No Asterisks Needed

Mark McGwire didn’t just break the single-season record for home runs, he crushed it. Let there be no doubt, no asterisks, no quarrels over the length of the season. At this historic moment in sports, McGwire stands alone in America’s spotlight. Simply put, he’s the man for all seasons.

The St. Louis Cardinal first baseman’s smash against the Chicago Cubs in the fourth inning Tuesday night settled all arguments, topping totals of 60 and 61 achieved by New York Yankee sluggers Babe Ruth and Roger Maris decades ago. And it’s not just the numbers, it’s the awesome power. All season long, McGwire’s home runs haven’t simply cleared the fence, they’ve rocketed into the grandstands like heat-seeking missiles, some traveling more than 500 feet.

This has been the Year of the Slugger. In an exciting race, Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs gave chase to McGwire and the record since early in the season, with Ken Griffey Jr. not far behind.

There will be grousing, of course. The expansion of major league teams indeed may have diluted pitching. But make no mistake: McGwire, Sosa and Griffey are genuine home run heroes.

No long ago, as McGwire’s home run total mounted, controversy flared over his use of muscle-enhancing substances. But McGwire is not a pharmaceutical product. He has pounded home runs in ballparks all around the major leagues since he went into professional baseball in 1987, before he bulked up his physique to 250 pounds.

A Southern Californian, McGwire played Little League in Claremont, became a collegiate power at USC and makes his off-season home in Orange County.

Now he, Sosa and Griffey have provided a fine summer tonic for fans. How blessedly distant seems baseball’s strike year, 1994, when there was no World Series. McGwire and the other sluggers have given us a season to treasure.