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I applaud him for standing up and giving an actual apology, one that seemed both convincing and contrite (even if it was just confirming what everyone assumed)
He could of continued to not want to "talk about the past", ducked questions and went on with his career.
Instead he gave a pretty good account of what he used, the duration and why he testified as he did without the prompt of a failed drug test.
I wish that this "era" never happened - but it did ...... just like the NFL had a ton of steroid issues in the 80s and even in the 90s to some degree
What a joke! McGwire claims that he wanted to come clean back during the hearing, unload the weight etc. He says he would have if he had been granted immunity, but he was not.
OK, well the statute of limitations ran out years ago, why come clean now? If this weight of guilt was so heavy, one would have to think he would have unburdened himself a few years ago.
This is self-serving garbage. It's like the thief who isn't the least sorry that he stole, but terribly sorry that he's gotten caught.
Heard he called Pat Maris to apologize as well. Would have loved to be a third party on that line.
The only reason McGwire is coming forward with an apology is because he's being considered for a job as a hitting coach. He claimed he only used the steroids for a medical condition and not to enhance performance, but if that's the case, then why weren't they prescribed by an actual physician and made public years ago. He has been taking them since 1988, so out of his 583 homers, only 52 of them were hit without taking steroids.
I'm tired of apologists for these spoiled athletes and sports analysts who make excuses for them or ask them "soft" questions during pre-arranged interviews.
Those of you claiming that athletes of decades past may have been using some sort of enhancement drugs, I don't think there is a bit of evidence that would prove that cocaine, pot, uppers or alcohol would enhance performance over the long haul. Babe Ruth routinely came to the games hungover or still drunk, if anything his alcohol consumption hurt him, not helped him. He ate hot dogs in the dugout! Keith Hernandez used to smoke in the dugout. Most of these athletes like Ruth, Mantle, Mays, Aaron etc, never had the benefit of personal trainers, nutritionists, physicians, and slick attorneys at their fingertips. They got by on skill, practice, and training. If anything, the hard partying lifestyles these athletes led hindered their performance, not helped.
The sport of baseball was circling the toilet in the 90's because of greedy players and owners who quibbled over millions while jacking ticket prices and concessions. The public got tired of watching a bunch of spoiled millionaires go on strike and demand more millions while owners bled the fans for more money. That's what hurt baseball, so to say that steroids saved baseball is sad and ludicrous. The fans were duped, myself included, and now we are so accustomed to drugged up athletes we're no longer outraged at cheating allegations. I question the sanity and judgment of some of the rabid foaming at the mouth sports fans out there who defend today's modern athlete at all costs.
Never mind that I was disappointed long before McGwire's admission. He has disgraced the Cardinals organization, not to mention the fans of that great organization that have been betrayed by all of this. No way will he be in Cooperstown even on the tenth ballot.
OK, well the statute of limitations ran out years ago,
statute of limitations for what exactly? - and how long is the statute?
he also didn't need to say anything now - he could of just worked his way back in, stayed silent and everyone would of went on to focus on something else
he also didn't say it was for a medical condition per se - he said he was always able to hit HRs, he wasn't able to stay healthy
in 1987 he blasted 49 HRs (a HR every 13 plate appearances) in Oakland as a skinny rookie and grabbed 6th in the MVP voting .... these #s improved and some of that was due to drugs I'm sure, but that's a really good starting point
it's not like he went from having gap OF power to bleacher power (like a brady anderson) - he went from having 15 row deep power to upper level power
'92-'94 is when he started to really get hit with injuries and break down ... it's also when his body started to change and also lines up to when canseco and others say that things really started to emerge
i think he probably dabbled a bit in the late 80s - maybe that had something to do with his injuries, maybe not - but his power numbers were going down until '93 where they started to skyrocket
the sad thing is the guy is talented and we'll never know the full story
it sucks for baseball fans
as for mcgwire - i don't care if he doesn't get in the hall or has this hang over him ..... he made his decisions (steroid era or not), made a lot of money off it and had a long and strong career
in the end it's the fans who have to deal with this stuff ... but with each guy who takes ownership for their own actions and makes steps to repairing the past, the better
Mark McGwire and steroids an old page in the book. Guys busted. Although since he came out and admitted it like a man. I would still think about voting for him for the HOF. possibly though.
For being prosecuted. Not sure how long it is, but know it ran out about 3 years ago.
AS REPORTED IN THE WASHINGTON POST:
His admission contrasted notably with his testimony before the House Government Reform Committee on March 17, 2005, when McGwire repeatedly deflected questions about his own steroids use by saying, "I'm not here to talk about the past."
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), said Monday that McGwire was acting on the advice of his counsel at the time, because he was still within a five-year statute of limitations on self-incrimination. Davis added that McGwire had admitted his steroids use to the committee's leadership in a pre-hearing meeting.
"He couldn't testify to [his usage], because of the five-year statute of limitations, and had he admitted it, he could've been prosecuted," Davis, who retired from the House in 2008, said in a telephone interview. "So he pleaded the fifth. He was protecting his family. I actually admired how he handled it. He wouldn't stand there and lie about it."
Davis said the committee asked then-attorney general Alberto Gonzalez to grant McGwire immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony, but according to Davis, the request was denied.
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If this weight of guilt was so heavy, one would have to think he would have unburdened himself a few years ago.
