Steroids Scandal on Deck For Baseball Hall Voters

Former relief pitcher Bruce Sutter, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame today, stands next to a photo of himself in Cooperstown, N.Y. (By Jim Mcisaac -- Getty Images)

If only there were no steroids controversy, next year's induction weekend might be anticipated as one of the most memorable and idyllic in recent memory. Among the first-time candidates on the next ballot are Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, considered two of the game's most respected ambassadors during their careers. Both are expected to be overwhelmingly elected on their first ballot.

McGwire's presence on the same ballot, sandwiched alphabetically between Gwynn and Ripken, only calls further attention to the unsavory aspects of McGwire's candidacy.

"You have Cal and Tony, the all-American guys," Sandberg said. "Do you put [a guy under] the suspicion of steroids in that same group? I don't think so."

Some Hall of Famers have spoken privately to each other about staging some sort of protest or boycott if McGwire gets voted in, according to one Hall of Famer who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversations were private and sensitive.

Asked about such a scenario, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer (class of 1990) said: "That could happen, I suppose. Everybody has a right to react however they think is proper."

Other Hall of Famers said they would still attend the induction weekend, but might view the whole thing differently.

"I'm going to come to honor Ripken and Gwynn," Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers (1992) said. "If [the writers] vote McGwire in, they vote him in. I'm still going to show up."

"I'd still come, for sure. I wouldn't miss this for the world," Bill Mazeroski (class of 2001) said. "Honestly, I still haven't figured out exactly how I feel about [the steroids issue] -- and I get the feeling you writers haven't, either."

Indeed, Mazeroski is correct: No true consensus has emerged among voters as to how to regard McGwire's candidacy. (Washington Post writers do not participate in voting for the Hall or for postseason awards.) McGwire's statistical credentials -- including the 70 homers he hit in 1998, breaking the all-time single-season record (since eclipsed by Barry Bonds) -- make an impressive, though not overwhelming, case. But an election of McGwire would set a precedent that some voters clearly are not comfortable with.

"I was very fond and respectful of Mark McGwire as a player," said voter Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe. "But when he stood there in front of Congress and said, 'I don't want to talk about the past,' it left me thinking, 'Okay, Mark, then I don't want to consider your past, either.'

"My inclination at this point is probably not to vote for him. But I clearly want to reserve the right to change my mind between now and Dec. 31," the date ballots must be submitted.

Rick Hummel, who covered McGwire for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when McGwire played for the Cardinals, said he is "inclined to vote for him, based on what we know about him, and also what we don't know" -- meaning the lack of any firm evidence about McGwire, one way or another.