[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2003-E2004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF ST. LOUIS CARDINAL MARK McGWIRE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. RICHARD A. GEPHARDT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 9, 1997

  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, the city of St. Louis and its baseball 
Cardinals have been blessed with great teams and great players over the 
years. Generations of baseball legends wearing the St. Louis Cardinals 
uniform--Dizzy Dean, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, and Ozzie 
Smith--all played before adoring crowds of St. Louis fans. This past 
year, we witnessed a legend-in-the-making when slugger Mark McGwire 
joined the Cardinals and chased baseball immortality. After hitting 58 
home runs this season, Mark McGwire's name now joins the record books 
behind only Roger Maris and the legendary Babe Ruth on the all-time 
single season home run list.
  Mark McGwire was embraced in St. Louis like few sports figures have 
in the city's history. But it was not only his tremendous feats on the 
baseball field that attracted fans but also his generous actions off 
the field. Mark McGwire stands as a role model for our children, 
teaching them that there are more important things in life than money 
and fame. His actions off the field show us the importance he places in 
the values we hold dear--

[[Page E2004]]

responsibility, community involvement, and family.
  The city of St. Louis recently celebrated Mark McGwire's decision to 
sign a long-term contract to remain a Cardinal. McGwire demonstrated 
his generosity and commitment to the St. Louis community by pledging to 
donate $1 million of his salary every year to his foundation for 
sexually and physically abused children. Mark McGwire's baseball 
statistics show his excellence on the baseball field but his decision 
to give $1 million of his salary demonstrates what makes up his 
character.
  I'm proud to be a St. Louis Cardinals fan--the greatest fans in all 
of baseball. Mark McGwire is the best home run hitter in the game today 
and someone in which the entire city can take pride. Mr. Speaker, I 
rise today to congratulate Mark McGwire on his outstanding baseball 
achievements and his decision to stay in St. Louis. I join the entire 
city in welcoming Mark McGwire and I look forward to admiring his 
work--both on and off the field--in the years to come.

                          ____________________