McGwire Admits to Using Steroids

[Demiurge]

...Duh!

McGwire apologizes to La Russa, Selig

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ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball's home run record in 1998.

McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

McGwire statement
Text of the statement Mark McGwire issued Monday, admitting he used steroids during his career:

"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.

I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season.

I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.

During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years. I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.

I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry.

Baseball is really different now -- it's been cleaned up. The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did.

I'm grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa. I can't wait to put the uniform on again and to be back on the field in front of the great fans in Saint Louis. I've always appreciated their support and I intend to earn it again, this time as hitting coach. I'm going to pour myself into this job and do everything I can to help the Cardinals hitters become the best players for years to come.

After all this time, I want to come clean. I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."


"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

During a 20-minute phone call with The AP on Monday, McGwire says he called commissioner Bud Selig and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa earlier in the day to personally apologize.

In an interview with ESPN's "Baseball Tonight", La Russa said he didn't know McGwire had used steroids until the slugger had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs in the phone call to the manager earlier Monday.

"I'm really encouraged that he would step forward," La Russa told ESPN. "As we go along his explanations will be well received."

McGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn't include that detail in his statement.

McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. La Russa, McGwire's manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire's biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger's reputation.

"I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come," McGwire said. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected."

He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez last February.

Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and David Ortiz.

Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee.

"I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids," McGwire said. "I had good years when I didn't take any, and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry."

Big Mac's reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said "I'm not here to talk about the past" when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.

"After all this time, I want to come clean," he said. "I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."

The person close to McGwire said McGwire made the decision not to answer questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.

McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday's statement broke his silence.

"I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again," McGwire said in his statement. "I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season."

McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees' Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.

"During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years," McGwire said in the statement. "I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too."

Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.

"Baseball is really different now -- it's been cleaned up," McGwire said. "The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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When is Shammy Sosa gonna come clean?

[bobman1235]

Cuz everyone was waiting for his admission to realize he's guilty.

This is about as shocking as "OJ writes a book detailing how he killed his ex-wife!"

[hearingimpared]

Gee what a surprise and Bob LOL! @ OJ remark.

[Knucklehead]

never doubted it for a second, he was a freak in his prime.

[coolsax]

... i don't think anyone really doubted it cept maybe his most die hard supporters, I think its more the fact that he finally manned up and admitted it. He knew he was going to have to once he decided to become the Cards hitting coach.

[NJPOLKER]

Does anyone think Manny Ramirez was smart enough to be able to do roids?

[hearingimpared]

Are they going to put an asterisk next to his stats now?

[coolsax]

they're never going to put an asterisk next to anyone stats anymore.. there are too many players who did it in that era... I think you're going to just have to accept the stats as they are... while many may not consider it so alot of players used Greenies(amphetimines) in the 70's and 80's and no one says anything about their stats. Greenies weren't as bad as steroids but they did help players especially during the longer 162 games seasons compared to the original 154.

[Slinger182]

Are they going to put an asterisk next to his stats now?

That whole era of mid 90s to early 2000s are tainted with roids. Pretty much an asterisk on everything...

[concealer404]

I still don't understand why anyone would need steroids to play BASEBALL. A game where it's common to have less than 2 minutes of "play" in an entire game.

[hearingimpared]

I still don't understand why anyone would need steroids to play BASEBALL. A game where it's common to have less than 2 minutes of "play" in an entire game.

Well it certainly wasn't for endurance, amphetamines are best for that. However, I think that the increase in strength would cause a batter to hit the ball out of the park even if he just gets a piece of it.

I don't think roids can enhance eye/hand coordination, can they?

[zombie boy 2000]

Not really... which makes Bonds such a sad case. Here was a man well on his way to the Hall of Fame before taking steroids and for whatever reason, none of that was enough. In fact, very few would argue that when it came to hand/eye coordination, Barry Bonds was one of the top five greatest of all time.

[Demiurge]

I know someone will come in and say "who cares?"

