After finishing way behind in the Hall of Fame balloting, Mark McGwire might fall off the map. Literally. A Missouri state representative has submitted legislation to rename Mark McGwire Highway in honor of a former state senator. In 1998, McGwire broke the major-league record by slugging 70 home runs. The next year, the state named about five miles of Interstate 70 for the former Cardinals first baseman. However, that was before suspicions of performance-enhancing began to dog McGwire’s legacy. Rep. Talibdin El-Amin (D-St. Louis) says his bill, which was in the works before the Hall of Fame vote, is an attempt to recognize former Sen John Bass rather than detract from McGwire. “It’s more, for me, a desire to honor somebody more worthy,” said El-Amin, a freshman legislator whose district includes a part of the highway. “Mark McGwire, I believe, hasn’t walked in north St. Louis and hasn’t done anything for this state outside of the 70 home runs.”
