People in Sports | Juan Marichal

Juan Marichal: Add the former Dominican baseball star to the list of Mark McGwire's backers.

Marichal said Saturday the embattled slugger deserves to join him in the Hall of Fame, days after McGwire failed to net enough votes to enter on the first ballot.

"McGwire belongs in the Hall of Fame. All those home runs that he hit make him worthy, as do Sammy Sosa's," Marichal told The Associated Press.

Dogged by rumors of steroid use, McGwire was picked on only 23.5 percent of ballots in his first year of Cooperstown eligibility, far below the 75 percent needed.

Marichal, the only Dominican in the Hall of Fame, spoke during a celebrity golf tournament in Juan Dolio, a Caribbean beach resort east of Santo Domingo.

Marichal is a member of the veterans' committee.

"Big Mac will be chosen for the Hall of Fame," he said.

Ray Sidney: The former Google Inc. software engineer has donated $250,000 to replace a Lake Tahoe, Calif., track that was used for high-elevation training for American runners competing in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

Sidney's contribution puts the $2.2 million fund-raising drive for a new track and athletic field at South Tahoe Middle School over the top, organizers said. The Lake Tahoe Unified School Board is to vote Tuesday on whether to put the project out to bid. Supporters hope the work can be completed by August.

The track is plagued by a cracked surface, a tendency to collect puddles and uneven lanes. Plans call for it to be replaced by a nine-lane track with an artificial field in the middle.

The Associated Press