McGwire Admits Steroid Use

Mark McGwire set the record for most home runs as a rookie. He broke the major league record for home runs in a season (to be eclipsed by Barry Bonds), and he now admits to using steroids in the season he hit 70 home runs.

In fact, he took steroids for pretty much the entire decade of the 1990s.

"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."

McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.

"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."

Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.

"Baseball is really different now -- it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

If baseball wants to clean up its act, it needs more big name players to come forward and admit their use. This way we can better judge the results on the field for who did or did not use steroids. So, while McGwire's numbers are gargantuan, they are diminished by his steroid use and puts players who didn't have nearly the numbers in a better light.

Yet, by admitting that he used steroids - by coming clean - McGwire is beginning the process of rehabilitating his image for voters who decide whether players can get admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's clearly what this admission is geared towards. McGwire is getting another chance here and he has to make the most of it.

It's a position that isn't all that different from what Alex Rodriguez went through at the beginning of the 2009 season, when he admitted to steroid use and managed to put the issue behind him.

You Don't Say: Sammy Sosa Took Steroids

Yet another leak from the fine folks at Major League Baseball or those whose hands are on the supposedly confidential report of players who tested positive for steroids in 2003.

Prominent names were leaked, but none more prominent than Alex Rodriguez until yesterday. That is, until Sammy Sosa joined that list.

Sammy Sosa tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003, The New York Times reported Tuesday on its Web site, the latest in a string of baseball stars implicated in the sport's steroids scandal of the past decade.

The Times said Sosa is one of 104 players who tested positive in baseball's anonymous 2003 survey, which has been the subject of a protracted court fight. The paper did not identify the drug.

It cited lawyers with knowledge of the 2003 drug-testing results and reported they spoke on condition of anonymity because they did not want to publicly discuss material under court seal.

Sosa was best known for his run at the single season home run records against Mark McGwire. He hit 60 home runs or more three times, which is something that no other player ever accomplished (McGwire hit 60 home runs or more only twice in his career).

Sosa has retired, so his record is complete. Don't expect him to get into the Hall of Fame, although it depends on how he responds to the allegations. His testimony before Congress will be scrutinized:

Several of the game's biggest stars, including home-run king Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, have been implicated in steroids use.

Miguel Tejada was sentenced to one year of probation for misleading Congress after he pleaded guilty and admitted he withheld information about an ex-teammate's use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez is serving a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy. A-Rod in February admitted using steroids from 2001-03 with Texas following a report by Sports Illustrated that he was among the 104 players on the list.

Sosa sat alongside Palmeiro, Canseco and McGwire at a 2005 hearing before Congress and testified: "To be clear, I have never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs."

"I have never injected myself or had anyone inject me with anything," he told the House Government Reform Committee on March 17, 2005. "I have not broken the laws of the United States or the laws of the Dominican Republic. I have been tested as recently as 2004, and I am clean."

That left open the possibility he used a substance legally in the Dominican Republic that would have been illegal to use in the United States without a prescription.

Mitchell Report Names Names

*** SCROLL DOWN TO BOTTOM FOR LATEST AND MOST ACCURATE REPORTING ***
UPDATE 12/14/2007 (lawhawk):
See here for my latest post on the Mitchell Report and the bogus names list proffered by NBC. It's my decision to strike the initial names because those mentioned on the bogus report were not in the official report.

Rumor has it that the Mitchell Report will contain the following names:

Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rick Ankiel, Jeff Bagwell, Barry Bonds, Aaron Boone, Rafael Bettancourt, Bret Boone, Milton Bradley, David Bell, Dante Bichette, Albert Belle, Paul Byrd, Wil Cordero, Ken Caminiti, Mike Cameron, Ramon Castro, Jose Canseco, Ozzie Canseco, Roger Clemens, Paxton Crawford, Wilson Delgado, Lenny Dykstra, Johnny Damon, Carl Everett, Kyle Farnsworth, Ryan Franklin, Troy Glaus, Rich Garces, Jason Grimsley, Juan Gonzalez, Eric Gagne, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Jeremy Giambi, Jose Guillen, Jay Gibbons, Juan Gonzalez, Clay Hensley, Jerry Hairston Felix Heredia, Jr., Darren Holmes, Wally Joyner, Darryl Kile, Matt Lawton, Raul Mondesi, Mark McGwire, Guillermo Mota, Robert Machado, Damian Moss, Abraham Nunez, Trot Nixon, Jose Offerman, Andy Pettitte, Mark Prior, Neifi Perez, Rafael Palmiero, Albert Pujols, Brian Roberts, Juan Rincon, John Rocker, Pudge Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Scott Schoenweiis, David Segui, Alex Sanchez, Gary Sheffield, Miguel Tejada, Julian Tavarez, Fernando Tatis, Maurice Vaughn, Jason Varitek, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, Kerry Wood

