Willie McCovey likely is glad Barack Obama will remain in office until Thursday.
President Obama commuted the sentences of over 200 Americans on Tuesday in one of his final acts before President-elect Donald Trump takes office Friday. Among those issued pardons was McCovey, the San Francisco Giants Hall of Fame first baseman who was convicted on a tax-evasion charge in 1996.
McCovey, needless to say, was grateful.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to President Obama not only for this kind gesture on my behalf, but also for his tireless service to all Americans,” McCovey said in a statement, via FOX News. “He will be deeply missed and I wish him all the best in the future.”
McCovey, along with former Brooklyn Dodgers great Duke Snider, was sentenced to two years probation and fined $5,000 for failing to report thousands of dollars he earned signing autographs at memorabilia shows. At the time, McCovey admitted to not reporting $69,800 worth of income he received between 1988 and 1990.
The 79-year-old currently is employed by the Giants as a senior adviser. He made six Major League Baseball All-Star teams and hit 521 career home runs, many to right field, which helped give the cove beyond AT&T Park’s right field bleachers its unofficial name, McCovey Cove.
McCovey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986, his first year of eligibility.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
