After being a cowardly cheat, Mark McGwire reaps what he sows
January 10, 2007 by William K. Wolfrum
Well, this should be interesting as the years click on by. Mark McGwire, who hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 and 583 overall, not only did not get voted into baseball’s Hall of Fame, he didn’t even come close.
What’s most interesting is that there is no real proof McGwire juiced. Basically, Hall of Fame voters chose to go with what appeared to be “group common sense.” He looked and acted like he was on steroids and when faced with the U.S. Congress, McGwire was a coward who refused to confirm or deny everything.
Keep in mind, McGwire is No. 7 on the all-time home runs list. This is an unprecedented occurrence. Sure, Dave Kingman hit over 400 home runs and never came close, but he also tended to hit .210. McGwire was one of the great home run hitters in baseball history.
And now he’s a pariah. And this vote will likely be repeated year after year for him, and then the same for Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, and finally, the biggest steroid catch of them all – Barry Bonds.
There is no conspiracy here. McGwire is the first in a line of cheaters that will be coming before Hall of Fame voters. They juiced and got instant rewards. For that, they appear to be getting what they deserve — a future of baseball turning its back on them.
–WKW
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