No Bite In Big Mac’s Words

(12th January, 2010)

Last night, Mark McGwire went on and on about why he took steroids.  He cited ‘health purposes’ and tried to make viewers believe that, other than abetting his recovery from injuries, steroids hadn’t played a significant role in his power numbers.

Health purposes?

McGwire did not have to look any further than the history lesson Ken Caminiti taught us -and, still, he failed to learn from it.  In 1996, Caminiti had a season for the ages.  The Gold Glove third baseman hit 40 home runs, knocked in 130 and batted .326.  His numbers were worthy of an All-Star selection, a Silver Slugger award and the National League MVP Award.

By 2004 -just three years removed the game- the 41 year-old ex-ballplayer died in New York from a drug overdose.  Caminiti, an admitted steroid user, had tested positive for cocaine in the days before his death and, in fact, had told Sports Illustrated back in 2002 that he was on the juice throughout his MVP season.

McGwire was both contrite and teary-eyed several times during his interview with Bob Costas, but many questions remain.  And, while Costas was a little more demanding of his subject than Peter Gammons was with Alex Rodriguez in February 2009, the fact is only the ballplayers, themselves, will ever know what is absolute.

Tell a lie often enough and it takes on a life of its own.

Just one more piece of irony here.

As the 2010 season begins, McGwire and A-Rod share the No. 8 spot on MLB’s all-time home run list with 583.

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