St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa says that if his his team were still in playoff contention August 31, he will put Mark McGwire on the active roster for a day to make him playoff-eligible to appear as a pinch-hitter in the postseason.

Seriously? The guy is 46 years old and nine years removed from the game. Whether this brilliant idea was based on a daydream or night dream, I’m not sure.

As much as I’d like to re-live my adolescence and watch Big Mac swing a bat, this is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard in a long time. It’s been 14 years since his incredible 1996 performance with the Oakland Athletics that saw him put up incredible numbers: 52 home runs, 113 RBI, a .312 batting average, and a .467 on-base percentage with a 197 OPS+. Impressive as that was 14 years ago, it was… 14 years ago.

The former first baseman Bash Brother was hired as the Cardinals’ hitting coach this offseason, which will boost ticket sales and possibly put an extra pop in the Cards’ bats. But nothing will put St. Louis fans in the seats more than McGwire in the batter’s box. Not Albert Pujols, not Matt Holliday. Sadly, this would be nothing more than a publicity stunt.

The steroid controversy is the one thing keeping McGwire and those from his generation out of the Hall of Fame. But whether he cheated or not, no one can really argue that he consistently put up insane numbers throughout his career.

Speaking of the Hall, if McGwire comes out of retirement – even for just one plate appearance – that’ll put the brakes on his bid for enshrinement: he’ll have to wait another 5 years to appear on a ballot. Mac received just 23.5% of votes by the BBWAA this year, needing 75% to be inducted, which will likely never happen. At least not in his lifetime.

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