Mark McGwire Snubbed By Hall Of Fame

Mark McGwire was snubbed. Jose Canseco, was ignored. The talk of steroid use, or suspected steroid use that had overshadowed baseball's Hall of Fame voting could not be pushed aside.

Tony Gwynn, who won eight batting titles with the San Diego Padres, and Cal Ripken Jr., who played a record 2,632 consecutive games with the Baltimore Orioles, name went into the Cooperstown, N.Y., in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame.

Ripken was named on 98.5% of the ballots (537 of 545), the third-highest percentage for a first-time candidate. Gwynn received 532 votes, or 97.6%.

A player must receive support from 75% of the eligible voters from the Baseball Writers Association of America to gain entry.

McGwire, who is seventh in baseball history with 573 home runs, was named on only 23.5% of the ballots.

Canseco, an admitted steroid user who fingered McGwire, might have been punished more than anyone else. A long shot for the Hall despite hitting 462 homers in his career, Canseco received just six votes and fell short of the 5% needed to stay on the ballot next year.

Voters had no trouble supporting Ripken and Gwynn, each of whom spent his entire career with the same team.