As you noted, Jay McGwire speculates that Mark does not care about the HoF. Who knows other than the player himself how he really feels.

The “respect for the game” line of thinking is interesting, but I don’t buy it, at least in McGwire’s context. Forget the issue of whether or not PED use is considered cheating and therefore disrespectful of the game. He grew up under La Russa, who does feel very strongly about respecting the game. The most recent example I recall was his underplaying of the Kenny Rogers pine tar incident in G2 of the 2006 World Series. I don’t see any way PED use can be linked to respect for the game in a positive manner, however.

I do wonder if La Russa was internally conflicted by seeing his players get larger and larger while McKay ran a clean program. Later when he asked McGwire, he accepted Mark’s answer and that was that. Seems pretty naive, like a parent refusing to admit their underage kid is smoking or drinking beer or worse, but part of respecting the game is definitely supporting your players.

I pulled this passage out of “Three Nights in August”. While it is Buzz Bissinger, not Tony speaking and the specific section was about hit batters, it is Tony’s general philosophy.

“He knew that if he didn’t protect his players, didn’t stand up for them, the respect they gave him – a porous bond to begin with in the distracted world of the modern athlete – would crumble away.”

We may never know, because Mac will surely outlive Tony and I doubt he’d ever openly discuss it anyway, but I would love to know what Tony has REALLY thought all along. He has to realize he has undermined his own public credibility by continuing to support McGwire so aggressively, remaining his most solid defender even as the evidence on the other side of the scale mounted. Perhaps he viewed a major scandal would be a worse disrespect of the game and was concerned about breaking his code of respect for his players. Above it all, his personal Hall of Fame legacy remains safe. I would put pretty high odds on that being very important to Tony.

The subtle change in TLRs stance regarding McGwire that I called out above was seemingly missed by others.

Some seem to assume that unless McGwire begs for entry into the Hall of Fame, the quality of his working life has not been validated. McGwire is either too proud, they assume. Or too ashamed of his choices. Maybe this is so.

Yet there are other possible explanations for what McGwire’s silence may connote. For instance, he could feel like he gave his utmost when he played. He could feel, like Sandberg, he did not play for personal acclaim like the HoF, but with respect for his craft. The petty world of baseball has become besotted about PEDs, such that there is not a respectful environment for McGwire. He does not owe fans anymore. They can engage in their speculations. He is getting on with the rest of his life. If so, good for him.

http://deadspin.com/5136177/mark-mcgwires-one+eyed-baby-brother-reveals-the-not+so+startling-truth