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Cal Ripken Jr leads Hall of Fame candidate list

The first-time candidates on the 2007 baseball writers` Hall of Fame ballot include the two-time MVP Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken played in 2,632 consecutive games for the Baltimore Orioles, breaking Lou Gehrig`s record. The list, released on Monday, includes also Tony Gwynn, an eight-time batting champion with San Diego. The two are likely to make it into the Hall on the first vote.

But the story gets more complicated with other names on the list. Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, who hit 583 and 462 career home runs respectively, are raising a live debate across sports fans. Although McGwire denied using illegal performance-enhancing substances, when he appeared before a congressional committee he evaded questions. Canseco, a leading source for the congressional hearings, revealed that he has used steroids with his team-mate in Oakland, McGwire.

In his testimony, McGwire repeated the phrase that "I`m not here to talk about the past." It is exactly this past, his career playing baseball that will be up for vote. McGwire`s bid to enter Cooperstown is yet another round in MLB`s coping with drug use among its players. If the cloud over Big Mac`s 70 home-run season is not yet dispersed, voting him into the Hall of Fame may turn out even more problematic for the league reputation.