I think it's sick to hire Mr. McGwire for 'hitting coach'. What's he going to do? Tell them when is the best time to hit the juice & when to lay off?

Steroids helped his hitting. That's what he took them for. I personally think Mr. McGwire & all the other steroid abusers should be banned for life from baseball & all their records stricken from the books.

What's next, hiring Pete Rose as an investment advisor?

Comparing McCarthyism and steroids in the MLB is silly. And "innocent until proven guilty" is an axom that forbids us from throwing someone in jail if there's any reasonable doubt they're guilty. The court of public opinion doesn't, nor has it ever, provided any such restraint.

Why does he bother you so much. 1/2 of those players out there have taken some sort of steroids. And yes, what Mcgwire took was legal at that time. Lay off. It gets old.

I am sorry - I missed the part where Mark McGwire failed drug tests. So he is now guilty off some comments Jose Canseco said in a book?? Or because he didn't want to talk about it??
He was one of the greatest hitters of all time. I think this is a VERY smart move by St Louis!!

But should it provide such restraint, Trolley? Sure, I can think anything I want to about people, but I tend to think that we shouldn't presume guilt, even if we can.

And the thing with Ortiz was not about guilt as much as it was about circumstance. Bryant leaves out of his little column the fact that the "defenses" of Ortiz were defenses against the illegal process which led to his outing as a name on the list. He probably did take something, but the fact of that should never have come to light given the court orders.

As a result, Bryant taking aim at Ortiz's defenders is the same thing as someone saying "how dare you cite the Bill of Rights after the cops found drugs in that guy's house after the illegal search and seizure."

Steroids are wrong and he hasnt helped answer any questions. But Steroids DO NOT help you hit a curve ball, see the stitches on a breaking ball or help pitchers (Clemens) locate a ball where they want to throw. Overhyped media allegations are what people are hung up on. And some words by a no good sorry excuse for a person who wanted to sell some books.

If what Paul says is the sentiment, then people like Alex Rodriguez should be kicked out of baseball and banned for life. You cant have it both ways. You either ban EVERYONE, or you live and let live.

I am so tired of people whining about steroids in sports. Can't we just accept that it happens an is out of our control? Mark McGwire has done nothing wrong and is a legend of baseball. Being a St. Louisan I can't wait to see what he can do with our already talented hitters. Leave it alone already.

Craig, how Ortiz was outed is irrelevant.

Lets say a teacher in your kid's school got caught with all sorts of illegal child ponorgraphy. Then it turns out that the search performed to find said poronography was illegal. Would you then stand up for the teacher and argue that he should keep teaching in your kid's school? I think not. At some point, common sense and the court of public opinion trumps the law; and for good reason.

Same goes for McGwire being a batting coach and/or Ortiz being a strength and conditioning coach (assuming he was applying for it).

Intreresting comments, Paul in KY.

But, I have one question - Where's your proof? There is no record of McGwire EVER failing a drug test. There is no evidence that even if he used "substances", that whatever it was was illegal (or more specifically, "a banned substance").

What we have here is nothing more than a witch hunt perpetrated on the basis of Jose Canseco's book. When you've got some proof, I'll be the first person to call Mark McGwire's scalp. Until then, stand in line with all the other McCarthyites who just want to demonize someone for what y'all "think" he did.

You are exactly right and there have been a lot of innocent people's lives ruined because of it. It is your basic media set up. The power they have is unbelievable. One word of potential scandal against anyone, guilty or innocent, is taken as the gospel.

Evan, in the case of the teacher I would not say that they could keep their job, because the conditions of employment for a teacher are far more stringent than the requirements of the 4th Amendment, and well they should be. A teacher can be fired even if they're not prosecuted, and in such a situation I would support the firing.

At the same time, because I am a big fan of the Constitution, I would definitely say that the person shouldn't be prosecuted on the basis of an illegal search and seizure because that's, you know, the law.

But your hypothetical bears no relationship to the Ortiz situation. The defenders Bryant are going after were not saying "David Ortiz is a great guy who shouldn't be thought less of because he used steroids." They were saying (n effect) "David Ortiz had a reasonable expectation of privacy based on the allegedly confidential nature of the 2003 tests, and that was violated." No one banned or suspended Ortiz, because to ban or suspend him would be totally unfair under the circumstances.