The problem I have with this is that it's finding it's way into the colleges and high schools with higher frequency. I'm not so naive as to think that they didn't exist in colleges and high schools prior to the recent explosion (or the exposure of it) of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. What I don't like is that teenagers and young adults are turning to these drugs with more frequency to attempt to gain that competitive edge. Like other drugs, I wish it was as simple as letting the idiots destroy their own lives if that's what they want to do, but it's never that simple. I just don't think society should be condoning the behavior either agressively or tacitly because they like to see home runs, etc.

I realize sports will never be completely clean, but I think that sporting organizations should be more proactive in updating their testing standards and be ruthless in doling out punishment to athletes who blood dope. What made this all such a circus was when the government decided to get involved.

I'm not sure of McGwire's motivation in spilling the beans about what we all knew, but I think it's a good thing that he's being honest about it. It's more than I can say to a lot of the other guys who still want to pretend like their stats aren't padded by drug use.

Some will argue that steroids have no benefit to baseball players....if that was the case they wouldn't take the risk of using them, both professionally and personally.

[nguyendot]

I read it first as "McGuyver" lol.

[kuntasensei]

I'm just glad that this issue can finally be put rest for all of the people who didn't know. You know... blind people.

[Rivrrat]

That's like me admitting I'm overweight.

[huggies]

...Duh!



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When is Shammy Sosa gonna come clean?

Looks like Sammy has some other issues going on....

[hearingimpared]

Looks like Michael Jackson syndrome.

[zingo]

I thought it was classy of him to admit using steroids, but then claim they were only for medical reasons, not to enhance his numbers...

[tx_polkhead]

He only kind of admitted it, he's grasping to the PED's can't help hand eye cordination... That's not an addmision, he sound like a politician. Mistakes were made rather than I made mistakes...

[SKsolutions]

Sun sets in West. Film at 11.

[WesKParker]

my two cents on the subject of asterisks and what not..

I'll start by saying i don't condone steroid use, and think baseball would be better without it. But to say players should get and asterisks by there statistics i think is unfair.

Baseball has always evolved since it's beginning. The stats remain the same, but the way the game is played changes every so often.

No one wants to put an asterisk next to Bob Gibson's (or any pitcher from that era) stats even though during the 50's and 60's the pitchers mound was taller, the strike zone was bigger and there were no DH's in either league. That has to be at least as unfair advantage to pitchers then as steroids are to hitters now.

No one wants to put asterisks next to hitters stats when they played in smaller ball parks and got to face pitchers who pitched more innings on less rest.

And no one wants to puts asterisks next to pitchers stats in the early days who racked up hundreds of wins because they pitched 20-30% more games a season and got to finish most of them (Cy Young completed over 90% of his starts). That certainly bolstered his total wins quite a bit over his career.

Steroids clearly became a part of baseball, i think people just have to except that and take the statistics for what they are.

[hearingimpared]

For Maris, the day he hit the 61st home run of the season must have been the beginning of some of the emptiest days of his life. Some claimed that his achievement was tainted because Maris had played in 161 games in the 1961 season. Ruth had only played in 151 games. Commissioner Ford Frick made the ruling that an asterisk would be attached to Maris' record.

The asterisk was eventually removed from Maris' accomplishment.

This is what prompted my question.

[mrbigbluelight]

my two cents on the subject of asterisks and what not..

I'll start by saying i don't condone steroid use, and think baseball would be better without it. But to say players should get and asterisks by there statistics i think is unfair.

Baseball has always evolved since it's beginning. The stats remain the same, but the way the game is played changes every so often.

No one wants to put an asterisk next to Bob Gibson's (or any pitcher from that era) stats even though during the 50's and 60's the pitchers mound was taller, the strike zone was bigger and there were no DH's in either league. That has to be at least as unfair advantage to pitchers then as steroids are to hitters now.

No one wants to put asterisks next to hitters stats when they played in smaller ball parks and got to face pitchers who pitched more innings on less rest.

And no one wants to puts asterisks next to pitchers stats in the early days who racked up hundreds of wins because they pitched 20-30% more games a season and got to finish most of them (Cy Young completed over 90% of his starts). That certainly bolstered his total wins quite a bit over his career.

Steroids clearly became a part of baseball, i think people just have to except that and take the statistics for what they are.

