Ripken and Gwynn In, McGuire Out?

Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn will be in the Hall of Fame, first ballot. I have no doubt whatsoever in my mind this will happen.  Both were fantastic ballplayers with long and memorable careers, and both are class acts to be sure. 

I have my doubts about Mark McGuire, who damaged his credibility beyond repair in my opinion after his little, "I'm not here to talk about the past" speech before the Congressional steroids hearing.  If big Mac was not there to talk about the past, what was he there to talk about?  What is anybody in a hearing supposed to talk about?  The future?  What a joke. 

Everyone who has followed baseball for the past decade or so will always remember the '98 home run chase, or in the opinion of some, the circus act of Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire who both caught and surpassed the single season home run record of Roger Maris.  With new light shed on the steroids in baseball controversey, that '98 chase has become a tad less impressive, and much less legitimate in the minds of many.  McGuire has some impressive offensive numbers, but his defense was not great, and he just shed some tears and shuffled his feat before the Congressional hearing on steroids in baseball.  Instead of taking the opportunity to be a real hero, he became a mumbling bumpkin not worthy of "Hall of Fame" status as far as I'm concerned.  "Hall of Shame" would be much more appropriate for McGuire, whose career could not hold a candle to the overall greatness of Ripken and Gwynn's careers.