I’m not going to discuss Mark McGwire because my opinions is basically that “Big Mac” was a victim of circumstance and of the times. We forget so easily that he and Sammy Sosa set their records at a time when baseball was coming back from the brink following the 1994 strike. Steroids or not, McGwire helped save baseball, and it’s a damn shame that (a) baseball needed saving and (b) McGwire may have cheated in his accolades.
But as a Bostonian, I’m going to say it, and I know Dan Kennedy will back me up on this one.
Jim Rice should be in the hall of fame.
And for that matter, Goose Gossage should be too. They played in a different era. Closers weren’t as beloved as they are now–and as long as Yankees fans are taunting “Marino Rivera, first ballot,” Goose deserves the nod. Jim Rice played in an era where the stats were different–before McGwire and Bonds (caugh) for that matter.
That’s my opinion.