Eric Gagné's Non-Apology for HGH Use

You can be forgiven for missing Eric Gagné's brief media scrum Monday afternoon.  Most of the sports world was focused on Andy Pettitte who, in this era of plausible deniability, actually had the stones to man-up to his steroid use.

He admitted he embarrassed himself and his team, apologized for taking the stuff, and said he would understand if parents told their children, "Pettitte is no role model.”  

Gagné, on the other hand, stepped into the glaring light of the Arizona sun and television cameras, and feebly admitted to being a distraction.  As they say in Gagné's Quebec hometown—in heavily accented English—'dats it, 'dats all.

Gagné was named in the Mitchell Report as one of several major league ballplayers to use Human Growth Hormone.  According to testimony given to Senator George Mitchell by a steroids distributor, the Milwaukee closer was mailed two shipments of HGH back in 2004.  

Rather than discuss the allegations made against him, Gagné instead promised to forge ahead with the Brewers noting, "...major league baseball is ready to go forward and, hopefully, the fans are ready to do that."

Nowhere in his statement did he actually apologize.  Not once did he utter the words “apology” or “sorry.”

"I'm here to let you know I feel bad for my family, what they had to go though, and all my friends, especially my teammates here with Milwaukee.  I think that's a distraction that shouldn't be taking place.  I'm just here to help the Milwaukee Brewers get to the World Series and playoffs, and that's all I really care about."

Everyone feels bad about something.  I feel bad I squished that spider, but I'm not sorry I did it.  I didn't want it in my home so I got rid of it.  Feeling bad, however, and saying you're sorry are two very different things.  

Milwaukee third baseman Bill Hall summed up the day nicely.  "Obviously, everybody wants to know the truth, but once you get the truth, stop digging."

His reason for taking steroids was unpersuasive, but at least Pettitte swallowed his pride and fessed-up.  He stared down the reporters, answered the hard questions, and stopped the shovels.  He can now forge ahead with the season.

Gagné sidestepped the whole thing altogether.  He refused to answer any questions and hid the truth.  

Send in the backhoe.