Huge shocker, Brady Anderson!!! Hit 50 home runs from the lead off spot for the Orioles one year, and had not hit 50 home runs for his career to that point. Notice his power year was the year he played with Rafael Palmiero, also on the list. Coincidence? What about Eric Gagne, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Any shocker that they are young and so injury prone? Steroids breaks down your body. Jeff Bagwell, huge decline in power numbers this year...did he stop using? Milton Bradley, any shock that his attitude is due to 'roid rage?

Also, as expected, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmiero and Giambi (both brothers) all made the list.

Actual shockers to me are Miguel Tejada and Nomar Garciaparra. Their body types are not typical of steroid users. Just surprises me. Although, Palmiero said that he tested positive from B-12 vitamins laced with HGH that he got from Tejada.

However, the biggest names are Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite and Albert Pujols. Clemens is considered a first ballot hall of famer. Among the career leaders in strike outs, is one of the greatest power pitchers of our time. Supposedly, he and Pettite are work out buddies, and their work out regimen is one of the toughest. Well I guess that's easy when you are on the roids. Pujlos is also one of the greatest pure hitters in the game right now. His first five year stats rank him up their with Joe Dimagio ad Mickey Mantle. I have never seen a guy hit a ball as hard as he hits them. Game 1 of the 2006 National League Championship Series, Mrs. Lawhawk and I (yes, Mrs. Lawhawk is a HUGE Met fan and I took her over Mrs. Legalbgl) were sitting field level along the third base line and Pujlos hit a bomb into the stands a few rows behind us. That ball was hit so hard, that when it hit the concrete floor it sounded like a bomb. I guess that too, is easy to do when you use the juice.

So what now? What happens to these players? They have tainted the sport. They have stolen records. They should be banned. Their records should be nullified. Their corruption needs to be excommunicated from the game. The fans, the true fans, deserve no less.

--UPDATE--

From WNBC.Com, the soure of the above listed names:

NEW YORK -- WNBC.com's Jonathan Dienst has obtained names expected to be on George Mitchell's list of baseball players linked to performance-enhancing drugs. Baseball officials are refuting some names on the list.

Two separate sources provided WNBC.com with a detailed list of names of ballplayers expected to be included in the Mitchell report, which will be released at 2 p.m. Thursday.

After WNBC.com posted this list, a spokesman for Major League Baseball told WNBC.com that there were several discrepancies between the list posted and Mitchell’s list.


Jonathan Dienst went back to the two sources with access to Mitchell's findings. Both sources maintain the list given to WNBC.com is complete and accurate.

WNBC.com made a second call to the MLB official refuting the list. He would not say which names on the list provided by two separate sources are incorrect. Yet another source suggests WNBC.com was given a draft copy by our two original sources, not the final copy being released today.

The list contains multple MVP and Cy Young award winners. The list is littered with names of All-Stars past and present and included two sets of brothers.

ESPN.com has been reporting New York Yankees pitchers Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte are on the list.

WNBC.com is no longer posting the list. We are actively working the list and we will be updating the situation as soon as journalistically possible.

Quess we will find out in a few minutes who is really on the list, and who is not.

--UPDATE--

The Mitchell Report is available for download here.

--UPDATE--

Quickly scanning the Mitchell Report I see no reference to Pujlos, Garciapara, Wood, Prior, or Damon. In fact, many of the names listed above do not appear in the Mitchell report, and many names in the Mitchell Report are not included above.

