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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