Prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team, Mark McGwire on Monday finally admitted to steroids use during his career. The big slugger confirmed, also, he used performance-enhancing drugs during his record-setting season of 1998, when he broke Roger Maris' single season home run record.
Eventually, Mark McGwire's single season record of 70 was eclipsed by SF Giants slugger Barry Bonds. Bonds also has been accused of steroids use, though he has denied it. McGwire said he initially took steroids while with the Oakland Athletics during the 1989-90 offseason.
Mark McGwire is the second "hall-of-fame bound" player to admit to steroid use. Last year, New York Yankees shortstop Alex Rodriguez admitted he used steroids. With these disclosures, however, there is doubt place on either of them reaching the Hall of Fame.
In addition to the use of steroids, McGwire admitted to use of HGH (human growth hormone). He added that he was unsure if use of performance-enhancing drugs contributed to some of the injuries that led to his retirement, at age 38, in 2001. Some have theorized that consistent use of steroids can lead to a body breaking down, over time.
Tony La Russa was Mark McGwire's manager in both Oakland and St. Louis. He has been among McGwire's biggest supporters, and has always said he was unaware of any steroid use by the slugger. According to McGwire, he told La Russa this morning.
McGwire, in a phone inteview with AP, said, "I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."
Baseball is a complex sport, requiring hand-eye coordination, speed, and more, as well as strength. Those who believe that steroids use should not disqualify records or a potential for the Hall of Fame have noted that even with increased strength or injury recovery from bulking up with steroids, a player still has to be able to hit the ball.
Mark McGwire finished his career with 583 HRs, which place him tied for 8th with the aforementioned Alex Rodriguez. He also had 1414 RBIs, 1167 runs scored, a career .263 batting averages, and a career .588 slugging percentage.
Although McGwire was 1987 AL Rookie of the Year with the Oakland A's, he never won the MVP award. With this admission, he may never reach Cooperstown, either.
Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com
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