UPDATE (lawhawk):
I've quickly scanned the report and here are the names that stuck out. If I missed anyone, or included someone by accident, let me know in the comments:

David Justice, Andy Pettite, Roger Clemens, Greg Zaun, F.P. Santangelo, Glenallen Hill, Mo Vaughn, Denny Neagle, Ron Villone, Ryan Franklin, Chris Donnels, Todd Williams, Phil Hiatt, Todd Pratt, Kevin Young, Mike Lansing, Cody McKay, Kent Mercker, Adam Piatt, Miguel Tejada, Jason Christiansen, Mike Stanton, Stephen Randolph, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Paul Lo Duca, Adam Riggs, Bart Miadich, Fernando Vina, Kevin Brown, Eric Gagné, Mike Bell, Matt Herges, Gary Bennett, Jr., Jim Parque, Brendan Donnelly, Chad Allen, Jeff Williams, Howie Clark, "Nook" Logan, Daniel Naulty, Rick Ankiel, Paul Byrd, Jay Gibbons, Troy Glaus, Jose Guillen, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Gary Matthews, Jr., and Scott Schoeneweis, and former players David Bell, Jose Canseco, Jason Grimsley, Darren Holmes, John Rocker, Ismael Valdez, Matt Williams, and Steve Woodard.

--UPDATE--
Notable non-mentions in the Mitchell Report are Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. McGwire's use of androstenedione, a susbstance that was legal at the time of his use, is discussed in detail, but, nothing of his use of steroids or HGH. Interesting.

This could be because they received it from sources that Mitchell could not/did not interview (his report states, and he repeated in his news conference that players received substances from sources that he did not have the ability to interview.) Their non-incusion is not proof of inocence. Equally, I doubt that inclusion on the list is proof of quilt.

UPDATE (lawhawk):
Here's a link listing the players:

Chad Allen
Rick Ankiel
David Bell
Mike Bell
Marvin Benard
Gary Bennett, Jr.
Larry Bigbie
Barry Bonds
Kevin Brown
Paul Byrd
Jose Canseco
Mark Carreon
Jason Christiansen
Howie Clark
Roger Clemens
Jack Cust
Brendan Donnelly
Chris Donnels
Lenny Dykstra
Bobby Estalella
Matt Franco
Ryan Franklin
Eric Gagne
Jason Giambi
Jeremy Giambi
Jay Gibbons
Troy Glaus
Jason Grimsley
Jose Guillen
Jerry Hairston, Jr.
Matt Herges
Phil Hiatt
Glenallen Hill
Darren Holmes
Todd Hundley
David Justice
Chuck Knoblauch
Tim Laker
Mike Lansing
Paul Lo Duca
Exavier "Nook" Logan
Josias Manzanillo
Gary Matthews, Jr.
Mark McGwire
Cody McKay
Kent Mercker
Bart Miadich
Hal Morris
Daniel Naulty
Denny Neagle
Rafael Palmeiro
Jim Parque
Andy Pettitte
Adam Piatt
Todd Pratt
Adam Riggs
Brian Roberts
John Rocker
F.P. Santangelo
Benito Santiago
Scott Schoeneweis
David Segui
Gary Sheffield
Miguel Tejada
Ismael Valdez
Mo Vaughn
Randy Velarde
Ron Villone
Fernando Vina
Rondell White
Jeff Williams
Matt Williams
Todd Williams
Steve Woodard
Kevin Young
Gregg Zaun

--UPDATE--
The list Lawhawk posted above is incorrect. I noticed it included McGwire, who was not named in the report, but which only discussed about use of androstenedione. The full list of players named in the report is found here.

Also, Bud Seliq, MLB's Commissioner, has now responded to the report.

NEW YORK -- Commissioner Bud Selig announced swift plans Thursday to execute every recommendation listed in former Sen. George Mitchell's report on performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball, but made no formal decisions regarding the punishment of active players listed on the report.
"So long as there may be potential cheaters, we will always have to monitor our programs and constantly update them to catch those who think they can get away with breaking Baseball's rules," Selig said. "In the name of integrity, that's exactly what I intend to do."

In his report, Sen. Mitchell outlined a long list of recommendations for the Commissioner to consider. Some of them can -- and according to Selig, will -- be implemented immediately. But others, most notably the recommendation for further improvement of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program, will require cooperation from the MLB Players Association.

***

"Sen. Mitchell acknowledges in his report that the ultimate decisions on discipline rest with the Commissioner and he is correct," Selig said. "Discipline of players and others identified in the report will be determined on a case-by-case basis. If warranted, those decisions will be made swiftly and I, of course, will give thorough consideration to Sen. Mitchell's views on the subject."

