Fred

McGriff

It seemed like it would come down to McGriff, Don Mattingly and Dale Murphy when the nominating team picked five far more controversial players (Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling) for the eight-man ballot, and things set up especially well for McGriff, who had his former Blue Jays COO Paul Beeston and a bunch of contemporaries doing the voting today. As it turned out, McGriff was elected unanimously. No one else came close to the 12 votes needed from the 16 voters; Mattingly got eight, Schilling seven and Murphy six. McGriff hit 493 homers in a career that spanned from 1986 to 2004, leading the league twice in that category. He also led in OPS once. Overall, he hit .284/.377/.509 in 10,174 plate appearances.

He will be Tampa’s primary designated hitter with Robert Fick moving into a reserve role. McGriff had gone 5-for-20 at Triple-A Durham with a homer and five walks before his recall today.

''If I had known that, I might have done some things a little different,’' said McGriff, who did not put a timetable on his return from a second DL stint.

McGriff was activated Tuesday, but it’s clear he is not ready to play on a regular basis.

McGriff is batting just .146 this season, and the Dodgers are giving him a few days to find his swing.

McGriff probably won’t be too picky; he just wants to play. “I’m training, running and swimming,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

One AL executive, when asked how the Dodgers will improve their struggling offense, said, ''I think they’ll put Shawn Green on first base and go get an outfielder.’' McGriff, 39, is hitting .152 with four RBI. The Dodgers think they have the pitching to compete this year, and there is a sentiment in Los Angeles that they will go as far as mid-lineup hitters McGriff and Adrian Beltre will let them. They’re not likely to tolerate a lack of production from those spots for long.

Rumor has it a shipment of Jim Thome and Richie Sexson voodoo dolls just arrived at McGriff’s address.

Manager Jim Tracy plans to use Paul LoDuca at first base with David Ross catching. McGriff should be considered day-to-day.

McGriff has never been on the DL in his 17-year career. ''It’s getting a little better day by day,’' said McGriff, who estimates he’s at 60-70 percent.