Mr. Weskparker, Bob Gibson really shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Mark McJuicer.

Bob Gibson suffered a broken leg on July 15, 1967. He came back on September 7 and went 3-1 with a 0.96 ERA the rest of the regular season, He then took the Cards to the world championship with a 3-0, 1.00 World Series performance.
Gibby's BATTING AVERAGE in 1967 was .280.

In 1968, he had a 1.13 ERA and a record of 22 wins, 9 losses. In those 9 losses Gibson had a 2.14 ERA.

I had to look up those exact stats, as my memory isn't THAT good and I didn't want to just round out my statement with, "Gibson was God" (although that statement would have been entirely accurate).

There's a reason why they lowered the pitching mound by 5" in 1969, and that reason is named "Bob Gibson".

Stellar athelete. Stellar human being.

As have been a lot of other Cards. I'll just mention one:

Stan the Man

The Cards have a history to be proud of; here in Hoosier Town (home of the Toasted Ravioli) the "Birds on the Bat" means something.
And it is the "Birds on the Bat", not the "Needle in the Ass".

So when I hear Mark McJuicer whine on the radio about how "bad he felt" that he was making all this money and, because of his health, he couldn't perform like he wanted with "the ability that God gave him", well........ maybe he should have asked God to give him superhuman healing powers like Wolverine.

When Bob Costas asked him if he felt like his record season stats were valid, Mr. Cheesefuk had the gall to look Costas in the eye and say, "Well, yeah, the steroids didn't have any effect on my hand/eye coordination !".

Oh, puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuulllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llleeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzeeeeeee !
Fug me and the horse I rode in on !!!!

Just my opinion. :o

[WesKParker]

I wasn't trying to say Bob Gibson wasn't a great player by any means. The fact that he was a great player is most likely why i singled him out, because when i thought of a great pitcher from that era, he was the first to come to mind. My only point is that he had advantages that pitchers today don't have, so the statistics don't exactly compute to equal.

McGwire might have "juiced" but so did a lot of other players in the 80's and 90's, and with the exception of one..none of them hit 70 homers.

Plus, it's pretty crappy to be on him now, no one was complaining when he and Sosa were inexplicably crushing home runs in 98, bringing baseball back to the masses...

Don't get me wrong i understand where most people are coming from when they complain, I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'm not even a McGwire fan. I just think people may be a bit to0 quick to strike down someone's career for doing everything they could to get a competitive advantage.

I'm sure we are all so saintly that we wouldn't make the same choices for fame and fortune...

[hearingimpared]

I wasn't trying to say Bob Gibson wasn't a great player by any means. The fact that he was a great player is most likely why i singled him out, because when i thought of a great pitcher from that era, he was the first to come to mind. My only point is that he had advantages that pitchers today don't have, so the statistics don't exactly compute to equal.

McGwire might have "juiced" but so did a lot of other players in the 80's and 90's, and with the exception of one..none of them hit 70 homers.

Plus, it's pretty crappy to be on him now, no one was complaining when he and Sosa were inexplicably crushing home runs in 98, bringing baseball back to the masses...

Don't get me wrong i understand where most people are coming from when they complain, I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'm not even a McGwire fan. I just think people may be a bit to0 quick to strike down someone's career for doing everything they could to get a competitive advantage.

I'm sure we are all so saintly that we wouldn't make the same choices for fame and fortune...

Bob Gibson did it with natural talent and that natural talent made Baseball change the mound height.

I'm playing the counter-devil's advocate here. I strike down the juicers because they were cheating and too lazy to build their bodies up naturally by working out or afraid that they wouldn't be talented enough to make their own stats. That's how you gain the "competitive advantage?" They couldn't use their God given talent and use conventional means to gain their advantage, they just took a short cut. Why not use a corked bat? . . . because it's cheating. Why not let pitchers keep a dollop of Vaseline under their visor . . . why not let pitchers keep sharp items tucked away in their belt? . . . because it's cheating . . . but according to your line of thinking it would be okay because they would be doing everything they could do to gain the "competitive advantage."

