La Russa: Proof of Mark McGwire’s “certain integrity” makes him a Hall of Famer
LAS VEGAS — Given the chance to celebrate and comment on Rickey Henderson’s appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa also seized the opportunity to stump for another dynamo member of his Oakland Athletics teams who will be on the ballot.
On his third try, Mark McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame, La Russa believes.
It’s a matter a of “integrity.”
“This steroid issue, that’s a matter of integrity, right?” La Russa said. “That’s one way to describe it, right? Well, it occurred to me, I know that I’ve never spoken much about it at all, but this guy did something that screams integrity. … How many guys do we know that had a contract like he had? He had a contract in his hand for $15 million over two years, and he walked away from it because he didn’t feel like he could play to that level. That, to me, there’s a certain integrity for the sport, for self-respect and everything.”
La Russa is referencing a story that is well-known in St. Louis. After the 2001 season, a disappointing one for the slugger, McGwire retired and, as Bernie Miklasz put in a column around that time, “handed a guaranteed $30 million contract back to the Cardinals.” From Rick Hummel’s coverage of the extension McGwire signed during spring training of that same season, quoting Walt Jocketty to start:
“… He wanted to have a clause that if he was unable to play, he’d only take half his money. He said, ‘Look, I don’t want to be paid if I’m not playing. I don’t want my full salary if I’m not going to play. I don’t think it’s right.’ “But we weren’t able to put that kind of language in the contract. Still, I think it’s remarkable that he would do that.”
Jocketty said the Cardinals called the commissioner’s office about the matter and the reply was that the Cardinals could indeed put the clause in the contract, “but they didn’t think it would be approved (by the players’ association).”
La Russa contends that while the hearings before Congress and the subsequent lack of comment from McGwire — who did speak with Hummel on the 10th anniversary of his 70 home runs in 1998 — has cast a shadow over McGwire’s career, this act of giving back a guaranteed contract sheds the real light on McGwire’s character. And, La Russa continues, yes, character should be considered when Hall of Fame voters consider McGwire for a third time.
The manager believes that this act of “integrity” should not necessarily change how people view what has happened since McGwire retired but it should be entered into evidence with equal fervor.
McGwire retired after the 2001 season with 583 home runs and as the single-season home run king, a record since broken. He was also a 12-time All-Star and by many standards an obvious Hall of Famer. He has received roughly the same percentage of votes each year, right around a fourth of the votes.
La Russa’s comments created this exchange with reporters on Wednesday when he asked if how McGwire handled the contract situation and retirement tells more about him than how he performed in front of Congress or how he’s not fielded questions about the usage of performance-enhancing drugs:
La Russa: Now, our guess, and people that I’ve talked to, our guess is that a whole lot of guys, just being normal, would be figured some way to either talk to the organization, like let’s get a buyout, give me $5 million instead of $30 million, whatever it is, or go ahead and play less than their best and collect a check for two years. He walked away from two years of $30 million, and I thought to myself when I told this one writer, ‘Man, I think that speaks to the public or the voters about his integrity.’
You’ve got to be a pretty solid character guy … Am I reading that wrong? Do you think that’s a good sign of character, that you would walk away from $30 million if you didn’t think you could play to that level? How would you take that decision and not make sense of it.
Reporter. I’m not sure that you’re comparing apples to apples.
La Russa: So how would you describe a guy that walks away from $30 million?
Reporter. I’m agreeing with you that that’s a sign of character, not to have a debate that’s going to be transcribed here. This isn’t the place. I would agree that that’s a sign of integrity. But I think we all do things that show integrity in one side of our life and make questionable moves on another parallel track.
La Russa: I’m just saying that the fact that he walked away from that money has been an under-discussed, under-publicized — I know I have not discussed it, and I think that is a hellacious sign of the type of person he is, and that should translate into knowing that he’s a special guy. I just never talked about it. I thought I had the chance so I’d mention it.
Reporter. So you’d consider it as an intangible for his Hall of Fame?
La Russa: Yeah, he’s got this cloud over him.
Reporter. Character is an issue (on the ballot).
La Russa: So I think that showed great character because there’s not many guys that I know that wouldn’t have said, ‘I’ll just stumble along and take those checks.’
