NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire is getting another swing at the Hall of Fame.The former slugger who admitted using steroids joins Bud Selig, George Steinbrenner and seven others on the Todays Game Era ballot to be considered for election to Cooperstown in December.The announcement was made Monday by the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ballot is part of changes to the election process announced by the Halls board of directors in July. The ballot is comprised of five players, three executives and two managers who made their biggest impact from 1988 on.Its flattering. Its fantastic. I mean, thank you, McGwire told The Associated Press in a phone interview. Its very flattering to have another opportunity to possibly get into the Hall of Fame. Its exciting.McGwire said hed heard of the committee, but didnt think his name would come up for a long time.I didnt know it was going to be this year, considering last year was my last year on the (writers) ballot. Its very flattering.Harold Baines, Albert Belle, Will Clark, Orel Hershiser, Davey Johnson, Lou Piniella and John Schuerholz round out the class of 2017 candidates on the new ballot.All are alive except for Steinbrenner, the bombastic and successful owner of the New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010.Selig served as baseballs acting commissioner from September 1992 to July 1998 and then as commissioner until January 2015. He oversaw an era of immense change that included expansion, wild cards and interleague play.It is Seligs first appearance on a Hall of Fame ballot, and the third for Steinbrenner. He fell short on 2010 and 2013 Expansion Era ballots.Voting is Dec. 5 during the winter meetings in Maryland. To be enshrined, candidates must receive votes on at least 75 percent of the ballots cast by the 16-member Todays Game Era Committee.Those voters, appointed by the Hall of Fame board, will be announced this fall.McGwire ranks 11th on the career list with 583 home runs. Tainted by performance-enhancing drugs, however, he never came close to getting elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America and dropped off that ballot this year after his 10th and final chance.Numbers-wise, what Ive done, I truly believe they are Hall of Fame-worthy. For what I did hitting home runs, 583, Im the only guy in history averaging one in every 10 at-bats, he said. If you look at how many games and at-bats I did it in, it was a lot less than most guys in the Hall of Fame. Im proud of that. I truly believe I was born a home run hitter.Yet McGwire, who spent this past season as bench coach for the San Diego Padres, never received more than 23.7 percent of the vote from the BBWAA -- far short of the 75 percent required for election. He garnered 12.3 percent in his last appearance.He was asked whether he thinks his steroids admission and subsequent apology will sway this particular committee.Its obviously up to them. Theyre obviously up to speed with that. The writers felt the way they did. I truly respect how they felt. I did admit to it, and you know, theres nothing else I can say. I did what I did and I apologized for doing what I did, McGwire said.The process of the Todays Game Era Committee provides an avenue for Hall of Fame consideration to managers, umpires and executives, as well as players retired for more than 15 seasons -- like McGwire. Todays Game Era was one of four eras committees outlined in July when the Hall detailed its latest set of election changes.Finalists on the ballot revealed Monday were selected by the Historical Overview Committee appointed by the BBWAA, made up of 11 veteran historians.Any candidates elected Dec. 5 would be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 30 next year along with any players voted in by the BBWAA. Those results will be announced Jan. 18, 2017. White Sox Jerseys 2019 .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Stitched White Sox Jerseys .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/ . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Chicago White Sox Pro Shop . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Cheap White Sox Jerseys . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. TORONTO -- Aaron Sanchez pitched eight innings to win his eighth straight decision, Josh Donaldson and Darwin Barney each hit two-run singles in a four-run seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night.Troy Tulowitzki had two hits, his third multi-hit game in the past four, as the Blue Jays won a rematch of last years ALCS, which Kansas City won in six games.Sanchez (9-1) has not lost since April 22, against Oakland. He allowed one run and three hits and matched the longest start of his career.Sanchez retired the first seven batters he faced and held the Royals hitless until Cheslor Cuthberts two-out single to center in the fifth. The next hitter, Alcides Escobar, grounded out.Michael Saunders gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout off Edinson Volquez in the first.Toronto nearly doubled its lead in the fourth but Alex Gordon threw out Edwin Encarnacion trying to score from second on Kevin Pillars two-out single to left.Kansas City tied it when Kendrys Morales homered off Sanchez to begin the seventh, his 15th.Volquez (7-8) left after the first three batters reached to load the bases in the bottom half. Luke Hochevar came on and walked Devon Travis tto bring in the go ahead run.dddddddddddd. Barney followed with a two-run single.After Ezequiel Carrera advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, Donaldson lined a two-run single to right, making it 6-1.Eric Hosmer hit a two-out homer off Brett Cecil in the ninth, his 13th.Volquez allowed four runs and four hits in six-plus innings. He is winless in three starts, allowing 15 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings.TRAINERS ROOMRoyals: RHP Yordano Ventura has a Grade 1 sprain of his right ankle but hopes to make his next start, Friday against Seattle, manager Ned Yost said. Ventura left Sundays start after he was injured running the bases.Blue Jays: RHP Marco Estrada received multiple cortisone injections in his sore lower back and expects to make his next start, Thursday against Detroit.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Chris Young (2-7, 6.24) is 0-5 with a 8.53 ERA in six road starts. Young is winless on the road since a victory at Chicago on July 17, 2015.Blue Jays: RHP R.A. Dickey (5-9, 4.21) is 0-6 with a 5.14 ERA in eight home starts. The knuckleballer has lost three of his past four decisions. ' ' '