Much of the problem stems from the fact that most of the alleged violations in Mitchell's report occurred in a period ending two years ago. A large group of implicated players are no longer active, and are thus beyond Selig's jurisdiction. And many of those who are still playing were linked to the substances at a time when punishments for users were quite different.

So in otherwords, look for more slaps on the wrists.

MLB To Receive the Mitchell Report

NEW YORK (AP) -- Major League Baseball has gotten its advance look at a draft of George Mitchell's report on drug use in the sport.

Baseball reviewed a draft Tuesday at the Manhattan office of DLA Piper, the law firm that Mitchell chairs, a baseball official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because Mitchell hasn't authorized any statements.

The report likely will be released Thursday, and commissioner Bud Selig does not plan to attend Mitchell's news conference, the official said. Selig could have his own news conference or hold a conference call, he added.

Baseball officials have said for several weeks that management would be able to examine the report on performance-enhancing drugs a few days before it is made public to make sure it does not contain any confidential information that if released would violate the collective bargaining agreement between players and owners.

The joint drug agreement, which has been part of the labor contract since September 2002, prohibits the commissioner's office, teams and consultants from disclosing player test results, treatment and other information except in very limited, specified circumstances.

The start of baseball's review first was reported by the Daily News on its Web site.

Mitchell, a former Senate Majority Leader, is a director of the Boston Red Sox and served on one of Selig's economic study committees. Selig hired him in March 2006 to investigate drug use in the sport.

He's expected by many in baseball to be critical of the sport for being slow to react to its drug problem in 1990s and beyond. What they will be looking to see in his report is how he parcels blame among commissioner Bud Selig, club owners, general managers, other team employees, the players' association and players themselves.

The revelation of players who have not yet been publicly linked to drug use figures to be the most sensational part of the report. Media reports have linked an array of All-Stars and MVPs to performance enhancers in recent years, among them Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Ken Caminiti, Juan Gonzalez and Mark McGwire.

Bonds, indicted last month for perjury and obstruction of justice over his 2003 testimony in the BALCO drug case, has denied knowingly using performance enhancers, as have Gonzalez and McGwire.

Representatives of players have said in recent weeks that they believe much of Mitchell's evidence will be based on former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who was required to cooperate with the investigation as a condition of his federal plea agreement last April. Radomski pleaded guilty to illegally distributing steroids, human growth hormone, amphetamines and other drugs to players and is awaiting sentencing.

The player representatives also said they expect Mitchell will be critical of active players for largely refusing to cooperate.

Rumors have the Mitchell report being made publicly available tomorrow. It will be interesting to see who made the list. Many names have already surfaced. We have all long suspected Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds. Barry Bonds has been indicted for lying about his steroid use. Jose Conseco has admited it. Rafael Palmiero was suspended for HGH use. Jay Gibbons, Troy Glaus, Rick Ankiel, Mike Cammeron, Jose Guillen and a host of others have all been linked to either HGH or some other performance enhancing drug. David Ortiz has claimed to not know if he has or has not used steroids.

Steroids and performance enhancing drugs are ruining the game. Great players, like Barry Bonds, is now a laughing stock. How can anyone take his home run record seriously, when it is so tainted by the stench of steroids. Designer Mark Ecco, who purchased Bond's record breaking ball at auction created a website for people to vote on what to do with the ball. No surprise, brand it with an asterisk and send it to Cooperstown was the overwhelming fan favorite.

MLB needs to see the Mitchell Report. They need to act on the Mitchell report. The players who have been proved cheaters need to be removed from the game. I don't care if they are superstars. They need to be banished from the game, a la Pete Rose and Shoeless Joe Jackson. MLB needs to get tougher and take a zero tolerance policy to performance enhancing drugs. Only then can the true fan really enjoy the sport again.

Inducted: Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr.

It isn't surprising that Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It isn't surprising that Mark McGwire didn't make the Hall, and got just under 25% of the vote (which mirrored a poll done a short time back).

Both Ripken and Gwynn were ambassadors of the game and were highly accomplished players.

On the ballot for the first time, the pair will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 29. They will be joined by any candidates elected in the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee election, the results of which will be announced on Feb. 27.

