Ringolsby: Big question Mark looms for Hall voters

Published December 1, 2006 at midnight

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For Mark McGwire, the waiting game has begun.

Better luck in 15 years, big guy.

McGwire's name appears on the Hall of Fame ballot sent to veteran members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for the first time.

While Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., other first-time eligibles, are locks to be enshrined in their first ballot year, McGwire is a long shot.

There will be outrage over steroids, but the real question is if McGwire had a Hall of Fame career, regardless of suspicions of performance-enhancing drugs.

The man hit 583 home runs, which would seem worthy of induction, but the way home runs have been hit in recent years, the question that begs to be answered is whether we need to re-evaluate the impact of home runs while judging Hall of Fame candidates from this era.

More concerning is the overall play of McGwire, a marginal defensive player at best. Don't get caught up with the one Gold Glove he somehow was awarded by coaches and managers. Even Rafael Palmeiro won a Gold Glove at first base in a season in which he was a designated hitter.

Career totals of 1,626 hits and 1,596 strikeouts gnaw at McGwire. He hit .280 or better in only five seasons. He seems a lot more like Dave Kingman than Babe Ruth.

Even in Baseball Reference's guide that rates careers, only two Hall of Famers are among 10 players considered most like McGwire, Harmon Killebrew and Willie McCovey. Several others are active - Jim Thome, Carlos Delgado, Jason Giambi and Manny Ramirez. Then there are Jose Canseco, Juan Gonzalez, Norm Cash and Kingman.

The argument for McGwire will center on the 1998 and 1999 seasons in which he hit 135 home runs - he and Sammy Sosa helping baseball recapture the fans with their assault on Roger Maris' single-season home run mark. But are two powerful seasons enough to earn enshrinement?

It wasn't for Atlanta's Dale Murphy, who won back-to-back MVP awards but never enough support to be remembered in Cooperstown.

Considering the questions of his accomplishments, in addition to those who will question the legitimacy of anything he accomplished, a concern McGwire fueled with his boorish attitude during his appearance before a congressional committee, it's best that McGwire's Hall of Fame bid be put on hold.

In 15 years, if the writers haven't inducted him, he will be eligible for a new panel of judges - his peers. He can go on the ballot of the Veterans Committee and the living Hall of Famers can decide if they feel Mc- Gwire is worthy of membership.

Overheard

• Angels owner Arte Moreno has told general manager Bill Stoneman he wants a division champion in 2007 or he will get a new GM.

• Baltimore and San Francisco have shown interest in Ryan Klesko, whose time on the disabled list last season opened the door for Adrian Gonzalez to claim the first base job in San Diego.

• Free-agent catcher Mike Lieberthal is talking to the Dodgers about a one-year deal worth $1 million with an option for 2008.

It's a fact

Tampa Bay has received permission to move its May 15-17 series against the Texas Rangers to the Disney World complex near Orlando, Fla. Devil Rays officials say they want to try to expand their fan base.

The bottom line is, a matchup between Tampa Bay and Texas might be the most unattractive in baseball. They averaged 8,241 attendance for six games at Tropicana Field in 2006.

Got a question? E-mail it to ring ols byt@RockyMountainNews.com.

Two cents' worth

Why don't more catchers get a chance to be pitching coaches? Aren't catchers the guys who supposedly handle the game from behind the plate? Aren't the good ones credited with their ability to work pitchers through bad days, as well as good?

Three catchers who have been come to mind, and all had success.

Dave Duncan is the best known, having served Rene Lachemann in Seattle and Tony La Russa with the White Sox, Oakland and St. Louis. There also was Buck Rodgers with Bill Rigney in San Francisco and Norm Sherry with Dick Williams at various stops.

MILE-HIGH WATCH

• Good news, bad news for the Rockies organization.

The good news: Former All-Star third baseman Carney Lansford is joining the organization as the hitting coach with Triple-A Colorado Springs, according to sources close to Lansford.

Lansford coached briefly with St. Louis but stepped down to spend more time with his sons. They have finished high school, so Lansford has decided to move back to Baker, Ore. He also wants to be back in uniform.

Lansford will replace Alan Cockrell, who was promoted to hitting coach on the major league staff. Lansford was a member of Oakland's 1989 championship team. He hit .290 with 151 home runs and 874 RBI and stole 224 bases in 15 major league seasons with the Angels, Red Sox and Athletics.

The bad news: P.J. Carey, who spent the past 14 years in the Rockies organization, 13 as a minor league manager, is leaving to become minor league field coordinator for the Dodgers, according to major league sources.

Carey primarily has managed the Rockies' rookie league affiliates, where he has been praised throughout baseball for his ability to help first-year players adapt to life off the field as well as on it. He was the Rockies' major league bullpen coach in 1997.

Duane Espy, the Rockies' major league hitting coach the past four seasons, is a likely candidate to manage Casper.

• Cleveland could be returning to Tucson for spring training.

The Indians, who trained in Tucson from 1947 to 1992 before moving to Winter Haven, Fla., were hoping a new complex would be built in Goodyear, Ariz. Those dreams were thrown a curve when Glendale, Ariz., announced a deal with the Chicago White Sox and Dodgers to build a two-team site.

The catch is, the White Sox must find someone to replace them in Tucson, which has a contract requiring the team to remain in Tucson or provide a replacement.

With Tucson having a facility, the state of Arizona isn't inclined to approve financing of a one-team facility in Goodyear in addition to the new facility in Glendale.

And that could lead to the Indians returning to Tucson, where they were replaced in 1993 by the Rockies.

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