Mac admits using steroids...

[NYCrulesU]

I'm happy for him. It's about time (several years late) that he said the words that need to be said and admitted to what we all already knew was true. Now it's done. Let's move on to the forgiving stage and get past the steroid era.

[Nnunnari]

Get over it people, everybody juiced during this time including the pitchers he faced. He's a hall of famer as are the rest of the greats from this era- it was an even playing field, the non cheaters were few and far between.

[STLHAMMER32]

Dewey said it best.......finally the truth we all knew is disclosed.

This also takes a deep chunk out of Tony La Russa, who stood by McGwire to the bitter end, saying he was a product of sound hard "work ethic". Tony La Russa is a good baseball man, but he never fooled me. His success as a manager is directly bound to the entire steroid era, and the fact that his core group of players were the leaders of it's use. Check the teams, the names, the World series victories. Tainted.

Of course, the only question would be his latest victory with Pujols. Wouldn't that be ugly if he turned up a user as Wade has mentioned.

Through it all, the one underlying factor that separates McGwire from the rest of these lying players that only give half-truths or partial truths about their past use is this: McGwire never lied about it. He just never stepped up and admitted it ("I'm not here to talk about the past"). That, if anything, is credit worthy in this whole steroid era mess.

I have to finish with saying.....I always felt that if McGwire came clean, he would eventually be welcomed back to the game with open arms, and in the Hall of Fame voting from the writers too in a positive way. After hearing him (honorably) admit to use "throughout" his career.......eeesch. I'm kinda not sure, now. Hearing what everybody already knew being admitted from the man's own words has stung a lot more than I thought it would. I mean.....if he used his whole career, did it start at USC? The Olympics tested in '84, didn't they? Surely he had to be clean then, wasn't he? I guess what will determine the chance of him making the Hall at this juncture is whether the baseball writers of today feel obligated in protecting the heritage of the older players who are held to the belief they played the game the right way. Mark has done the right thing, the honorable thing. But when you consider he used his whole career....one has to wonder if he even would have had a full career without the juice. And that's going to be a tough concept to overcome.

It will be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

Have to disagree with you on a few points here....Larussa still would stand by his statement that McGwire was a product of hardwork. Just taking steroids alone will not allow you to be a better baseball player...McGwire and Bonds etc....were all extremely hard workers and had great work ethics. Steroids or not, these guys put the time and effort to be the greats that they were....So I don't think Larussa takes a big hit necessarily. We all assumed McGwire used anywhere, so nothing really changes but the fact he was successful because of work ethic still stands.

Larussa's success is not just bound to the steroid guys...he in a sense is looked at worse because the big names linked to steroids were on his teams...Jose and Mark. However every manager of every team had guys that used steroids, they all may have not been big names but consider the pitchers and lean players that are not even under suspicion...so many players that used fall through the cracks and unless they want to admit use it will never be known.

Larussa has managed one of the most successful National League teams and the success took place after the big slugger had left....While Bonds and Sosa where making impacts years after McGwire. I do not hear talk of Dusty Baker being taken a "chunk" out of and For example Look at the Cardinals team and tell me what Steroid user made a huge impact on the 2006 World Series team...What about Joe Torre..Clemens, Arod, Pettite...this is Baseball problem to single out Larussa for his success is unfair in my opinion.

[schubert1970]

I think Mac should bring a ladder with the
hole he's digging

We're going to need a larger circus tent
after this.

[allstarsplus]

I am watching the Bob Costas interview again. McGwire could have lied about doing steroids during the 1998 season and he admitted to that.

I found him to be honest and credible in the interview.

I don't like cheaters, but with Mark's confession, lets move forward.

[STLHAMMER32]

I think Mac should bring a ladder with the
hole he's digging

We're going to need a larger circus tent
after this.

I dont see him digging a hole but rather climbing out of one....He has been away from the media and spotlight now he is opening up and coming clean.

[bronx_burner]

I think he came off as pretty pathetic in the Costas interview. And I don't think this interview improved anything. He probably would have been better off leaving it at the statement from earlier today. Basically he said it was his biggest mistake, cried a lot and at the same time said all steroids did was help him get healthy but that his stats would have been the same without steroids, that he would have hit 70 in '99 without steroids, etc.

Given that, I don't find him to be forgivable. After watching that, the main question I had was if he beleived all that, what was he so sorry for? Why are you crying? Apparently you don't think the game was actually effected by your personal usage.

Also some of the things he said didn't match that line of thinking. When Costas told him that some members of the Maris family believe that Maris is the rightful single season HR king given these admissions, he reponded by saying they have every right to think that. Yet he says he would ahve hit 70 with or without steroids. I don'y get it. I think the man has been wrapped up in secrecy and deception for so long, hes not actually clear on what the truth is anymore.

As for his Hall of fame chances after this, the 3 voters on MLB network that were there all indicated that he would not get their votes. Verducci and Rosenthal hadn't voted for him before and Gammons who had voted for him previously would not vote for him anymore.

Its good for baseball that he admitted using, but his "elaboration" in this interview didn't really do anyone any good.

[bronx_burner]

'98 not '99. gotta love the edit feature...

[STLHAMMER32]

I think he came off as pretty pathetic in the Costas interview. And I don't think this interview improved anything. He probably would have been better off leaving it at the statement from earlier today. Basically he said it was his biggest mistake, cried a lot and at the same time said all steroids did was help him get healthy but that his stats would have been the same without steroids, that he would have hit 70 in '99 without steroids, etc.

Given that, I don't find him to be forgivable. After watching that, the main question I had was if he beleived all that, what was he so sorry for? Why are you crying? Apparently you don't think the game was actually effected by your personal usage.

Also some of the things he said didn't match that line of thinking. When Costas told him that some members of the Maris family believe that Maris is the rightful single season HR king given these admissions, he reponded by saying they have every right to think that. Yet he says he would ahve hit 70 with or without steroids. I don'y get it. I think the man has been wrapped up in secrecy and deception for so long, hes not actually clear on what the truth is anymore.

As for his Hall of fame chances after this, the 3 voters on MLB network that were there all indicated that he would not get their votes. Verducci and Rosenthal hadn't voted for him before and Gammons who had voted for him previously would not vote for him anymore.

Its good for baseball that he admitted using, but his "elaboration" in this interview didn't really do anyone any good.

There is no need to really debate whether or not Mark would have been able to hit 70 without steroids because truth is we will never know. I will say that McGwire's Hr's were not cheap shots...ironically 62 was the only one that snuck over the wall....

If you think that steroids adds another 175 ft to a Hr than yes for sure he would have hit less.....

the situations were still stressful and he still had pressure surrounding him and like I said his hr's were no cheap shots..it was a rare occurance that he hit one less than 420 ft which is insane...several were over well over 500ft.

[rj_lucas]

It's interesting to read this thread in its entirety and see the different personalities come through in the responses.

Before fans got mad at baseball players for using PEDs, they were mad at them for making too much money. Well, salaries are higher than ever, but with PEDs taking center stage, you don't hear a peep about the money anymore.

When the PED's issue has faded away, as it will, fans will find something else to get mad at the players about. Getting mad at ball players is a great American tradition as old as the game itself.

I'm guessing that back in the day, the fans were ready to tar and feather Hoss Radbourne for wearing his cap at too jaunty an angle.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com