Hall vote correct about McGwire Plenty of time to evaluate nominee

The matter of Mark McGwire not making the baseball Hall of Fame will be a long-running show, but the writers got the premiere right.

The Hall is not run by Major League Baseball. It is independent. Writers were chosen to select the Hall members. They see more games and more players than any other group of people associated with the major leagues. They take their role very seriously.

If they do not, the Hall will fail to be a venerated site for America’s pastime.

As noted in this column before, character is one of the specific criteria writers are to use when voting. Selection is not solely based on numbers from between the lines.

Many wail that the Hall is not made up of angels. There are racists and rule breakers, abusers and alcoholics.

That is all true. Would an admitted racist like Ty Cobb be admitted today? Good question.

The point is a player’s character and its impact on the game do matter.

The use of performance-enhancing drugs raises a whole other issue. Not only may the use have been illegal or prohibited by MLB, but such use also puts the numbers of a player in question.

Are they legitimate? We simply cannot ignore inflated numbers based on drug use. This is not a game where the best chemist wins.

There is no question that McGwire used performance-enhancing drugs. There is a question as to exactly what he used, but there seems to be a consensus that what he used was neither illegal nor prohibited by MLB at the time.

That means the decision not to vote for McGwire resulted in part from a question about the validity of his home run numbers.

Then there is his disastrous appearance before Congress when he refused to discuss the issue. That’s where the character issue comes into play.

Many believe he did not have the career numbers and consistency to be elected anyway. However, that is not the major problem.

The question of performance-enhanced numbers and the legality/prohibition against their use is now an issue for every player who will be seriously considered for the Hall.

Good.

Pete Rose is out because he gambled on the game. Barry Bonds will struggle to be elected no matter how many homers he hits. Nobody connected with the game believes he didn’t know he was using steroids while he played.

So the leading home run hitter of all time and the all-time hit leader will not be there.

The Hall will be better for it. There is more to life than the numbers and the same is true for baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.