January 11, 2010


Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, 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 that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

McGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn't include that detail in his statement.

McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. Tony La Russa, McGwire's manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire's biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger's reputation.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez last February.

Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and David Ortiz.


Complete article:
http://abcnews.go.com/Spo...id=9533663

...and in other news, the sky is blue.

Shit, even Stevie Wonder knew this cat was juicin'.

Yea, this goes in the "no duh" file, but in a sense, steroids saved baseball.

The Sosa/McGuire rivalry reinvigorated baseball after the strike.

You have to wonder what was allowed / encouraged and if more than a few pitches were served up that year.

Mars23 said:

That's why the owners/media/fans looked the other way, because these cats were hitting home runs. Everyone knew what was going on. Steroids have been in baseball since the late 80s.

Identity said:

Ah he is doing an Agassi. Admitting you were wrong after you retire. Seems to be the latest fashion these days.

The only way he can work 4 the Cards next year is 2 admit this now.

Isn't it about time baseball fans came clean about steroid use too? Maybe stop pretending that it's perfectly normal for guys who were average or decent hitters in their prime to suddenly become outrageously good when they're pushing 40?

So does he get an "asterisk" for the 70 homers?

Most athletes use steroids, what's new?

luv4u said:

luv4u said:

so you get your fake robot lady to talk about your fake athletes

and it is kinda sad when it's like, who didn't do steroids?


this world is a mess....

BklynBabe said:

It's a shame.

Tremolina said:

What was Agassi doing wrong? was he juicing? or just wearing a bad weave and taking meth, cause if that's what your trying to connect, that's apples n oranges.

luv4u said:

Who knew that the 80's WWF would be the blueprint for all future sports. Why people idolize these freaks is beyond me.

Tremolina said:

exactly what I thought.

luv4u said:

That's what I said too when i heard it on the news.

missfee said:

Does anyone really cafe if they do? I know I don't. i want 2 see a homerun hit 4 a 1,000 feet.

Does he still hold the record? I remember people making a big deal out of this in 1998.

Cinnie said:

No, Barry Bonds beat his record a few years later.

Graycap23 said:

Oh yeah! Barry Bonds.

Graycap23 said:

I'm more of a "pitchers' duel" person myself... a 1-0 game where the run is scored in the bottom of the ninth...

Graycap23 said:

The only reason I care is that steroids aren't good for you, and I think it sucks that an athlete might be pressured to do illegal & unhealthy drugs just to compete.

But like McGuire said, steroids alone don't make you hit 70 home runs. He & Bonds are great players with or without.

If they want to use steroids then they should have at it. We need to stop acting like men/athletes are demigods because they can kick/hit/throw a ball so many thousands of feet and we need to stop offering them more and more money to do what can't be done without chemical assistance. I don't blame these athletes, I blame society. People are no longer satisfied with what's natural and average....we all want superheroes.

He didn't "come clean" as the article states. He says he didn't take steroids to be a better home run hitter, which I think is an absolute lie.

And he is only admitting it now because the statute of limitations has run out. He had a chance to come clean when he was in front of Congress but his lawyers told him not to because he could be charged with a crime.

This, of course, means Mark McGwire was a criminal when he was an active ballplayer.

So I say, to Hades with him.

Graycap23 said:

They invented slow pitch softball just for guys like you.

I sorta knew when I was a kid. That's what happens when you're surrounded by sports buffs, retirees,etc. They all knew. It's not even funny. That's a damn shame. It's so common that it's accepted. And it's so accepted that some people don't care. But um...I would care. Especially if that meant some kind of persecution, a mark on my record, and the shifted eyes of my fans. There's a big diff between a vitamin and a steroid pill.

It's nada new but it's very disappointing. Why hide it or go around it? People do so much to try and keep up with the lies they've created...

The Lords of Baseball, the media, players and even the fans are to blame for this mess. Jose Canseco may be shady, but he told the truth. Baseball players have been using this shit since the mid-to-late 80s. Everyone knew what was going on but looked the other way because these cats were hitting mammoth home runs and filling up ballparks.

uPtoWnNY said:

I'll ask the q again. Do u really care if they use?

Graycap23 said:

I'm not a baseball fan, so maybe it doesn't matter, but I care. I care in the same way I care if someone lipsynchs at a concert or sings live or whether someone writes their own book or pays a ghostwriter to do it. Real accomplishment and talent are worthy of recognition. Maybe they can coexist with "assisted" accomplishment, but I still think the differences in their achievement are worth noting.

Graycap23 said:

Yes I do, because it makes it impossible to compare players from different eras.

As it stands now, Hank Aaron is the greatest hitter of all time in my opinion. He hit more home runs, drove in more runs, and hit for a higher average than any of these inflated yahoos.

Except for Barry Bonds. But we can't compare them because Bonds did it while on drugs and at 230 physically-enhanced pounds, while Aaron did it at 165 pounds and facing constant racism.

Also, if you are OK with pros doing drugs, then the slippery slope is going to be high school and even junior high school kids doing these drugs. Are you OK with that? Because it's gonna happen if your way is adopted.