1800 and counting....

samspop · March 10, 2009 8:18AM

I am not typically a tooter of my own horn, but just wanted to share a milestone that I have achieved. I just hit 1800 different McGwire cards in my PSA McGwire Master Set Registry. I think it is the largest single collection in the PSA Player Set database (by more than 200 cards). Someone correct me if I am wrong.

I guess this raises the question...Should McGwire along with all of the other steroid era players be allowed into the Hall of Fame. As time goes on, I have to say yes...they should all go. And, please note, I DESPISE Barry Bonds and hope he never plays again, but the numbers are what they are. No one player or person allowed this to happen. It was a product of the era of baseball.

What date do you begin and what date do you end in stating that a player who played during this time should not be allowed into the hall? Do you base it on a suspicion of steroid use? Do you say that anyone who tests postive should be banned? Has everyone been tested? What about pitchers? There are only a handful of "suspected" pitchers, but hundreds of suspected hitters. I honestly believe that it was on both sides of the mound in more equal numbers.

Whew...I am done. Thanks for letting me run on this!!

larryallen73 · March 10, 2009 8:27AM

Good job! That's an amazing number.

matthewbschultz83 · March 10, 2009 8:31AM

I think Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, and Clemens are the big 5. They will never get in, nowhere close in fact. I doubt any of them crack the 50% plateau.

I don't think some of the "suspected" guys like Broidy Anderson, Luis Roidzalez, etc. have had good enough careers to get in. Admitted users like Caminiti, Pettitte, and Giambi are also not good enough to get in, in my opinion.

The interesting ones for me are Sheffield (he's part of the Balco deal and admitted under oath that he's used steroids), Ivan Rodriguez, and Alex Rodriguez.

I think Sheffield gets overlooked on this, his career, and eventually the HOF. I think Pudge and Arod get in, but not first ballot.

Guys like Maddux, Griffey, Thome, Thomas, Pujols, Glavine, Smoltz, etc. that right now are believed to have done everything the right way get in first ballot no doubt.

lawnmowerman · March 10, 2009 8:34AM

Congrats Mike!

Doing the Emmitt Smith set which is also very large, I know getting that many cards in a PSA set is a big accomplishment.

divecchia · March 10, 2009 8:36AM

Congrats on the 1800 card plateau for the McGwire set.

That is an amazing accomplishment...

Donato

matthewbschultz83 · March 10, 2009 8:36AM

Congrats by the way! That PSA stuff sure is nifty.

brianwintersfan · March 10, 2009 8:39AM

<< <i>I guess this raises the question...Should McGwire along with all of the other steroid era players be allowed into the Hall of Fame >>

I hope not. The modern athelete makes me sick these days.

swartz1 · March 10, 2009 8:55AM

Mac will never get it...nor do I think he really cares...

mikeschmidt · March 10, 2009 8:56AM

I was looking over your collection today during lunch. What an amazing assortment and number of McGwire cards. Congratulations

bobsbbcards · March 10, 2009 8:57AM

Congratulations on your milestone! That's an incredible number of McGwire cards!!!

I differ from most people on the steroid debate, because I feel that all athletes should be REQUIRED to take steroids.

samspop · March 10, 2009 9:23AM

Thanks for the props! This has been a fun task, indeed. There are quite a few McGwire collectors out there and I have been lucky enough to have contact with most of the "biggies" (some are actually board members) in putting this collection together. As most of the modern Master Set collectors know, these sets are moving targets. My goal is to get to 75% of the set and just try and maintain that as well as upgrade when I can. By the way, if anyone has any McGwire cards in good shape, there are still plenty that I need, so just let me know!!

Thanks again.

bigwilli · March 10, 2009 9:34AM

Amazing amount of cards for a single player...Congrats

As far as those guys getting into the HOF . I believe most of them will get in . Clemems , Bonds and
the others will not get in on the first ballot but in time , they get in .

Steroids are bad and should never have found there way in sports but really steroids may make you pitch
longer but they dont help you throw strikes . Steroids may make you stronger but they dont help with the
hand/eye coodination. We can debate whether they get in or not but sometimes numbers just dont lie and
its impossible to prove just how much steroids actually helped these players

BurritoJimmy · March 10, 2009 9:52AM

Oh yeah man they should be in. They just used a little juice and didn't hurt nobody.

Arriba!

