Quick two cents. Can the guy catch a break? In an absolute way, yes, he cheated. But didn't put up his finger like Palmero did. A-Rod and Andy Pettite admitted they used, and they're still on the freaking Yankees payroll next year. If they would've given Big Mac immunity he would've come clean. When millions and millions of dollars is at stake, people will go to great lengths. We sure didn't mind in 1998, and we sure do cheer when A-Rod hits a bomb his first at bat back after the "admission".
We shouldn't applaud him juicing up, but we shouldn't hold him to some heightened standard either. Shawn Merriman, Manny, and other steroid users didn't have to sit down with Bob Costas and no one is calling for their heads.
I'm a completely biased. I love that McGwire's back and I hope to see him make the post-season roster.
4 comments:
I agree. I think that they make such a big deal about him and others during that "era", but they disregard the fact that several players today have tested positive and admitted as well. It is one thing for them to have done it before testing was implemented and before people really knew the extent of the drugs' effects. It is another thing for today's players to be fully aware and continue to use. As a potential pharmacy major and baseball fan, this whole thing has been very interesting to me, especially McGwire's interview. Maybe I'm a little biased so I want to believe him, but it is true that doctors use steroids to help people recover from injury and illness. His case could be legitimate, regardless of what many would like to think.
I would like to know why only McGwire, Bonds, Rodriguez, and the big money makers are being prosecuted? Only those being considered for Hall of Fame. Everyone should be held to the same standards from the most pion of players to the "greats".
One other point that is lost in this debate is that many of the players who were "outed" were done so by an illegal leak of information from an unnamed government informant. A-Rod is the most glaring. He and others took a drug test in private, and the results were not destroyed by the union. When the test results were taken by the government, leaks started coming out. That is a gross violation of due process. You can say "they had it coming" but I would hate to be in that situation due to incompetence from the union and my own government illegally disclosing information about me. The whole issue shows just how our societal moral standards float, and we also lose rights in the process.
I'm definitely not for cheating - on any level. I wish that everyone would just do what they do on their own God-given talent. Mostly, I'm sad for the guys like Stan Musial and Joe DiMaggio who did it without aid. That being said, I'm also not for using major league baseball as a barometer for morality in our society.
The bottom line is that it's entertainment. At the root, it's really not different from the WWF. Part of me says, let 'em shoot up if they want to risk their own health. Only the baseball purists (I'm also one of those) like a 1-0 pitchers duel. MLB is a business. They need to market their product and some of these players are willing to be marketed. I'm torn on this issue.
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