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Mark McGwire Needs A Reality Check
Not trying to be insensitive, but I did feel Mark McGwire’s crocodile tears during his interview with Bob Costas were misplaced.
Frankly, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for McGwire. His troubles were completely and totally self-made. And he made a lot of money hitting home runs while using performance enhancing substances. He made it out as if he were being persecuted the last five years, and that it’s made his life such a struggle.
Please.
I feel sympathy for people with families to support who can’t find employment.
I feel sympathy for somebody who is ill, or somebody who is coping with the illness or the loss of a loved one.
I feel sorry for those who don’t have the basic necessities of life.
I feel sympathy for those who have been victims of violence.
I could go on and on about those I feel sympathy for.
Mark McGwire? He isn’t one of them.
He is a millionaire several times over who, despite the baggage of the PED issues, lives a very good and charmed life.
The man’s been blessed, not cursed.
Random Thoughts
- No truth to the rumor there will be a parade down M-24 by The Palace now that the Pistons have finally won a game.
- Boy, Chris Osgood looks out of sync. His performance was disconcerting Tuesday.
- Peyton Manning hardly got any votes for the AP Offensive Player of the Year? How can that be. The guy worked miracles this season under the circumstances and is clearly the best player in the league - regardless of position.
Frankly, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for McGwire. His troubles were completely and totally self-made. And he made a lot of money hitting home runs while using performance enhancing substances. He made it out as if he were being persecuted the last five years, and that it’s made his life such a struggle.
Please.
I feel sympathy for people with families to support who can’t find employment.
I feel sympathy for somebody who is ill, or somebody who is coping with the illness or the loss of a loved one.
I feel sorry for those who don’t have the basic necessities of life.
I feel sympathy for those who have been victims of violence.
I could go on and on about those I feel sympathy for.
Mark McGwire? He isn’t one of them.
He is a millionaire several times over who, despite the baggage of the PED issues, lives a very good and charmed life.
The man’s been blessed, not cursed.
Random Thoughts
- No truth to the rumor there will be a parade down M-24 by The Palace now that the Pistons have finally won a game.
- Boy, Chris Osgood looks out of sync. His performance was disconcerting Tuesday.
- Peyton Manning hardly got any votes for the AP Offensive Player of the Year? How can that be. The guy worked miracles this season under the circumstances and is clearly the best player in the league - regardless of position.
posted by Pat Caputo at
1:17 PM
9 Comments:
Pat, regarding McGwire, a big AMEN on your take. Athletes and celebrities in general are so far removed from reality it is disgusting. If he didn't want to go through all this, he should have a) not taken steroids or b) stayed off our radar and not taken the job as the Cardinals hitting coach. I'm sure he doesn't need the money. Probably doing it because he realizes that he has no shot at the hall of fame unless he cries a river and gets back involved in the game.
Book Icouldn't of said it any better or couldn't have agreed more about McGwire. I wish someone could have came on camera and punched him in the face or gave him something to really cry about. I am so sick of these athletes who bleep up big..shed tears and expect us to feel sorry for them. He admits to being on the Juice well no crap sherlock really. What a bumb.. now get the rest of your bumb friends to get the admission on so the rest of us can move and enjoy the sport we love with out having to put up with those sad saps.
I personally don't think McGwire would of hit 70 homers with out the juice. I don't think he would of been able to stay healthy long enough.
Speaking of baseball book.. what are the Tigers doing? I saw recently that Dombrowski stated he would only add a bat if it fit what they were looking for. Now what would they be looking for.. I understand the want for veteran debth in that bullpen. but I'd rather use that money towards a stick and let the young guys have a shot at the closer role at this point. Any rumors at any plans to add a bat? Just curious to see if u may have heard something.
As far as the Pistons.. I could be wrong on this, but I think one of the biggest issues is Stucky isn't a point guard. I feel if they don't want Chucky Atkins playing point they should move ben into that role. and dare I say move Stucky or Rip... That is just my opinion. I like Jrebko and Daye. so I really think Prince is expendable.. A huge issue as well is the log jam of Garbage.. Ben Has been above what anyone could of expected, but Kwame,Wilcox,and really Maxiell have been huge disappointments. I just don't think they have a solid mix.. and they need to get back to like in 04 when guys had roles and were good at those roles.
Jeff H,
His "woe is me" response to this is ridiculous. There are so many people going through much difficult things - and they weren't self-made issues.
Caputo
Maddog52,
It's not a coincidence, the greatest home run seasons of all time happened in a short span of years. No way he gets to 70 without help from PEDs. The Tigers need a left-handed bat badly. I think guard play is the least of the Pistons problems. They need help inside.
