The much-heralded Hall of Fame class of 2007 will be announced at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and as the moments tick toward that conclusion, it's not getting any easier, even for the main participants. "I can't wait till it's over," Tony Gwynn said the other day. "My way of coping with all that is to just kind of wait until it happens," added Cal Ripken Jr. "I try to keep my enthusiasm inside. No jitters." Ripken, the Iron Man, and Gwynn, the eight-time National League batting champion, head the list of most likely electees. The jury is still out on Mark McGwire, the first player to hit 70 homers during a single season, but a man who is tainted by the shadow of MLB's so-called steroid era. The trio is among 17 players on the ballot this year for the first time.