Mark McGwire: A Sad End to a Great Career

Today before the United States House of Representatives, former major league baseball player and one-time single season home run champion Mark McGwire disgraced himself, his profession, and his career.

Under friendly questioning from William Clay Jr., (D-MO), McGwire repeatedly refused to say if he’d ever taken even andro, which he more or less bragged about using when he was a Cardinal.

Clearly, McGwire was a heavy steroid user. I didn’t believe so just two weeks ago, but he looked as guilty as OJ today.

I have a stack of special edition St. Louis Post-Dispatch papers that announced his breaking of Roger Maris’s single season home run record. I’ll keep them. They are part of the history of my favorite baseball team.

But my memories of that fantastic 1998 season are tainted, now, and they can’t be cleaned. Mark McGwire, a hero to my kids and millions of others, disgraced himself, his sport, his family, and his team. I forgive him, but I’ll never respect him again.

At least he didn’t lie–this time.

Money quote: When asked if he’d support Olympic drug testing standards, McGwire responded:

“Whatever is takes so that we don’t have any more things like this.”

What a loser.

Outside the Beltway examines Congress’s jurisdiction over baseball’s drug policy.