Does McGwire Deserve HOF Spot?

He's the owner of the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (10.61). He's got the second highest single season home run total (70). He holds the record for most home runs by a rookie (49). He's hit the eighth most home runs all time (583). And somehow, some way, there's a question as to whether or not McGwire deserves a place in Cooperstown.

The argument against his membership stems from the belief that McGwire did steroids during his career. In front of a government panel, McGwire seemed to elude the question, noting that he was "not here to talk about the past." Many took this as an admission of guilt despite the fact that no admission ever left McGwire's lips.

The motto of the National Baseball Hall of Fame is "Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations." If you want to talk history, I challenge you find a moment more deeply engraved into baseball lore than the home run chase of 1998. As far as excellence is concerned, it takes only a quick glance at the numbers in the introduction to recognize McGwire's greatness. Finally, I wish there were some census numbers on father-son pairs who sat and watched as McGwire lined Steve Trachsel's pitch just barely over the left field wall.

If you go by the guidelines set out by the Hall of Fame, then McGwire doesn't simply meet the definition. He is the definition.