Bryant has a problem with this. I don't.

Yes because some lame reporter say he doesn't deserve the job, howabout firing 3/4 of these so called reporters in todays sports world. Most of them don't talk sports , only what they thin should happen. How about most of thes writers that there articles are crap & not worth anybody's time. SO tired of these judgemental writers like Craig & Howard Bryant. I think it is time for turning the tables on these jokes of writers & demanding there boses fire them. You guys were all behind the home run cchase & knew what everyone was doing, they sold papers, which put money in your pockets that none of you ever tried to return. Tghe writers , owner & the commish is just a sguilty as the players so F%%% you writers & your two-faced writing.

about time mark is back in baseball he and sammy saved baseball
all the people that are dumping on him now were cherring for him then i think its great he back way to go mark welcome back

I don't think steroids helped his hand-eye coordination, ability to read and adjust to pitchers and make solid contact. Those are the things he would be teaching as a hitting instructor.
Steroids helped him get physically stronger so that when he made contact with the ball, it went farther. Even partial contacts, which normally would have been long fly outs, became home runs. In this way he cheated and the numbers are inflated and bogus.
Like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, steroids also enabled him to recover faster and add to those numbers long after ages where normal players inevitably decline. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming and his refusal to confirm or deny implicitly validates the charge.
That being said, I agree that his and all other tainted records should be reset. As far as I'm concerned, Roger Maris still holds the home run record.
But as far as becoming a hitting coach, I think every person has the right to redeem themselves, but I would submit that admitting his past participation in the steroid era and vowing to teach the right thing to future hitters should be made a condition of his return. How can he expect to rehabilitate his image and move on (or expect us to move on) without clearing the slate first.

I use creatine and I used to take androstenedione. The first being available at GNC or any supplement store and the second was legal until the FDA banned it a few years ago. Androstenedione was a testosterone precursor but without clinical trials no one knew if it would cause damage with long term use. These are the two "steroids" that everyone is talking about when they commit slander or even libel (see above) when trashing Mark McGwire. McGwire screwed up when he testified before Congress probably due to bad advice from an attorney. Next, we should ban Albert Pujols from baseball because he eats too much protein before he works out with weights. Maybe if Mark McGwire would be branded with a scarlet A on the forehead (me too I guess) then ignorant hacks might finally be satisfied.

Paul, seriously man, think out your arguments before posting. McGwire did nothing illegal. Steroids do not help you hit better! For all of the morons out there that think they do, take some steroids and get signed up into the major leagues. Steroids will help you put more power on the ball. They will help you hit farther and harder, but that's it. If I take steroids I'm not going to magically be able to start hitting homeruns. McGwire was hitting homers way before he bulked up and got huge. Obviously he knows how to hit, which is why he's a hitting coach. Paul, please wait until you at least graduate high school before posting on here again. There needs to be some intelligence bar that needs to be maintained.

STOP IT!!!! All of you.... Mr. Calcaterra, PLEASE find something else worth printing that is news worthy. Leave Mr. McGwire alone. He is a human being that may or may not made some mistakes during his bseball career. GET OVER IT!! Most of you people, and those within the media, treat him like he is the ONLY ONE that has been accused of doing something wrong. Do you have any idea how many sports figures are doing steroids, drugs, etc? Exactly!! So, Mr. McGwire, to you I say cogratulations on your recent job with the STL Cardinals. To the rest of you that are trying to get under his skin and make him speak about his past, STOP! Unless you have a closet with NO SKELETONS, I suggest you lay off. That man owes NO ONE any explanation... AT ALL!! Oh, and all of you need to Grow Up, too!!

Greatest hitter of all time?? Are you kidding me? McGwire was nowhere near one of the all time greats when it comes to "hitting", as you put it. He was the epitome of a slugger and thats it. He never hit OVER .300 in a season when he had 500 or more at bats in a season. Man, what a great "hitter" McGwire was!