Ripken garnered 98.53 percent of the vote, the third highest in balloting history done by veteran members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but the most for a position player. Ripken finished behind Tom Seaver (98.83 in 1992) and Nolan Ryan (98.79 in 1999). Gwynn's percentage of 97.6 percent, based on his 532 votes, ranks seventh all-time.

Mark McGwire, also a ballot newcomer, fell well short of election, his name appearing on less than a quarter of the record 545 ballots cast, two of which were left completely blank.

There is good news and bad news for Rich "Goose" Gossage, the reliever who is creeping ever so close to his day in the Cooperstown sun. The bad news is that this time Gossage came up 21 votes shy of the 75 percent needed to ascend to the Hall. The good news is that with a much thinner ballot next year, Gossage seems to be on the cusp.

On the ballot for the eighth year, the Goose came in at 71.2 percent, an increase from his 64.6 percent a year ago. In the history of the BBWAA Hall of Fame voting, no candidate has ever received at least 70 percent in an election without eventually gaining a place in Cooperstown.

I figure that The Goose will make it in next year. Jim Rice and Andre Dawson both got more than 60% of the votes.
The full breakout of votes is as follows (545 ballots; 409 needed to gain entry):

Cal Ripken 537 98.5%
Tony Gwynn 532 97.6%
Rich "Goose" Gossage 388 71.2%
Jim Rice 346 63.5%
Andre Dawson 309 56.7%
Bert Blyleven 260 47.7%
Lee Smith 217 39.8%
Jack Morris 202 37.1%
Mark McGwire 128 23.5%
Tommy John 125 22.9%
Steve Garvey 115 21.1%
Dave Concepcion 74 13.6%
Alan Trammell 73 13.4%
Dave Parker 62 11.4%
Don Mattingly 54 9.9%
Dale Murphy 50 9.2%
Harold Baines 29 5.3%
Orel Hershiser 24 4.4%
Albert Belle 19 3.5%
Paul O'Neill 12 2.2%
Bret Saberhagen 7 1.3%
Jose Canseco 6 1.1%
Tony Fernandez 4 0.7%
Dante Bichette 3 0.6%
Eric Davis 3 0.6%
Bobby Bonilla 2 0.4%
Ken Caminiti 2 0.4%
Jay Buhner 1 0.2%
Scott Brosius 0
Wally Joyner 0
Devon White 0
Bobby Witt 0

A player who got less than 5% of the vote will be dropped from future ballots. That means Orel Hershiser, Belle, O'Neill, Saberhagen, Canseco, Fernandez, Bichette, Davis, Bonilla, Caminiti, Buhner, Brosius, Joyner, White, and Witt are out of luck. Harold Baines squeeks through for another year.

UPDATE:
I've had some additional time to analyze the HoF ballots and surrounding issues, and wonder who came up with the unwritten rule that someone shouldn't be a unanimous selection for the Hall? If there were players who everyone believes should make the Hall, what stops them from voting for them? Certainly not some silly unwritten rule? Yet, that's exactly what happens every few years as some player that everyone admits is a certain Hall of Famer gets snubbed by a small percentage of voters who thinks that if Ruth or Williams or Cy Young himself didn't get in unanimously, then the current crop shouldn't.

Frankly, that's a silly argument and one that lacks logic. Two wrongs do not make a right. Anyone who thought that Ruth wasn't a Hall of Famer needs his or her head examined. He rewrote the record books in his own name - as a pitcher and hitter. His World Series pitching exploits stood for several decades until Whitey Ford came along (and superseded by Mariano Rivera). He was that good. Yet, someone found reason not to admit him to the Hall.

Some might point to the whole matter of character, yet if that were the criteria, quite a few members of the Hall should be booted because they were the most unsavory of characters; Ty Cobb comes to mind. Yet, it is the statistics that determine who should or shouldn't make the Hall.

I know that there's at least one writer who left his ballot blank because he was protesting the steroid era, but Goose Gossage didn't play in the steroid era. Neither did Steve Garvey. Why slam them for what may have happened a decade after they left the game? As it was, Goose came very close to making the Hall, but came up 21 votes short. Did anyone who voted for Saberhagen, Canseco, Fernandez, Bichette, Davis, Bonilla, Caminiti, or Buhner, not vote for Goose? As it is, does anyone really think that those guys were HoF ready? Or were they trying to curry favor with those guys?