Caputo
Pat,
I think to sum it up, you and I feel compeletely different about this issue and that is most likely due to the age gap. In the younger generation this is way more common than most people believe and I'm not talking about athlete's, I'm talking about every day Joes in their late teens, twenties and thirties. I've spent 5 years through high school and college working at gyms and there are a lot of people that use (not abuse) that you wouldnt even imagine. I think the people who are the most upset with these ball players are the purists, but the young people dont care and in fact they enjoy it as they can relate. Their has been a bunch of misinformation about this subject spread over the years by bad reporting (simply regurgitating facts that are not true or getting the opinions of an every day MD. An endocrinologist would be the doctor who would specialize in this area). I've heard you in years past talk about how these pro athletes their jobs are nothing like you, I and everybody else and how they dont correlate. I agree with you 100%, but at the end of the day, this guy is a man, a human being. He made the decisions he made and now he has to deal with it, but this guy has a family and he has to go through non stop ridicule for something that happened years ago. He made his statement and its time to move on, but my problem is people dont move on and this guy who injected himself with a medicine that can be obtained with a doctors prescription has to stand up and face the public more than Ken Lay of Enron or Bernie Madoff did and thats just not right. This guy broke a record, a number, that lasted for a long time. He didn't steal a damn thing. He made his money because the fans were going to the ballpark, which resulted in revenue going up for his team, which resulted in him getting paid. He didn't steal anyones pension fund and this steroid issue has gotten more media attention over an extended period of time than Madoff did and I think this is an issue with the media at the national level. its time to put this to bed.
lil rob
Lil Rob,
First of all, I don't believe age has anything to do with thoughts on this. And I am trying to put this to bed. Every time I think it is going away, something else comes up to suck it in. I assume you think McGwire belongs in the hall.
Caputo
Pat,
In my opinion, I think the younger age demographic isn't as bothered by the whole steroid issue as it is something that is more common and also I think the younger demographic doesn't know baseball from 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago either, so there is less of the purist perspective. While I am in my late 20's and do you remember Alan Trammell, I am much more familiar with Piazza, Pudge, Juan Gonzalez, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Rafeal Palmeiro, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, etc. etc. etc. so from my perspective, these guys are the best ball players in my time watching the game, so yes I think they should all be in the HOF. I never saw Henry Aaron play, but my uncle did take me to a Giants vs. Diamondbacks game in '02 and I saw Barry Bonds ROPE 2 doubles off Randy Johnson in his prime and that lead me to believe he was the best hitter in the game. I mean are the writers really going to keep ARod out of the HOF? Because if they let him in then the standard should be the same for McGwire and Bonds. I wasn't throwing a dart at you with my comment about the media, its more of a jab at ESPN because I feel like they are the most recognized name in sports and they are the ones who continue to deliberate about this topic, and in my opinion the Buster Olney's of the world are not educating themselves completely on the facts when it comes to steroids. They are reporting a 1-sided opinion without any comments from medical doctors who specialize in this area of expertise. An eye doctor goes to medical school but that doesn't mean he's the person someone should get dietary advice from. If people dont like what they have done to the game, then they are entitled to that opinion, but I'm sick of hearing about what these players are doing to their bodies when I dont see a single one of them keeling over and dying. They all seem to remain pretty damn healthy (isnt that ironic). I know if I could take a smart pill that would make me a few mill $ a year, I would be all over that in a second, and I bet in reality most of these "purists" would too. Baseball is the greatest game in the world and it doesnt matter what generation anyone comes from because even though the personalities, problems, dollar figures, technology, etc. change, the part that remains the same is the game, and its the game that is pure not all these other components. Even with all these changes no one is hitting .400 and thats because its the hardest game in the world to play and that will never change.
Anonymous,
That's where the Hall of Fame issue is a difficult one. People my age did see Aaron and Mays play when they were younger, but it was on TV and rarely. And it was when they were well past their prime. I did see Clemens, A-Rod and Bonds in their prime. They are the best players of my generation, too, and three of the greatest ever. McGwire was in the same class. When those guys are up, is when it will be tough to keep them out. Another thing: Which age demographic in society is most interested in HGH. Older people who want to stay young.
Caputo
The argument against McGwire, Bonds, Clemens, etc, getting into the Hall of Fame is simple. In McGwire’s case, he didn’t hit for average; he wasn’t a good fielder, and he wasn’t a base stealing threat. His sole claim to fame is his power, which appears augmented by steroids. How many would he have hit if he had to depend on his own power? One could argue none. Therefore, McGwire does not belong in the Hall of Fame.
The argument against Bonds, Clemens, etc, is just as simple. How long have those players been using? For all we know, they may have been juicing since high school. Maybe they wouldn’t even have made the major leagues if they hadn’t used steroids. Therefore, steroid users are not hall of fame caliber.
People who don’t know there facts point to other imbalances in the history of baseball. Babe Ruth didn’t have to play against blacks; Sandy Koufax pitched on an elevated mound, etc. The difference is nobody in Babe Ruth’s day had to play against blacks; all pitchers in Sandy Koufax’s day pitched on an elevated mound. In other words, the playing field was the same for all. Not so with steroid users.
The Baseball Hall of Fame is a privilege not a right. McGwire, Bonds, Clemens and the rest of the steroid crew forfeited that privilege. Baseball records mean something to baseball purists, and the steroid users cheated the fans just as sure as they cheated honest ballplayers like Hank Aaron and Roger Maris.
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