Mark McGwire still shying away from responsibility
by admin ~ January 31st, 2010.
The life of Mark McGwire, eminent baseball slugger, has taken a hit in the last few years and mostly the last few weeks immediately after he confessed using steroids during his illustratious career.
McGwire insisted that his dramatic on-field performances were results of God-given talent and hand-eye coordination and not because he used steroids.
From Sports.ESPN.Go.Com:
“It’s unfortunate I played in this era,” he said repeatedly, somehow failing to understand that he defined that era. In many ways, we’re still being played for fools.
He said his embarrassing, reputation-shrinking performance in front of Congress in 2005 was a result of his fear of putting his family, friends and teammates through the misery of the subpoena process. In the next breath, he says none of them ever knew — or even asked — whether he’d taken steroids. (Could be because they, like us, already knew.) He wanted to shield them from his “mistake.” A mistake is throwing the wrong kind of garbage in the recycling bin, not a decade-long, systematic program to use illegal drugs — undoubtedly under a doctor’s supervision — to help a baseball career.
(By the way, Costas killed. It was as though he’d been waiting for that interview for years. He knew his stuff. He brilliantly straddled the line between head-shaking disbelief and respect for his subject. He asked the right questions, struck the right tone and refrained from falling prey to McGwire’s displays of emotion.)
McGwire has always come across as conflicted, a private man in a public world. I found it telling that he said he kept nothing — presumably no ball, bat or uniform piece — as a memento of the record-breaking 1998 season. He considers it a testament to his selflessness, and maybe it is. It could also be a sign of guilt, reinforced by his decision to place a phone call to Pat Maris — Roger’s widow — Monday before his admission became public. More than anything, it is just plain sad.
Though he has made his fans proud by making the confession, it is hard to believe that the recognition and respect that were once unique to him will be back with him again.
Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: baseball, illegal drugs, Mark McGwire, steroids