P.S. Career .263 hitter

Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa brought baseball back from the brink of extinction. By hook or by crook, they saved the game, baseball owes a large debt to these guys no matter what come back people have.... PERIOD!

This is exactly what I am talking about, there was no test that he fialed. I am from St.louis and I am very happy BIg MAC is back in Town, and hopefully help out hitters out.

kris, steroids aside, mcgwire was a .263 hitter. i wouldnt call him one of the "greatest hitters of all time".

innocent until proven guilty, the problem is we will never find out, there is no proof of McGuires guiltyness. Let it be, unless some one proves he is guilty!!

Comparing child pornography to steroids is ridiculous! Porn involves the sexual abuse of children which is heinous and abhorrent. Steroid use is a totally different issue.

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of all professional MLB players used steroids at one point. Picking out a few to hang in effigy is wrong. To take Jose Canseco's word on anything is the epitome of foolishness - the guy is a slime ball.

I think it would be a good thing if former pro players would go to high schools and colleges and talk with these up-and-comers and tell them of the dangers of steroid use. I know a lot of pro athletes do a lot of charity work, and something like this would be important.

So let McGwire coach and everyone quit your whining.

Let's not be outraged over the fact that he's tangled up in the steroid controversy. Let's be outraged that a career .263 hitter is going to be a hitting coach.

Please, he was a .263 career hitter that padded his HR total with steroids.

First of all, I agree with "Paul in Ky." The athletes that have been found guilty of taking steroids should be banned for life from the sport they played. Pete Rose was banned for life for gambling and that was not as serious as a ball player taking performance-enhancing drugs to build up their stats. Their sports records should also be stricken from the record books. As far as I'm concerned Hank Aaron is still the "Home Run King" of the major leagues. If their records aren't stricken completely, there should be an asteroic before their name indicating steroid user.

McGwire may have been a .263 hitter, but he also had an OBP just under .400 and slugged .588 (9th all time) for his career. For his career, he was 62% better than an average hitter in baseball (162 OPS+, 12th all time). Good hitters get on base and hit the ball hard. McGwire did both about as well as anyone not named Ruth, Williams, or Bonds.

For James, Rob C, John and others, stop touting his .263 BA as evidence that he wasn't a good hitter. BA is a terrible statistic to use*, especially when there are so many better ways to determine a hitter's value. As Jacob mentions, he has the 12th all time highest OPS+ in baseball. Go to www.fangraphs.com, read up on the statistics like WAR/wOBA/etc which are far better than BA and RBI.

* a simple equation to prove this. To qualify for the batting title, you need to average 3.1 plate appearances over 162 games. Do you know the difference between a .275 hitter and .300 hitter is? 13 hits! So 2 more worm burners, or flares each month and you go from a "bad" hitter to a "great" one? (.263 = 18 hits or 3 a month).

IF YOU ARE NOT CHEATING THEN YOU DON'T WANT TO WIN...........

PLEASE GET OVER IT ALREADY, IT HAPPENED AND THE OWNERS WHO WANTED TO KNOW, THEY KNEW, THE COMMISSIONER, HE KNEW. EVERYONE MADE LOT'S OF MONEY AND HAD ALOT OF FUN WITH SLAMMIN SAMMY, BIG MAC AND BONDS.

GET OVER IT OR STOP WATCHING BASEBALL, QUIT THE GAME!!!

What bothers me about McGwire more then the steroids is how he just vanished. Not one word from him after he left the cardinals, not one good thing said from him about all his fans in St Louis, not one kind jesture to the fans of St Louis. And now he is back??? Would of rather found another talented hitting coach.

IF YOU ARE NOT CHEATING THEN YOU DON'T WANT TO WIN...........

PLEASE GET OVER IT ALREADY, IT HAPPENED AND THE OWNERS WHO WANTED TO KNOW, THEY KNEW, THE COMMISSIONER, HE KNEW. EVERYONE MADE LOT'S OF MONEY AND HAD ALOT OF FUN WITH SLAMMIN SAMMY, BIG MAC AND BONDS.

GET OVER IT OR STOP WATCHING BASEBALL, QUIT THE GAME!!!