The balloting process is always a controversial matter, and this year was no exception. I guess most people are focusing in on McGwire's snub rather than the remarkable careers of Gwynn or Ripken, which is the way the sports talk radio shows were handling matters. More people wanted to discuss McGwire than the guys who made it.

Technorati: cal ripken jr, tony gwynn, baseball, hall of fame, mcgwire, steroids.

Get Our Your Hall of Fame Ballots

It's that time of year again when MLB announces the next class of eligible candidates for the Hall of Fame to be enshrined in Cooperstown next summer. This year, the ballot will contain some first ballot Hall of Famers, one questionable first ballot hall of famer, and a bunch of guys who have been through this before:

• Harold Baines (1)
• Albert Belle (2)
• Dante Bichette (1)
• Bert Blyleven (10)
• Bobby Bonilla (1)
• Scott Brosius (1)
• Jay Buhner (1)
• Ken Caminiti (1)
• Jose Canseco (1)
• Dave Concepcion (14)
• Eric Davis (1)
• Andre Dawson (6)
• Tony Fernandez (1)
• Steve Garvey (15)
• Rich Gossage (8)
• Tony Gwynn (1)
• Orel Hershiser (2)
• Tommy John (13)
• Wally Joyner (1)
• Don Mattingly (7)
• Mark McGwire (1)
• Jack Morris (8)
• Dale Murphy (9)
• Paul O'Neill (1)
• Dave Parker (11)
• Jim Rice (13)
• Cal Ripken (1)
• Bret Saberhagen (1)
• Lee Smith (5)
• Alan Trammell (6)
• Devon White (1)
• Bobby Witt (1)

The number in the parenthesis relate to the number of years on the ballot. You will see that Cal Ripken, Mark McGwire, and Tony Gwynn are appearing for the first time. I think Ripken and Gwynn will both be inducted on the first ballot - easily eclipsing the 75% of the ballot needed to enter the Hall of Fame. I think they're going to be the only ones getting in this year. This is the Hall of Fame we're talking about, not the Hall of the really, really good and the rest really don't cut it and McGwire has other issues that voters will take into account.

McGwire will not reach that milestone, largely because of his implication in the various steroid/andro scandals. Admitted steroid users Jose Canseco and the late Ken Caminiti are also on the ballot for the first time. That's not going to help McGwire either.

UPDATE:
GOP and the City lists who among the candidates actually deserves to be on the ballot. Here's my take: Andre Dawson, Steve Garvey, Rich Gossage, Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Cal Ripken Jr., Lee Smith, and Alan Trammell.

Authenticate This

Anonymous emailer brings this article to my attention about how MLB will not authenticate baseballs hit by Bonds that could eventually be homer #715.

When Barry Bonds hits home run No. 715 and moves into second place on the all-time list behind Hank Aaron, the lucky fan who catches the ball might have a hard time proving it's the real thing.


That's because Major League Baseball won't authenticate any of the baseballs the Giants are using.

"He's not approaching the record," said league spokesman Pat Courtney by way of explanation, reiterating baseball's stance that the passing of Babe Ruth's milestone of 714 career home runs is not a valid cause for celebration. "We will revisit doing the ball authenticating when he approaches the record."

In 1998, as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa approached Roger Maris' single-season record of 61 home runs, league officials made sure the baseballs being used in Cardinals and Cubs games were numbered and included holograms to eliminate any doubt that the record-breaking ball could be identified. They did it again in the final week of that season so McGwire's final home run could be authenticated.

And the league marked and authenticated the balls being used in Giants games three years later as Bonds was passing McGwire's single-season record of 70 home runs.

Courtney said that the league isn't expecting as much of a fight for the ball in the stands this time around, at least compared with what took place during the McGwire, Bonds and Sosa single-season home run assaults. But others disagree.

Michael Barnes, the broker who assisted the families of those who caught the key Sosa, McGwire and Bonds home run balls, says Bonds' home run No. 715 baseball likely will be worth between $25,000 and $50,000.

This is strange, considering that Bonds would supplant Ruth as the all time homers leader for a lefty. Aaron is a righty and the all time leader. Unless MLB is going to strike all his homers, this doesn't make any sense since 715 would be a record breaker, though not the ultimate home run leader.

All of this relates back to the steroid mess, and since MLB has botched its handling of performance enhancing drugs for years, this is only an additional manifestation of MLB's poor performance in policing itself.