Mcgwire Admits To Steroid Use During 1998 Home Run Race

[PhilM]

http://tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=305704


EW YORK -- Mark McGwire finally came clean, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.

McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. During a 20-minute telephone interview shortly afterward, his voice repeatedly cracked.

"It's very emotional, it's telling family members, friends and coaches, you know, it's former teammates to try to get hold of, you know, that I'm coming clean and being honest," he said. "It's the first time they've ever heard me, you know, talk about this. I hid it from everybody."

McGwire said he also used human growth hormone, and he didn't know if his use of performance-enhancing drugs contributed to some of the injuries that led to his retirement, at age 38, in 2001.

(more at the link)

 

[Triple B]

About bloody time...people should take a page out of David Letterman's book. Admit to your transgressions up front and people will simply stop caring. You've taken everything away from anyone willing to take up a pitchfork and come after you. If McGwire had done this at the congressional hearings, he'd LIKELY (not definitely) be in the Hall of Fame or at least he would have scored better that 25% or whatever his total was.

 

[JTMcCool]

Although much too late, it is good to see him finally come clean.

 

[27Leafs27]

As far as I'm concerned Roger Maris and Hank Aaron still own their respective records. McGwire, Sosa and Bonds all cheated to attain their records and none of them deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

Just my 2 cents, ignore as needed.
Dan.

 

[brado8236]

It's good that McGwire finally let go of one of the worst kept secrets in sports. I hope he's able to move forward as the Cardinals hitting coach and that he eventually takes his place in the Hall of Fame.

The HOF is littered with guys who cheated, whether we knew about it or not. From amphetamines to spitballs, juicing to scuffing, pine tar to corking, baseball players have been looking for an edge over the competition since the beginnings of the game. Steroids are just the latest and greatest.

People crying foul and whining about steroid users tarnishing the game have a point, but pull your heads out. If we removed all the guys who ever cheated or bent the rules to get ahead, it would be a damn short walk from one side of the building to the other. The fact that we didn't find out how others have cheated is meaningless and doesn't detract from the fact that it's happened.

The guys who juiced and broke NO BASEBALL RULES AT THE TIME WHILE DOING SO should not be considered pariahs within the scope of the game. Ruth, Maris and Aaron did set their records without steroids, but mostly because they were largely unavailable to them and weren't en vogue at the time. Would they have used steroids if others around them used and were tremendously successful? It's a valid question...

And what DID they use without getting caught??? We think they were doing it without amphetamines, cocaine, corking, pine tar, etc., but do we know for sure?

Short answer: nope. And does it matter what they used? Same answer: nope.

Bottom line is that while I don't agree with players' use of steroids during that era, the records are no different than those set during the dead-ball era, the cocaine era, the higher mound era, the amphetamines era, etc. No asterisks are required and nobody should be excluded from the HOF, including McGwire. Especially now that he's come clean (so to speak)...

And now I'm off my soapbox...

 

[GrimUSMC]

It's good that McGwire finally let go of one of the worst kept secrets in sports. I hope he's able to move forward as the Cardinals hitting coach and that he eventually takes his place in the Hall of Fame.

The HOF is littered with guys who cheated, whether we knew about it or not. From amphetamines to spitballs, juicing to scuffing, pine tar to corking, baseball players have been looking for an edge over the competition since the beginnings of the game. Steroids are just the latest and greatest.

People crying foul and whining about steroid users tarnishing the game have a point, but pull your heads out. If we removed all the guys who ever cheated or bent the rules to get ahead, it would be a damn short walk from one side of the building to the other. The fact that we didn't find out how others have cheated is meaningless and doesn't detract from the fact that it's happened.

The guys who juiced and broke NO BASEBALL RULES AT THE TIME WHILE DOING SO should not be considered pariahs within the scope of the game. Ruth, Maris and Aaron did set their records without steroids, but mostly because they were largely unavailable to them and weren't en vogue at the time. Would they have used steroids if others around them used and were tremendously successful? It's a valid question...

And what DID they use without getting caught??? We think they were doing it without amphetamines, cocaine, corking, pine tar, etc., but do we know for sure?

Short answer: nope. And does it matter what they used? Same answer: nope.

Bottom line is that while I don't agree with players' use of steroids during that era, the records are no different than those set during the dead-ball era, the cocaine era, the higher mound era, the amphetamines era, etc. No asterisks are required and nobody should be excluded from the HOF, including McGwire. Especially now that he's come clean (so to speak)...

And now I'm off my soapbox...

I SO Could not agree anymore. BINGO, PERFECT, SPOT ON!!!! :beer:

Problem is Steroid's have become so vilified, people will never have see it this way.