McGwire officially admits to using steroids
Here’s a shocker: Mark McGwire used steroids during his career.
From MLB.com:
“Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.
“I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the nineties, including during the 1998 season.
“I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.
“During the mid-90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years. I experienced a lot of injuries, including a rib cage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries too.
You can read McGwire’s full statement here.
Better late than never I guess, although he would have been better admitting all of this from the start instead of lying. I also find it a little humorous that he took a page out of the Andy Pettitte book of coming clean about steroids and saying he used the drugs to recover from injuries. I guess all the big muscles and home runs were just icing on the cake, huh?
Big Mac has been hiding under a rock for the better part of a decade, so before he stepped back into the public eye I suppose he had no choice but to come clean. Considering the media will surround him on a nightly basis during the season, he was bound to field questions about his involvement with steroids. So instead of denying the allegations for an entire season, he was better off admitting everything up front and starting his new career off on the right foot.
The ball is now in Barry Bonds’ court. The only hitters in the modern era to pass 61 home runs have all either admitted using steroids or are linked to performance-enhancing drugs and their masking agents. So are any of us to believe that Bonds hit 73 dingers on God-given talent? Don’t think so.
It’s good that another player came clean about his use of steroids, but I think it’ll be a cold day in hell before Bonds every admits to any wrongdoing.
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As soon as I saw that McGwire finally came clean, my first thought was of Bonds as well. When is he finally going to admit it?
McGwire made over $71M since he first “experimented” with steroids in 1989. Sammy Sosa made $104M since hitting 66 hr’s in 1998. A-Rod has made over $221M since he alleges he first used steroids in 2001. I could go on but you get the point.
Salaries in baseball have gone through the roof because cheating allowed these guys to do things that have never been done. And they all look right at the camera or the reporter and act as if they are the real deal, so the fans continue to pay their salaries. I’m not sure which is worse…cheating the game or lying about it for years and only coming clean when you need another payday, or a hall of fame vote.
Too little, too late. Mark McGwire admitted to what was widely known for years. Despite finally acknowledging the use of steroids, he proceeded to side step the benefit it had on his game and career.
Without steroids, his career would have ended much sooner, his stats would not have been what they were, and records would not have been broken when they were.
Yes, he owed a lot of people an apology, but he only did so with the hopes of being looked upon favorably in his return to baseball. He ought to be stripped of any records he holds. He has a zero chance of ever being considered for the Hall of Fame. He would have accomplished much more if he not only admitted to his use of steroids but how they benefited him in every sense of his accomplishments. Welcome to the Hall of Shame Mark.
I just saw parts of his interview with Bob Costas and his admission is worse than his old silence.
He tries to claim that the steroids and NO IMPACT on his ability to hit home runs.
This guy is delusional and I actually have less respect for him now.