Making their first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot this week, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. look like locks to be admitted to the Hall on the first go-round. But what about Mark McGwire, who also headlines the first-time candidates? Will the implications of steroid use -- thanks to Jose Canseco's book and McGwire's own testimony before a congressional committee last year -- keep McGwire from being elected by 75 percent of the voters? Claire Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer suggests McGwire faces an uphill battle to get elected to the 2007 Hall of Fame class, based on the opinions of voters collected for a Sunday article in the Inquirer. Some voters said they would vote for McGwire, either because they believe he excelled at a time when hundreds of his peers also were using performance-enhancing drugs, or simply because they aren't going to moralize about their use. Others refuse to vote for him because of the reported use, and many others view McGwire as a one-dimensional player who did little but hit (drug-tainted?) home runs. A number of writers who shared their views with Smith noted that the former slugger finished with just 1,626 hits in a 16-year career. A few believe that he's still a Hall of Famer, but by no means a first-ballot type such as Gwynn and Ripken. And others believe the voters should hold off on McGwire's election until details of the story cease to be revealed. After all, you can always elect McGwire down the road, but you can't reverse his election if damning evidence about his behavior becomes known later. The comments suggest McGwire may not make it into the Hall the first time around. He'll have to wait his turn, if it comes at all. If voters can take their attention away from McGwire during the voting process, maybe they'll take a hard look at Bert Blyleven, Goose Gossage and Lee Smith as players who should join Gwynn and Ripken at the induction ceremonies next year.