Does McGuire deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?

i am not here to talk about the past.no he does not.

I am a strong believer that standards for admission into the Baseball Hall of Fame are too low.

Having said that, I don't see how Mark McGwire isn't a Hall of Famer, albeit not on the first ballot.

He's a 12-time All Star. He has a career on-base percentage of .394 and slugging percentage of .588. Of course, there's the home run numbers, the 583 career and the single season record of 70. This easily eclipses the 500 home run mark widely considered an unwritten benchmark for Hall of Fame admission.

I don't think his numbers are cause for debate, though. It's only the steroid issue that could keep him out. The bottom line is, we have no idea which players have or have not used steroids. Most believe it is fairly obvious that McGwire probably did, just based on his performance spike and physical changes. But there are many players that used yet aren't obvious and therefore are not be subject to the same scrutiny. Because there is no way to differentiate users from non-users, it simply would not be fair to single out McGwire as the whipping boy while other users make the Hall.

Tough question. I think the voters have to consider a lot of factors.

#1. Do you use the arguement " He didnt break any rules, steriods werent a banned substance when he played"? If you say yes then are you prepared to say the same about Bonds or Palmeiro who also both have Hall of Fame credentials. If you vote for one then you must vote for all, this isnt a popularity contest it is a judgement of baseball abilities.

#2. If you suspect him or the others of cheating and would vote no were you one of the voters who elected others that were suspected of cheating. I can name a long list of pitchers who are in the Hall that "doctored" the ball. Voters cant use moral judgement on one player and not on another. Either you vote for the integrity of the game or you dont, there cant be a middle ground.

#3. If you call a cheater a cheater then are you prepared to look back on the game and call out all the Hall of Fame players that "cheated". There are more ways than just steriods that qualify as cheating, doctored balls, corked bats,dont pretend it still doesnt happen, with the technology today they can do density checks on the barrel of a bat and determine with a fair amount of accuracy if that bat can avoid breaking at the barrel (and some players will shave the handle to weaken it so it would break first, we can all think of some players that have an incredible amount of bats that break off at the handle...HMMM!). What about teams that steal signs or tip hitters from the scoreboard, seats or straight from the dugout. So do you consider these things gaining an edge or cheating? If it is "gaining an edge then that is exactly what McGwire, Bonds, etc. felt they were doing.

All that being said I dont think he deserves to be a first ballot elected Hall of Famer but since i am prepared to overlook all the other "cheaters" then I am also willing to overlook the misgivings of McGwire, Bonds et. al. and say vote them in on the merits of their careers but not on the first ballot.

Of course not. He cheated. And the shame of it is that both he and Barry Bonds could probably have made it to the Hall without the drugs. As far as people saying that he and Sosa brought the crowds back to the game, probably true in the short term, but the crowds were going to return anyway. It's funny, but I feel a little ashamed to say that I followed the home run battle that year with real interest, and now I realize it was like a carnival steroids freakshow. Roger Maris is still the single season home run champion.

yes because there is no evidence that previous players, which are in the Hall of Fame, did not use steroids! I think that the media is using this to alter their decision. I believe that steroids have been used for quite some time and just because the MLB is finally realizing this should not prevent all stars like McGuire to be punished!

Yes, Big Mac deserves to make, but he wouldn't since he is the face of steriods... however I think it is unfair but you pay a price for everything you do in life... and Big Mac will have to wait to be in the Hall of Fame, after Bonds retires once and for all and see what happens to the Home Run record.

All he was ever accused of is using andro, which at the time was not an illegal substance. His numbers speak for themselves, and he's never been accused of cheating by using banned substances.

If you're going to punish people retrospectively, then should all those players who used greenies (ie. amphetamines) during the 1960s and 1970s be banned, too? You can't punish McGwire for breaking a rule that didn't exist.

And for anyone comparing him to Pete Rose, you couldn't be more wrong. Pete Rose broke a cardinal rule that was in existence for 80 years, while McGwire broke NO rules. He took a substance that was, at the time, legal. Comparing those two is an insult to McGwire.

I wasn't a fan of his performance at the hearings, but it doesn't mean he shouldn't make the HOF.

Yes...he is a victim of media...that is all. There have been no investigations or even allegations of steriods (except the spotlight seeking conseco). The only issue was him taking a legal susbtance that "acted" like a steroid. Nonetheless, he accomplished something that took his entire career to do and which had not been done for nearly 40 years. He deserves the hall of fame the first year.

I don't care how big of a fan you are of him, he cheated. Cheaters should not be rewarded. Mac would not have been good without the roids however he would not have lasted near as long. Its like Barry, he aged in reverse and that is not possible. If he gets into the Hall, it is a slap in the face to the rest of the members.

Steroid freak get into the Hall of Fame,are you kidding me.I would say no,if it were my favorite BB player from mine or any other team.I know we just use the old excuse,everyone else does it.But maybe good BB fans that really enjoy the game for what it is say just NO.

Of course. He´s one of the best players of the 90's, a leader and a great person. Nobody has proved that he uses steroids, so, is just a suspiction. And his numbers are HOF numbers. He deserves to be there.