McGwire back in baseball, seeking redemption
Tara Wellman
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Sports
There aren't too many single words that can change the face of an entire sport. But if there is one that can, it'd be one most prevalent in baseball - steroids. Lately, no one knows that better than fans of stars like Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Mark McGwire.
For McGwire, his is a drama that's still fresh. Avoiding the media for as long as possible, his decision to come back to the St. Louis Cardinals as a batting coach forced him to talk about the past - a past that did, indeed, include steroids.
Now, for a die-hard Cardinals fan, that's a tough pill to swallow. Sure, everyone thought he'd probably used something. But to deal with the criticism all this time, stand up for the guy's credibility, and watch him come back to the game, only to find out that, just like so many during his era, he'd used performance enhancers was disappointing. He knew it would be. When the criticism intensified, he expected that, too. The question is, what do we make of it now?
We can write him off. Call him a cheater. Say that he'll never do the current players any good unless he's teaching them how to not get caught. But even if I wasn't a fan of the Red Birds, I would say that's a little extreme.
Other payers in the "steroid era" did the same kind of things as McGwire. What they were taking then wasn't illegal like it is now. Yes, he still did androstenedione and HGH. Sure, he gave an apology that didn't quite make up for his absurd lack of comment to the jury when he was asked about steroids the first time. He thought he could trust his attorney when he said the best option was to confess nothing.
He says he only took the drugs for health reasons. And as cocky as it may sound, the guy has a point - no PED helps with hand-eye coordination. The guy with the bat still has to make contact with a ball zooming towards him at 90 miles an hour. Chances are, McGwire would have still been a hall of fame player without the performance enhancers.
Besides, the race between Sammy Sosa and McGwire potentially saved baseball. Their time made the game exciting again.
For McGwire, his is a drama that's still fresh. Avoiding the media for as long as possible, his decision to come back to the St. Louis Cardinals as a batting coach forced him to talk about the past - a past that did, indeed, include steroids.
Now, for a die-hard Cardinals fan, that's a tough pill to swallow. Sure, everyone thought he'd probably used something. But to deal with the criticism all this time, stand up for the guy's credibility, and watch him come back to the game, only to find out that, just like so many during his era, he'd used performance enhancers was disappointing. He knew it would be. When the criticism intensified, he expected that, too. The question is, what do we make of it now?
We can write him off. Call him a cheater. Say that he'll never do the current players any good unless he's teaching them how to not get caught. But even if I wasn't a fan of the Red Birds, I would say that's a little extreme.
Other payers in the "steroid era" did the same kind of things as McGwire. What they were taking then wasn't illegal like it is now. Yes, he still did androstenedione and HGH. Sure, he gave an apology that didn't quite make up for his absurd lack of comment to the jury when he was asked about steroids the first time. He thought he could trust his attorney when he said the best option was to confess nothing.
He says he only took the drugs for health reasons. And as cocky as it may sound, the guy has a point - no PED helps with hand-eye coordination. The guy with the bat still has to make contact with a ball zooming towards him at 90 miles an hour. Chances are, McGwire would have still been a hall of fame player without the performance enhancers.
Besides, the race between Sammy Sosa and McGwire potentially saved baseball. Their time made the game exciting again.
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