McGwire's biggest loss yet

Instead of stonewalling and dodging questions, what if baseball slugger Mark McGwire had told congressmen at the steroid hearings, "I took performance-enhancing drugs. Since they were not specifically banned at the time, I thought I was on solid legal ground. I see now that legality was not the issue. They gave me an unfair advantage over opponents. I apologize. They may have injured my health and set me up as a poor example to my family, friends and others. Again I apologize. Whatever fate baseball now holds for me, I accept."

Chances are McGwire may still have failed to make the Hall of Fame in his first try, but his chances would have been much better.

Americans love a winner but hate a weasel. McGwire went from one to the other in the minds of the nation in a twinkling of a television broadcast in 2005. It hasn't helped that, in his first year of eligibility for baseball's most exclusive ball club, two other players with sterling reputations — Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. — got in by an almost unanimous vote. Ripken, the Man of Steel who broke Lou "Iron Horse" Gehrig's record for consecutive games — was a class act on and off the field. The only rap against him was he sometimes played when he was ill or not 100 percent. Gwynn, who had more consecutive years batting above .300 than anyone since Ty Cobb and won eight batting titles, always was the gentleman ballplayer. A few years ago a malcontent in a clubhouse said Gwynn cared more about his personal statistics than team statistics, but Gwynn batted away the criticism the way he batted sliders.

Ripken and Gwynn are in. McGwire must wait. And wait. In fact, given the ongoing firestorm over steroids, he may never make the grade.

Sportswriters, who love "Hot Stove League" debates, are now asking if McGwire could have gotten even close to Cooperstown without steroids, if his bringing the game back from the abyss after the labor strike and his natural talent should all qualify him for the Hall. They are also debating that dastardly cover-up before Congress that likely cost him his legacy.

He should have learned from Nixon — Richard, not the catcher, Russ. Try to wriggle off the hook and America will leave you twisting in the wind.