I've got no problems with McGuire returning to St. Louis, a city in which he was once revered. His biggest fault was saying 'no comment' and then sticking to his guns.

Even while he allegedly never failed any tests, nor was found guilty of any wrongdoings, he still deserves a chance to make his living in baseball. Here in the Land of Second Chances there ought to be a place in the game for the likes of McGuire, who by all other accounts has proven to be an honorable man.

A hitting instructor with a .263 BA? Not a problem either. There have been plenty of managers and coaches who've had success in coaching without playing higher than the minor leagues even. If McGuire's not a good coach I'm sure he won't last long, but I'll let LaRussa make that call.

A simple question or two for the steriod wingnuts. What proof do you have that so called PED caused the dramatc increase in HRs? I have seen none. Players that took HGH are still just as big, didn't suddenly shrink after they stopped. If they are still as big, why aren't they hitting as many HRs? Players that used steriods along with intense weight lifting are still just as strong. Their muscle mass does not disappear unless they stop training. So why aren't they hitting as many HRs? Certainly, a player or two has figured out a way to beat the testing (I am surely some players are still using HGH and/or steriods), so why didn't some one hit at least 50 HRs this year? A better question if using PEDs and lying about is such a big deal, how come A-Rod and Pettite are playing in the World Series. Again, I would ask for some proof that HGH and steriods caused the dramatic increase in HRs.

Dummy!

McGuire and Sosa did not save anything! They were part of the group of A-holes that went on strike! The thing they "saved" wouldn't have needed to be saved if they didn't go out and ruin it in the first place.

As for forgiving McGuire and the others. I along with many other minor league ballplayers will gladly forgive them once they hand over some money they were blocking us from earning. Yea, when a 38 year old is having career years, instead of fading into oblivion, due to artificial enghancements, and collecting a huge salary.... you realize that he is actually stealing from the AAA guy who may have been playing it clean, but was block by that drug users spot on the roster.

Go away forever Big Mac.

Rich Hartmann
(former StLouis Cardinal farm hand)

If you wanted to ban all the players that juiced you'd have to reduce the MLB to only having 5 or 6 teams.

The only ones we here about are the ones that juiced AND were successfull.

Nobody ever complains about Greg Zaun.

I am amazed by most of the comments made about Mark. A few of us live here in St. Louis an remember how much vitality he brought to the city and baseball. Did he do steroids, I don't know, no testing came back positive. So, we have convicted him based on what evidence? Hear say, no comments from him. Hmm. So Jose can pubilsh a book and accuse half of the baseball players of steroid use and we belive him? Figure that one out. Give the guy a chance to be what he was meant to be a coach. Oh, by the way, he got married and had a child and has lived in California. I guess having a bit of a normal life is a bit to much of him to ask for.

I've talked with plenty of players that have used. When they speak candidly, you get the truth. ...and the truth is, the differences were massive.

WHen they cycled on and off, (due to time of season / playoff races / contract years) they ALL spoke of night and day differences in their production. 94-96mph dropped to 89mph! Bat speed, that dropped by 10mph!!! (that can roughly translate to 30-60 extra feet on the distance a ball travels)

When you listen to all of the spindoctors talk about PEDs, you almost think they weren't that big of a deal. The reality is... THEY WERE!!! ...and still are.

There still is no blood test conducted. That means baseball still isn't testing. They are just "fake testing", and the players that are "getting caught" are mostly getting caught for non steroid things, that you take in coordination with the steroid. (testosterone, etc...)

Wake up people.

This whole steroid thing stinks. A-rod puts people in the stands. some how that exonerates him. What about the ball players that toiled in the minor leagues who were great ball players and never fired up? Baseball is a game of the privileged now. I had a try out for a major league team, they said I said the word F*** to many times. What a joke it has become. I was a good left handed pitcher who through strikes at a time when they hired a guy with one arm! I couldn't beat out a dude with one arm. Why was I even invited?

How dare A-Rod, D. Jeter, M. Rodriguez...... and the list goes on... if we're going to clean it up, clean up ALL of it, not just the portion which doesn't bring in as much $....

Wake up cindy. Try to be objective beyond being a Cardinal fan. I played in the organization, and watched certain users move through the system. IT WAS KNOWN!

