On August 11th, 1987, Oakland A’s rookie first baseman Mark McGwire broke Al Rosen’s American League rookie record, established in 1950, and tied the major league mark shared by Frank Robinson (1956) and Wally Berger (1930) when he hit his 38th homer of the season. The unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, McGwire would finish the season with 49 homers, smashing the existing major league record.

I do not agree with those who want to keep baseball greats like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Roger Clemens out of the Hall of Fame due to allegations of steroid and human growth hormone (HGH) usage. The latter two, Bonds and Clemens, are probably the best to play their respective positions in the history of the game.

Every “baseball era” has its own unique problems:

• The so-called “Dead Ball Era,” generally 1900-1920, had a less lively ball than the one Babe Ruth eventually got to hit at Yankee Stadium. And most of all the, the American and National Leagues were segregated.
• Baseball from 1920-1946, was, of course, still segregated.
• Baseball from 1946-1960, was still partially segregated since the Red Sox didn’t integrate until 1959.
• All baseball, until 1975 (when free agency finally happened), was played in a hostile work environment, where owners actually “owned” the players and their futures.
• Baseball players from 1960-1993, routinely used “greenies,” cocaine, etc. to help them weather the long baseball season

The so-called “Steroid Era” is generally considered to be from 1994-2004. While players from that era like McGwire, Clemens, and Bonds have been kept out of the Hall due to “suspicions” of steroid and HGH use, many other players from the same era have been voted into the Hall. This is a hypocritical double-standard at best, and morally questionable pettiness at worst.

No one has ever accused McGwire of using steroids in his rookie year of 1987. He was just a born home-run hitter, plain and simple.

Mark McGwire ended his 16-year Major League career with 583 homers. If that is not Hall of Fame worthy, I don’t know what is!