Also people were complaining . . . all the teams that had to face Sosa & McGuire as they were the two that had suddenly become the Hulk almost over night. It was constantly being questioned at the time. Just because a lot of other players were juicing too, and we don't know that for sure, doesn't make it right. Maybe they were juicing just to be able to compete it the big leagues and that's how they kept their jobs, nevermind that they didn't chuck 70 homers in a season.

How is it fair to the non-cheating players who busted their butts to become and stay Major League players year after year just to be outdone by a cheater?

There are many more counter arguments to dispute your arguments.

One more thing. Did the Sosa/McGuire race to the record help out to bring baseball back on the map . . . it sure did . . . but at what cost?

Another thought . . . how do you think Barry Bonds feels everytime he comes to plate and boo'd? He has no conscience, he just greedy. Why are the fans booing him? . . . because he is a cheater.

[WesKParker]

I strike down the juicers because they were cheating and too lazy to build their bodies up naturally by working out or afraid that they wouldn't be talented enough to make their own stats.

Do you think that you stick a syringe in your ass and all of a sudden you can hit 70 home runs. These were still some of the best hitters in the game before they started taking steroids. They still had to work.

Why not use a corked bat? . . . because it's cheating. Why not let pitchers keep a dollop of Vaseline under their visor . . . why not let pitchers keep sharp items tucked away in their belt? . . . because it's cheating . . .

Players do do these things all the time. And have throughout the history of baseball. It's a rule enforced when the player is caught, and generally has a fairly small penalty when caught, especially compared to the penalties for steroids now..

Also, baseball didn't strictly enforce what steroid rules existed until recently, essentially leaving it up to the player to decide whether he wants to use them.

Maybe they were juicing just to be able to compete it the big leagues and that's how they kept their jobs, nevermind that they didn't chuck 70 homers in a season.

You have made my point for me. Steroids did not make Barry Bonds a great hitter/player. They only enhanced the abilities he already had.

How is it fair to the non-cheating players who busted their butts to become and stay Major League players year after year just to be outdone by a cheater?

It's probably not "fair" to that player. But statistically speaking (and statistics are the crux of my argument, as I've stated, i don't think steroids are good for baseball) how is it fair to Greg Maddux that he didn't get to pitch with a mound 5 inches higher, and didn't get to pitch 40 games a year and finish all his games.

There are many more counter arguments to dispute your arguments.

If you say so...

One more thing. Did the Sosa/McGuire race to the record help out to bring baseball back on the map . . . it sure did . . . but at what cost?

What's the cost? Did a broken home run record kill something about the game? I'll take a game where fans are filling the stands over watching games with no attendance and defunct teams any day.

Another thought . . . how do you think Barry Bonds feels everytime he comes to plate and boo'd? He has no conscience, he just greedy. Why are the fans booing him? . . . because he is a cheater.

He wasn't booed in San Francisco...and probably wouldn't have been booed at any home park in baseball. what do you think the percentage of fans that would have wanted to have the Barry Bonds of 2001-2004 on their team?

I'd be more inclined to agree with you if steroids could somehow make any Joe Schmo ball player off the street into even a passable MLB player, which they can't.

[hearingimpared]

We're still talking about cheating, no?

[WesKParker]

I wasn't talking about cheating. I was talking about whether the statistics should have asterisks.

[mrbigbluelight]

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a tidbit by one of my favorite local columnists, Bill McClellan:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...F?OpenDocument


And you are correct:
if I start shooting steroids in my derriere, I couldn't hit 70 home runs.

And what I'm saying is:
if Mark McJuicer hadn't been riding the needle, he wouldn't have, either.

And the most important thing is: That ain't the way the game is played.

It turns the players into freaks, and their enabling managers (Tony LaDoucha)
into co-conspirators.

Sure, baseball had to lower the mound 5" in response to the natural progression of players to getting taller, bigger, faster ......NATURALLY.
Not unlike the NATURAL progession of the general population who have also grown taller, bigger, faster. The heighth/width of doors has increased over the years in response to this NATURAL trend.

If there's to be a juiced-is-OK league, then let's lower the mound another 5" to compensate for the increased UNNATURAL strength of the players.