As for McGuire. He was an Andro user. (prior to it being banned) He openly admitted and talked about using this. After his admiossion, they banned it.

For many of us, it was OJ and eggs for breakfast, Subway or soup for lunch, and staium leftover hotdogs for dinner (or bar food).

For people like mcguire, it was always something else on the menu. Something that would give him an edge. OJ and eggs weren't good enough. Maybe I should've been doing andro and eggs?

...And maybe if I want my kids to someday play ball and break his records, I should start cycling him on and off all the artificial aids that I can get him on now, that will give him a competitive advantage. (Oh wait... parents are already doing that???) Well look what a viscious cycle a man helped create.

Good ridence big mac.

Dummy!

The reason why McGuire was walk so much... and thus had a decent OBP was because he hit so many juiced up HRs. If you take away 15 HRs every season, and turn them into deep flyouts, he bats .240.

If he bats .240 and is only hitting 30 HRs a year, pitchers don't walk him as much.

He was a crappy hitter, who had power. ...and that wasn't real for long!

You people freaking out about steroids in baseball are idiots. Why is that its acceptable in the NFL to create these giant hulks to smash into each other, but a ball player that uses steroids is ostricized? Steroids do NOTHING to your ability to time your swing or strike the ball at the right tangeant. Hell, if we put a bunch of big fat Babe Ruth style players back in ballplaying they would hit as hard as McGwire, Bonds, Sossa, Giambi, etc. It means nothing for them to juice. THEY are choosing to shave years off of their life to meet the expectations of YOU the fans. While their in process of breaking records these men are heroes, but once they achieve greatness then it is nickel and dime gouging at every angle to make them out as "fake" or undeserving. I HATE watching baseball with a passion but love to play. It takes TALENT, god given talent to know how to swing a bat before the ball even leaves the hand of the pitcher at the right angle and right point in order to knock it out of the park. Extra strength pushes the ball further, but see my previous comment about fat-asses in sports. All of you need to SHUT THE HELL UP before you destroy everyone's interest in baseball!

Sorry, but you're wrong about this. Mac has done several interviews, including one this year in a St. Louis paper and has clearly stated how much he loved playing baseball in St. Louis. He has praised the fans many times.
He came to Old Busch Stadium to celebrate in the final season. He disappeared so he could live his life in peace in California. He has quietly worked throughout the years, coaching hitters, from St. Louis and other teams. A friend of mine works at Busch, and he has watched games at new Busch when his family has visited in St. Louis. He has simply tried to keep the "circus" to a minimum.
I welcome him back.
To those who say he should be banned from baseball..well, that's just insane. Are you going to go back retroactively and take away all the records from the players in the 50's and 60's who used amphetamines? How about the players in the 70's and 80's who lived on cocaine? McGwire is not the official scapegoat of the steroid era!

Dummy!

The reason why McGuire was walk so much... and thus had a decent OBP was because he hit so many juiced up HRs. If you take away 15 HRs every season, and turn them into deep flyouts, he bats .240.

If he bats .240 and is only hitting 30 HRs a year, pitchers don't walk him as much.

He was a crappy hitter, who had power. ...and that wasn't real for long!

I think its just fine to have Mark back in St.Louis. If I remember correctly he helped bring back baseball after the strike. No one wanted to go to the games because of that situation and he and Sammy got everyone back in too it with the home run race. Also if you look back when it was not a problem / law back when all the players were all doing something with drugs of all kinds. The fact is when the rules were changed thats when and if someone breaks them do you ban them. He did nothing different then a lot of other players except one thing he told the truth.

Must be nice to know what happened behind closed doors years ago. How are you on picking stocks.

Paul

Fact: At the time Mark followed the rules
Fact: Rules changed after he was gone, end of story

O, and Fact: Your a total tool! And Jose's book........ just becuase someone says it does not make it true. Don't worry Paul, Jose is a bigger tool than you.

Bill

Talking about the difference between .263 and .300 as 12 hits is disingenuous at best. We aren't talking about 1 season for this guy; more like 15ish....

