Aaron says, 'Add an asterisk'

For many years Hank Aaron stayed away from offering an opinion on the bulked-up sluggers who were pursuing his home run record, preferring to say simply that he had been clean throughout a Hall of Fame career.

But the man who hit 755 career home runs has offered a compromise solution: Let the so-called steroid sluggers into the Hall of Fame, with an asterisk.

"The thing is, do you put these guys in, or do you put an asterisk beside their names and say, 'Hey, they did it, but here's why'?" Aaron told reporters at this weekend's Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. "To be safe, I think that's the only way you can do it."

While not naming any names, Aaron hinted that he's particularly wary of Mark McGwire's 70-home run season in 1998 and Barry Bonds' 73 in 2001.

"I played the game long enough to know, and it is impossible for players - I don't care who they are - to hit 70 home runs," Aaron told reporters. "It just does not happen. I think that's one reason why people's eyes started opening up and they said, 'How can this guy do this?' "

Aaron added that he doesn't think everything the hitters from the steroids era did was because of doping.

"It's hard to say the reason you hit a home run is because you're on steroids," Aaron was quoted as saying. "I don't believe that. I believe your body can recuperate quickly to come back on the field. But I certainly don't think you can stand up there and hit a Nolan Ryan 100-m.p.h. fastball just because you put something in your arm or took a pill."

Gonzalez passes Garvey

San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez entered the game as a defensive substitute at first base in the seventh inning against Washington yesterday, extending the majors' longest active consecutive-games streak to 306. Gonzalez also broke the Padres' consecutive-games record he previously shared with Steve Garvey.

Noteworthy

Pittsburgh outfielders lead the major leagues with 29 assists after centerfielder Andrew McCutchen threw out Arizona's Gerardo Parra attempting to stretch a double in the first inning yesterday. . . . The Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher Jared Burton on the 15-day disabled list and recalled righthander Josh Roenicke from triple-A Louisville. . . . The St. Louis Cardinals have recalled pitcher Blake Hawksworth from triple-A Memphis and optioned reliever Josh Kinney to triple-A. . . . During the 51st annual Hollywood Stars celebrity softball game, actor Rob Lowe charged the mound and tackled pitcher Dave Annable, his costar on Brothers & Sisters. No actors were harmed in the ensuing bench-clearing brawl. Sugar Shane Mosley and Tom Arnold were co-MVPs. . . . San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said centerfielder Aaron Rowand would likely have an MRI exam on his bruised right forearm today.

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Contact staff writer Don McKee at 215-854-4611 or

dmckee@phillynews.com.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.