FanOf390 · March 10, 2009 10:01AM

matthewbschultz83 wrote: "I think Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmeiro, and Clemens are the big 5. They will never get in, nowhere close in fact. I doubt any of them crack the 50% plateau."

Uhhh, have you been smokin' or drinkin', or both?? As I've said many times, it's the BASEBALL Hall of Fame, not the Communion of Saints!! What part of that do you NOT understand?

matthewbschultz83 · March 10, 2009 10:11AM

This part, from the election rules to the MLB Hall of Fame:
"The Committee shall consider all eligible candidates and voting shall be based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contribution to the game."

Where's Pete Rose, Joe Jackson? They, in my opinion, messed with the integrity far less than Bonds, McGwire, and the like did. Bonds and McGwire made a mockery of the Home Run. I believe Fundango made an interesting point about guys hitting 50 and how it exploded in the mid 90s. An earlier comment was made that it didn't improve hand/eye coordination. Your right it didn't, Bonds and McGwire didn't need it either to get to the Hall. It took balls that were warning track fly outs and put them over the fence. I wonder what the Babe or Maris or Mantle or Aaron could have done on the juice. The simple fact is because of guys from the mid 90s until today you can't accurately compare records. The allure of baseball is someone that hasn't seen a game since 1915 could wake up watch a game and follow it; fundamentally it hasn't changed and for the most part the maximum anyone can do in anyone stat was fairly consistant. This ilk defacated on the sanctity of baseball for greed, personal gain, money, etc. and I think they should and will be punished accordingly.

FanOf390 · March 10, 2009 10:24AM

You're not being logical, matthewbschultz83. The huge difference between Rose/Jackson and the players of the steroid era is that Rose/Jackson might NOT have been trying to win in any particular game. That's where the integrity of the game comes into play.

Which of the acknowledged or alleged steroid users was NOT trying to do their very best and thereby win a game?
ANSWER: None of them.

2dueces · March 10, 2009 10:30AM

Unreal. That's unbelievable. WOW.

matthewbschultz83 · March 10, 2009 10:32AM

I'm going to agree to disagree. And I am pretty sure I am being quite logical....several writers like Heyman, Verducci have publicly stated they will refuse to vote for any admitted or proven steroid user. This pretty much backs me up. Big Mac can't get 25%

McGwire's Voting Results

MBMiller25 · March 10, 2009 10:53AM

Congratulations on the McGwire cards. I can't even think of having that many cards of one player. Mark McGwire was my favorite player growing up, so it pains me to say this, but I dont think he ever gets into the HOF. Frankly, I dont think he even cares. He lives such a secluded life now in Orange County CA. He lives in a gated commuinty, gets up and plays golf every day, and then goes home to his gated community. Its really a shame to see him just GO AWAY.

aro13 · March 10, 2009 11:24AM

Wow! 1800 different McGwire cards is an impressive accomplishment.

MeteoriteGuy · March 10, 2009 11:29AM

Pretty amazing. I think Matt might have you beat on the most PSA of any player, although I noticed he did not toot his horn.

I will give this to McGwire....everyone has an opinion on him.

baseballjeff · March 10, 2009 11:52AM

I personally don't think he should be in the Hall, but way to go on your wonderful collection. What made you want to dedicate so much time and effort into Mark McGwire?

Nice work!
Jeff

samspop · March 10, 2009 12:12PM

What made you want to dedicate so much time and effort into Mark McGwire?

Good question. It actually started back in the 86-87. I was an A's fan back then because of Reggie Jackson (remember he got traded to the A's right before the '86 season). I just kinda stuck with the A's after Reggie retired and got sucked into the Bash Brother phenomenon. I already had collected a lot of raw cards of McGwire's, then about 7-8 years ago, I got involved in the PSA side of the collecting world by buying a pretty large (100 cards or so) McGwire PSA collection (this collection was the #1 Master Set at the time). I already had 500-600 cards raw and began to send them in. I would say that 70-80% of the cards that I have registered, I bought raw or pulled from packs and submitted to PSA. The set has grown through the help of other board members, other McGwire collectors, and of course, eBay sellers. I still love to buy the mid/late 90's boxes in the hopes that I pull some amazing McGwire card. It has happened a few times, but I have storage boxes packed full of cards that I ripped just looking for the McGwires (I have close to 1,000,000 cards...it's a junk pile!!). That is about it...

slantycouch · March 10, 2009 12:42PM

Wow man that's a heck of an accomplishment. Congrats!

1800 and counting....

Comments