Also, the reason his obp is so high has a lot to do with the steroids...If he wasnt' hitting homeruns, they wouldn't have walked him like crazy. So, minus the steroids, you have a guy who hit .263 for his career. I cannot imagine what they are thinking hiring this guy as a hitting instructor.

Of all the players accused of taking steroids, Mark, in my opinion, seemed to be the one who regretted it mostly...I've always liked him and hope he stays in the game in some capacity and does well.

I'd like to know why it is that, in some people's eyes, if you take performance-enhancing drugs not approved by the FDA, yet not deemed "illegal substances" by your sport, it is NOT considered cheating! What ever happened to playing to the best of your abilities and being happy that you did your best? I know that it's the totally obscene financial bonuses that are in some athletes' contracts that drive some of them to cheat. It's also the fame and name recognition that drives others to put potentially life-threatening substances in their bodies to give them an unfair advantage. And still others that say, "well if he's doing it, then I have to do it to keep up with him". I'll never be convinced that any kind of unnatural chemical enhancement is and should be an acceptable fact of life in sports.

And as for the adage 'guilty until proven innocent'...if you take steroids to get an unfair advantage over other competitors in your sport, then you're guilty of doing so. It doesn't matter that it has or hasn't been proven to others that you've done it....YOU know you've done it!! Case closed! Mark McGuire knows he pumped himself up with steroids or HGH while he played for the Cardinals, and probably even playing with the A's. We don't have to be shown he did it. HE knows he did it! And his refusal to answer questions posed to him during the Senate hearings a few years ago just confirms the fact, at least in my mind, that he is covering up that fact. And, his cover-up is evidence enough that he knows it is cheating and that it is wrong. If he truly believed that what he did isn't cheating, then he would have saved himself a lot of embarrassment and hassle by just coming out and telling the truth in front of the senators and the general public.

I agree with some people who've posted here that all baseball records set after Cal Ripken's consecutive games record should have an asterisk beside them, designating them as records set during the "steroids era".

To accept it as a fact of life in sports that cheating is good and right is ludicrous!! What are we teaching our kids by allowing this to continue? That doing whatever you have to to succeed in the world is the way to go, no matter whether it's moral or not. I refuse to buy into that school of thought!

Jim, all those homers that Mark and Sammy hit right after the strike season is what brought the fans back into the game. The fact that both these guys were juiced to the gills meant nothing to the rabid fans that wanted to see just how many homers would be hit between them that year. It's the same as why people go to hockey games...it's to see the fights. The same for NASCAR races...to see the wrecks. People want to see superhuman feats and spectacular happenings. It doesn't even bother these fans that they are like the people who slow down to stare at the carnage after a wreck on the interstate...they aren't interested in helping out the victims...they just want to see a dead body or two!

Gruesome analogy, but a correct one! It's becoming clear that there are no morals in professional sports.

Folks....if you're going to talk about the man, how about spelling his name right? Mark McGwire

Farm hand is the best way to put it for you Rich.

Mark and Sammy will for ever be in our hearts and loved by true baseball fans for what they did for the game.

Most baseball fans credit the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball," by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994 Major League Baseball strike.

Hey Farm Hand Job - Can you remind me how many Homers that Skinny Little punk hit in his rookie season??? Thats right farm boy, you aint even a has been, just a never will be.....

Craig: I think your are a very sick person. Nothing prohibits McGuire from being hired as hitting coach. He did not admit to steroids like Bonds didn't so what is the big deal? I think McGuire is tremendous and glad that they hired him. Bonds was so jealous of McGuire he started to take steroids to pump his body up so he could pass McGuire. How come he isn't in court? And the record of Hank Aaron is not accurate. It to him months longer to pass the record of Babe Ruth and he should have done it in the same length of time. Get a grip on baseball.

Craig: I think your are a very sick person. Nothing prohibits McGuire from being hired as hitting coach. He did not admit to steroids like Bonds didn't so what is the big deal? I think McGuire is tremendous and glad that they hired him. Bonds was so jealous of McGuire he started to take steroids to pump his body up so he could pass McGuire. How come he isn't in court? And the record of Hank Aaron is not accurate. It to him months longer to pass the record of Babe Ruth and he should have done it in the same length of time. Get a grip on baseball.

