Today on Mike and Mike in the morning, Tony La Russa was interviewed and asked the question, "did you ever suspect anything was going on?" La Russa claimed that he never suspected any steroid use in his locker room and that the weight lifting program outlined by the team was intense but legit.
To that I say - "Child please". Somebody who has been engrossed in the culture of baseball for as long as La Russa would have knowledge of steroid use. Put it this way, if an everyday office employee was asked about drama or gossip in their office the majority of folks could share quite a bit. There's no way Tony couldn't have been privy to steroid use in his on locker room.
Also, listen to the language that Mark is using to describe his use of HGH and steroids. He explains PED's as a cure, "it was going to help me heal faster". Well isn't that a cute and neat response. Former PED users would never state that the reason they injected themselves was to become stronger or faster - there would be no pity. Mark wants to reenter baseball and to do so he needs forgiveness. Responses such as this play on the fact that we love to forget/forgive. Shouldn't we hold Mark and other users accountable for the affects that PED's have on the body beyond those of a recovery aid?! As a sports fan please don't accept this answer, demand that athletes who used PED's be held accountable for all of the affects that steroids have on an athlete not just some of them.
I'll also point out that Mark has left out one very important apology - his apology to Congress. And while he never lied under oath, simply because he didn't say anything, he did make a mockery of those proceedings. He wasted this counties time and insulted our intelligence.
Lastly, his timing shows great selfishness and immaturity. By Mark waiting till the long arm of the law (Congress) extended no further before making his tear filled apology highlights the fact that he wanted to own up to his mistakes, just not to the consequences that accompany them. Amazing.
I hope Mark McGwire denied entry into the Cooperstown but if by some odd chance he's voted in, his plaque should be adorned with quotes from this past week.
Afterthoughts:
- What do you think of Bud Selig's comment, "The so-called "steroid era" - a reference that is resented by the many players who played in that era and never touched the substances - is clearly a thing of the past, and Mark's admission today is another step in the right direction." Steroid era over? I believe it is until the next star is busted.
- Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds, you're on the clock.
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