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6-26-2007 Despite the fact that Sunday's ceremony is expected to be the biggest in Hall of Fame history, it's going to be very tough for both the museum and major league baseball to get out of the shadow of the Steroid Era in the years to come. Remember, steroids have already affected this year's Induction. Six years ago, everyone assumed slugger Mark McGwire would be joining Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn on the stage Sunday. But first Jose Canseco's book, "Juiced" and then McGwire's testimony in front of a congressional hearing investigating steroid use, changed all that. In January, when voting was announced, McGwire received just over 23 percent of the writers' vote. The strange aspect of all this is that so far, steroids have not had an impact on the popularity of baseball or attendance at baseball's shrine. The Chicago Cubs drew a four-game record crowd when they hosted Bonds and the Giants last week, and major league baseball set a single season attendance record on Saturday with over 600,000 fans going to games. In addition, the Hall set an alltime record for June attendance this year and expect upwards of 60,000 fans for Sunday's ceremony. For the next several years, any discussion of Hall of Fame candidates is going to have to include steroids. Will McGwire, who hit 583 career home runs, including a then-record 70 in 1998, ever get elected? What about 3,000-hit club member Rafael Palmeiro, who failed a steroid test last year? And what about Bonds himself, who as of press time was two home runs behind Hank Aaron's record of 755 but might face federal perjury charges for his grand jury testimony about steroids? It's possible that unless the whole truth about the Steroid Era ever comes to the surface, none of the players suspected of steroid use will ever be inducted. This is what Tony Gwynn had to say about members of the Hall of Fame during a conference call on Friday: "They deserve the ultimate respect. To me, they are the guys who performed every day, worked hard, and did everything the right way. They are baseball royalty and the greatest ambassadors of the game." Does that definition include players suspected of steroid use? Only time will tell. |
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