You are so wrong. McGuire didn't admit to steroids and neither did Barry Bonds. So who cares of they took steroids or not. It isn't the most important factor in baseball. Bond was heavy on steriods so he could pass McGuire. Without them, he couldn't do it. I did not see him being questioned at any time. I like McGuire and thank God he was the one person to pass the mark of Maris. I watched Maris hit his 61st home run. He was a great ball player. And I believe McGuire admired him.

Who were the greatest hitters that hit 70 home runs in a season that you are talking about. Bonds did not think about home runs until McGuire passed the mark of Maris. That's when he took heavy use of steroids to pass him. Babe Ruth and Roger Maris were great hitters along with Mantle. I think McGuire was a great hitter and why should he admit to steroid use when no one else admitted it? Get a grip.

Good for you. You are so right. I watched both of them that day when McGuire passed the mark of Maris. I also watched Maris hit that 61st home run and he wasn't as big as Mantle or McGuire. He was great. Its too bad he died at the age of 55. He would enjoyed McGuire passing his record of 37 years.

Mariann -- I think you are misinterpreting my post. The italicized language is a quote from an ESPN writer with who I vehemently disagree.

I like and respect McGwire. I think he made some missteps, but I am happy to see him back in the game and disapprove of all of the self-righteousness shown by many with respect to his hiring.

Since a large number of those home runs would have been partial-contact, long fly outs had he not been artificially enhanced by steroids, they shouldn't count and as far as I'm concerned, Roger Maris' record has not yet been legitimately broken by anyone.
Have you noticed that since testing began, no one has yet approached it? That means without the drugs, it most likely would still be the record today.
Had Maris been alive to see it, he would probably have felt cheated, just like Aaron does - even though he hasn't said it publicly.

Don't care what you think, Kim. That's my opinion. They cheated to be able to get hits that would have been outs if they weren't 'chemically enhanced'. He's a weener for not admitting it when he had a chance to.

Kris, you are embarrassing yourself when you say 'he was one of the greatest hitters of all time'. Ha, ha, ha, ha.

If he hadn't taken steroids, he'd have been a slightly less-surly Dave Kingman.

Mac, he broke the same rules that ban players from taking cocaine, beta blockers, etc. It doesn't matter that Nandralone or Stanazolol or Equipoise or whatever he took wasn't listed by name. He knows he cheated, that's why he was such a nervous nellie in his appearance on Capital Hill.

There were alot of players who didn't take steroids. Why do you want to idolize a cheat?

Tired of Hearing it is gonna hear it:

Steroids allowed him to turn fly outs into home runs. It made a .209 hitter into a .250 hitter. It won games that they should have lost. All for the allmightly buck & his allmighty vanity.

If that ain't cheating, I don't know what is.

JH, ban Greg Zaun, ban them all. I think you're exaggerating when you say 5 - 6 teams left. I think 1/4 of all players might have been juicing back then. Large number, but they can all be replaced. The game's integrity can't be replaced so easily.

Bill. Fact. Steroids were illegal even back when they weren't spelled out by name. Look at the rules.

Also, read Mr. Hartmann's comments. He was there.

Let me just say this, Big Mac took roids, so did Barry and hundres of others. Have you ever played the game, the hardest thing in sports is to hit a 95 mph fast ball with a bat about 5 inches around at its thickest. If as many say the roids made these people better hitters then take away barrys home run crown and his MVP's, no i am not a Barry fan, but i will say this, doing whatz he did as well as MAC and Sammy, roids may have made them stronger and have less injuries, but no way did it help them hit the 95mph fast ball or the lord charles

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McGwire is a cheat
Ok, so Mark McGwire came out and said he finally took steroids, but that doesn't make him more 'honest' or 'trustworthy' than other baseball players who are still hiding their steroid usage. It just means that he finally had to crack before he was cracked by someone else. There are some bloggers listed at online sports sites like Dozensports.com who say McGwire is still on the level of a Hall of Famer. But I say McGwire is a big cheat and I have lost any respect I had for him before. He should be in the Hall of Shame.

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