La Russa said he recently had dinner with McGwire, while the general managers gathered in Dana Point, Calif. for their annual meetings. He did reiterate an invitation to come to spring training and be a hitting instructor. La Russa lauds McGwire’s ability to teach hitting, his thoughts on hitting and how he could help several of the young hitters. The slugger has helped Chris Duncan before, and Skip Schumaker credits McGwire with helping him improve as a hitter.
McGwire was close to joining the team in spring training this past season, enough that the team was beginning to plan the inevitable crush of coverage. There was even that typo on Day 1 of camp that had McGwire listed as a coach on La Russa’s workout-organization sheet.
“Well, there’s no doubt because he was on his way last spring, and then he had an issue,” La Russa said. “He was within a week of coming to camp. But it’s still the same. His two boys are demanding a lot of his time, and he’s having a great time being around them.”
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
McWire is a cheat plain and simple, and I am thankful that he never played for the Pirates. They Pirates have never had a player like him and to me that says a lot about the organization.
Wade, you are showing your ignorance. See
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/04/02/PBP_AMPHET_0402.html
Or maybe you’ll want to disavow Ralph Kiner as a Pirate?
As a skinny kid, Mac hit 49 home runs. Probably would have hit 50 were it not for another integrity issue; wanting to be there when his son was born. Was out that year for a spell after being beaned, too. Spent a lot of time on the DL, because of his feet, in subsequent years. Never thought he felt comfortable in the fishbowl. Everyone wants to be better at their craft. These same writers who fanned the excitement in 98 & 99, and who took such pleasure in tearing him down afterward, would sell their souls, much less take supplements, if they could earn a Pulizer. Mac did what he did, and I accept that, but I truthfully don’t think he need to do it. Just like Bonds really didn’t need to, though his power numbers would be much lower. But if it weren’t for Mac, and some of the others, I, and millions of other fans, would not have come back to the game and there would have been none of these new stadiums and outrageous salaries today. He is more than deserving to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If God were to grant me the privlege, when this life is over, to converse with 10 people, Mark McGwire would be on that list. Certainly, after Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa, and probably between Sarah Palin and Leslie West.
McGwire for the HOF, eh, Tony?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Now, where was I?
Oh, yeah — McCheater for the HOF.
Spare me.
paco1951 said, “If God were to grant me the privlege, when this life is over, to converse with 10 people, Mark McGwire would be on that list. Certainly, after Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa, and probably between Sarah Palin…”
Converse with SARAH PALIN?! Excellent way to kill any argument you might have had, paco.
Tell you what, though — walk over to the nearest wall and strike up a conversation with it. You’ll get more “conversation” from that wall than anything Palin might offer.
Keep those standards high, paco.
No wonder this country is circling the toilet.
Hall of Shame is where he belongs.
He cheated his way through his career. That’s my opinion, nothing anyone here says will change my mind just like I can’t change your mind.
NO way Tony, you’re wrong again. If Mark get’s in so does Sammy, Barry, and all the others. Furthermore, you knew this was going on when you coached. He cheated, He cheated, He Cheated. Nuf said. Let’s move on the to the true baseball players.
I think there’s a real hangup in our culture today about “contrition.” I don’t see why anyone has to admit his faults and be contrite. It’s become a charade: call a press conference and say you’re sorry. But that really doesn’t change anything that’s happened or make things better in the future. If you’re a kid and see a baseball player do that, you’re going to think: “Wow, I can do anything I want, then apologize and act contrite and everyone will forgive me.”
In many ways Mark McGwire was a huge part of saving and reviving the game. I think it is safe to say that baseball would not be where it is today, if not for McGwire’s role in the epic 1998 homeruns chase. In 1998 he brought the game back to what it is all about.
If McGwire was taking either Steroids or HGH, those substances were not yet banned by MLB. I agree with that previously mentioned point. At the time, McGwire was doing something perfectly fair, he was trying to gain an advantage in the game… as were many others.
McGwire would make an excellent coach. I would love to see him, someday, working with young Cardinals hitters. There aren’t that many coaches that would make a better hitting instructor than Mark McGwire.
I’d love to know when the HOF committee plans to revoke the inclusion of guys like Satchell Paige, who bragged about having used spitballs when they were already illegal, or perhaps somebody like Cy Young, who played in an era rife with spitballs, scuffed balls and pine tar.
Anybody want to kick them out? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
McGwire deserves the Hall, as do Pete Rose and (I shudder to say it) Barry Bonds. For us to pretend otherwise is at best hypocritical, and at worst a crime against baseball.