How to make an exit

Sporting News, The, May 19, 2003 by Joe Buck

Hey, remember Mark McGwire? C'mon, you remember, he was the guy with the red hair and Paul Bunyan arms and a date with history in September just five years ago? No? Oh, well.

Let me tell you a story about a man who did what he always said he would. Mark McGwire walked away from the money.

Let me state that another way: In an era when everyone--myself included--can't wait to hold an employer's feet to the fire to squeeze out every last dime because they think they are "worth it," Mark McGwire said thanks, but the circus is over. He was finished, and the Cardinals got $30 million back from an aging superstar who didn't want to stiff-arm the pain in his knee just for cash. Whatever opinion you have of the man, one thing is irrefutable--no baseball player in my lifetime put more people in seats than big No. 25. Not Griffey, Ripken, Sosa, or even Bonds. Not even close.

Don't you remember how people lined up at ballparks across the country to see the show? Many in the seats weren't there to see their beloved Royals, Twins, Mets, or even the Cardinals. They got there early and stayed late to catch a glimpse of history, if not a ball potentially bound for the Hall of Fame.

Did you know that the club hosting the Cardinals would get nasty phone calls if McGwire didn't take batting practice? In the words of Allen Iverson, "I mean, here we are in here talkin' 'bout practice."

People couldn't get enough. Even in Montreal, it happened. Montreal. Fans would cheer and ooh and ahh when he hit a ball into a section of seats that hadn't been touched since the 1976 Olympics.

I worked as the radio and television voice of the Cardinals during the 1998 season, and I can vividly remember conversations he and I would have on charter flights (by the way, my friend Bobby DeNiro told me to never name drop). First Mark would give me trouble about Fox always picking the New York teams as the featured act on the Game of the Week "Gee, where you going this Saturday? Let me guess ... New York?" Then the conversation would turn to his frustration with how the game was being run by both the players and the owners. A consistent theme running through every talk we had about the game was his astonishment that so many players were just hanging on to cash paychecks after their productivity and skills had obviously slipped.

He said it then, and he lived it in 2001 in a fax he sere to the Cardinals saying goodbye. Just like that, he handed back $30 million. Granted, that is a lot easier to do when you already have made millions playing for Oakland and St. Louis. But c'mon, it's got to be hard to turn down that much no matter who you are or what you've got in the bank. I would have had no problem if he had said, "Hey, for all I did for the game and for the cardinals I deserve to finish my contract." After all, he didn't hold a gun to ownership's head when he signed it. He didn't even have an agent.

Since he left, there have been no McGwire Days at the ballpark. Nobody is asked to lay down palms on the stretch of Interstate 70 named after him when he enters the city.

Remember his last scheduled plate appearance? Well, you shouldn't. He was pinch hit for by Kerry Robinson in the 2001 Division Series. Did he whine and stomp around the clubhouse after the game? No. That's not him. Never was--even in 1998. In the movie 61 * directed by Billy Crystal, the most touching moment was one of the few real pieces of video from that magical season. It was when a worn-out Mark cried describing the thrill he would get knowing that his bat would rest next to Roger Maris' in the Hall of Fame. That record-setting night, he became the first player in the history of the game to hit 62 home runs in a single season. After celebrating with his son, Matt, his teammates and Sammy Sosa, where did he go? To the seats to hug the Maris' kids. Nobody told him to do it, he just wanted to share the moment with them and lift them up during a tough moment.

So let's recap: He set records; he had a sense of the history of the game when he played it; and he played hard as long as he could and then left on his own terms. Tough to top, don't you think? Who's next? Anyone, anyone ...

Joe Buck is Fox Sports' lead play-by-play announcer for NFL and MLB. You also can hear him as a guest on Sporting News Radio.