater..I hope they take all his records away, as they should. Babe never had a chance against the hormone batters!!
You mean Maris? :)
The homerun record would revert back to Hank Aaron.....not the Babe Oh! I forgot, Hank Aaron doesn't count because he is the one who is disrespected in this whole conversation.
The few who post comments know my stance. All his records should be expunged & he should be permanently ineligible for any kind of baseball job.
Same for any other steroid using cheater, star or no star, strike them from the records.
You know in his rookie year he was a skinny kid who hit 49 or so playing half of those games in the Oakland Mausoleum. The greatest shame is that he didn't need to juice to be a great. He had career 500 HR dialed.
I am an A's fan. Loved Mark. Agree with you.
I agree - the HOF should not become the Hall of Shame. McGuire made his own choice and he chose to say yes to steriods which I believe is cheating in the sport of baseball. He is not the only one - just take a good look at pictures from one season to the next! But no wthat there is proof by his own admission - the records and acheivements of his career are all tainted. Sad but true. Baseball - please clean up your act so we can have a Great American Sport again.
If going to put Mark McGwire HOF, you should put Pete Rose back in. I think should be strip off his hitting record.
Roger Maris should get the HOF nod posthumously. After all, HE hit his 61 with no steroids, but wasn't enough of a showboat for the HOF or, later, the Veteran's Committee to give him the honors he deserved. I would have more respect for Mark M. had he mentioned in his recent admission that he didn't deserve the kudos he received for breaking Maris' record.
He needs to be an example to young athletes thinking about using steroids and not be allowed in to the hall of fame.
Neihter he nor Bonds (nor any of the cheats like Clemens, et al) should ever make it to the Hall. Let them burn in baseball hell with Pete Rose!
Charlie,
You feel pretty passionate about this don't you?
If Pete Rose can't for gambling on baseball Mcgwire should not for taking steroids and the lies he told to the grand juries, period.
he never lied to congress or grand juries-he said he would not talk about it. Not defending his use, but let's get it right about what he did/didd not sday.
Big Mac said to the Congressional committee, "I'm not here to talk about the past." He did not lie to them! His attorney prepped him well.
Barry Bonds, on the other hand, has been indicted on charges of false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice.
Hank Aaron is STILL the Home Run King!
Gambling, steroids...apple's and orange's....The players of that time did anything they could to stay competitive and improve their game. It's called pressure to perform..that's the reason these players turned to alternatives. Why? the answer:..because roids were their and easily attainable, and if you didn't tie your shoes just right you had a bad game..It is what it is period. Personally I would like to see mac and any other player who comes forward with the truth that is worthy be eligible for HOF.
In my mind, Marris and Aaron are still the home run kings and should be officially recognized as such.
I am so in agreement.
There should be another vote to "authenticate" all of baseball's records. Those clouded by drug use and other cheating should be expunged and set aside in a "special" book. The sport must rise above all of these controversies. No player is bigger than the game.
You would probably eliminate half the Hall. Especially before 1950.
He should not EVER even be considered. Pete Rose has been shamed and banned for just betting on baseball. He cheated and broke a record because of steriods. The record should no longer hold true, and he should NOT be put on any ballot for the HOF. He should not even be allowed to work for MLB in any capacity
No, everyone knew he cheated, just like Barry Bonds. The records for both of them shpuld be stricken from the record books.
His 70 HR year should also be deleted. They do this in track and field and there is no reason not to do this in baseball. It sicken's me to remember the Maris family at the game when be hit his 62nd HR. He cheated! That HR record still belongs to Roger Maris. You're a fool to think otherwise. On another note, do you remember how close Ryan Howard came to 61 HR's several years ago. He ended with 59 I think and had two weeks left in the season when Atlanta walked him about ten times in the final series 4 game series.
The problem is that he wasn't using any substances that were banned at the time. Track and field has a slew of banned substances they check for.
He's a cheat and cheats should NEVER be rewarded for it. For God's sake, kids looked up to him... what kind of message does this send? So he cheated and got 70 home runs... how's that working for ya NOW McGwire? You could always tell he was juiced too... scumbag liar. I hope the look on his kids face is enough to make him suffer.
OMG I forgot about Roger Maris' record... this is inexcusable and the guy should go to jail along with Clemens... there's another scum in the bag.
A clear line needs to be drawn to bring some integrity back to the game. No HOF and record stricken.
When Big MAC hit his 70, all the world cheered. Now all the world has jeered. Shameful, sad, and oddly he may have done it without the steroids.
I'm not even a baseball fan and I say yank the record from the books, for reasons mentioned above. Some children look to them as hero worship and all you do by allowing it is to say to children, "it's ok to cheat and win, as long as you come out after you've made your millions and say you cheated the whole time".
I'd rather have a not-so-impressive game where people are honest that one which promotes and encourages illegal activity and drug use.
He definitely should be barred from the Hall Of Fame. The Hall is for the GREAT players over all the years. You need to earn your way into it.....and cheating isn't a way to get in. Anyone who uses any type of drugs...or bets on games like Pete Rose...should be barred for life.
He did come clean. Maybe steroids helped him strength-wise, but it was his skill that allowed him to hit the ball in the first place, steroids could have made him a stronger, but not a better hitter.
I say if you keep Mark McGwire out of the hall of fame, then there had better never be a Barry Bonds, Roger Clemmens or the like in there either.
At least McGwire has now admitted his mistake. I think he deserves to be in the hall.
My mistake on the check for your comment. I don't think anyone on the thread thinks it is ok for ANY of the players you mentioned to make the HOF. McGwire's record should revert back to Roger Maris on the books, and Maris should be inducted into the Hall...likewise Bond's record should revert back to Hank Aaron, and Bonds should never be allowed into the HOF. Clemmens should join his baseball colleagues in the Hall of Shame. Forever.....