Published: January 26, 2010 01:36 pm      

Steroid era will hurt Hall

Last week, in a case of the worst kept secret in baseball history, slugger Mark McGwire finally admitted for the record that he used steroids during his playing career. After tearfully refusing to answer steroid questions before Congress in 2005, it was obvious McGwire had used steroids during his playing days.

And even though he hit a then-record 70 home run in 1998, and along with Sammy Sosa was widely credited with saving baseball after the 1994 players’ strike wiped out the World Series, McGwire will never gain entry into the Hall of Fame.

Although many wanted him to admit his steroid use, he said he doesn’t feel the steroids helped him hit home runs or even hit the ball farther, saying he only took steroids to recover from injuries. Which is, of course, ridiculous. In the long run, unfortunately, it’s the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Cooperstown merchants who rely on big Induction Weekends who will suffer greatly from what is now being called ``The Steroid Era.’’

McGwire has been on the ballot for four years and has never received 25 percent of the baseball writer’s vote. He surely would have been a first ballot inductee and big draw if not for steroids.

In 2013, both Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will become eligible. If not for steroids, this likely would have been the biggest Hall of Fame Weekend ever, surpassing even that of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn in 2007.

But now it’s likely neither of them will get voted in. With Pete Rose already banned from baseball for gambling this would leave the Hall without the game’s all-time hits leader and all-time home run hitter.

In 2009, Hall of Fame attendance dipped below 300,000 for the first time since 1997. In these tough economic times, people need a reason to travel to Cooperstown and the Hall has done everything in its power to improve programming and add new artifacts.

But the stain of steroids is bound to haunt the Hall for years to come as big name stars fail to gain entry and fans get another excuse not to travel to Cooperstown.