Mark McGwire's Confession: Convenient and Hollow

That this is a news story is ridiculous, and that Tony LaRussa is applauding former slugger Mark McGwire’s contrition is a mockery of honesty, decency, and goodness.  Was there anyone is the English-speaking world that didn’t know McGwire was taking steroids, human growth hormones , and every other legal or illegal supplement known to science to gain an advantage over pitchers during his big league career?

People respect honesty in difficult circumstances.  McGwire’s dodging of questions from the congressional committee five years ago was ill-conceived and catastrophic to America’s perception of both McGwire the player and the man.  Rightly so.

The only rule my parents were adamant about was to “tell the truth”.  Like many kids, I always tried to dip and duck, giving them as little of the truth as possible while still being able to claim the moral high ground.  What I found out o ver many years of alibis, winking, and coming clean a little bit was that there are no degrees of truth and deceit, just is there are no degrees of being dirty.  You are either clean or not.

Telling the truth acknowledges that nothing is worth the alternative over the long haul.  In 100 years, no one in going to remember anything about you, me, or Mark McGwire.  So, who you crappin’?  Be a guy, own up, and move on.  Too bad there isn’t an over-the-counter supplement for going a sack.  Ironic that steroids shrink your balls, isn’t it.

For McGwire to expect anyone to forgive him today because he has done what he should have done years ago is preposterous.  Even in his written statement, McGwire said that he wishes he hadn’t played during the steroid era.  The era determined his ability to determine right from wrong?  What a valueless a comment.  He also says, “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.” WHAT!  Was he physically prohibited from owning up to his behavior until there was a paycheck involved?

McGwire blames his era for using, and then blames advice from his attorney for not telling the truth.  Does this guy accept responsibility for anything?  To see this as a moral epiphany is just as silly as accepting the apology in lieu of an admission during the hearings.  Someone in baseball mandated that McGwire issue a statement because he wants to return to baseball as the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals.  This isn’t contrition, it’s convenience.

If anyone wants to see a true role model, point them toward a public figure whose version of the truth is both raw and consequential.  There aren’t many examples.  Ron Artest has always been honest; crazy, but honest in a compelling and unhinged way.  Muhammed Ali is an honest man.  His stand with the Nation of Islam against the Vietnam War took away four years of prime earnings, and painted him in many communities as un-American.  Andy Petitte and Alex Rodriguez came clean about their use of banned substances, but at that point it was clearly the path toward salvation.

The only way any columnist or reporter comes out as pro-McGwire in today’s tumult would be if he or she is cozying up for a potential interview, or if they are suffering from an advanced level of moral turpitude themselves.  Below is the remainder of McGwire’s statement.  If that satisfies you, take a look in the mirror and decide what kind of person you are and what you want to be – a circumstantially good man, or a guy with a sack who can make the tough call and say it straight.

“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 ’90s, 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 ribcage 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.

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 really different now — it’s been cleaned up. The commissioner and the players’ association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I’m glad they did.

I’m grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa. I can’t wait to put the uniform on again and to be back on the field in front of the great fans in Saint Louis. I’ve always appreciated their support and I intend to earn it again, this time as hitting coach. I’m going to pour myself into this job and do everything I can to help the Cardinals hitters become the best players for years to come.

After all this time, I want to come clean. I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I’ll do that, and then I just want to help my team.”

McGwire could have helped baseball five years ago by telling the unconditional truth.  He also could have done the same thing today.  Whoever vetted that tripe did McGwire and baseball no favors.