Potshots: Mark McGwire

Let me start this off by saying that I do, in fact, like Mark McGwire. But do to an influx of emails and texts from friends (even STL Cardinals fans) about how McGwire "is an asshole", I decided to take him on in another Potshots exclusive.

Before I dig into the guy, let me state a fact: McGwire and Sosa saved baseball. Anyone who disagrees with this is a moron (sure, post 9/11 games at Yankee Stadium did a lot to help too, but that was years later). Look at hockey - although it was never as popular as baseball was in the United States, it is still struggling to come back from it's lockout year. And, to top it off, the sport has two of the best young players ever in Sid the Kid and Alex the Barbarian. Yet, they still can't return the sport to where it was before (unlike McGwire and Sosa).

So what's my point? McGwire deserves at least more consideration for the Hall of Fame (25% of the vote? Really? It is the hall of fame, right? Who was more famous from 1995-2000 in baseball? No one). But in the end, he does fall into that category with Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, Palmiero, and ARod - great players, but total assholes.

Let's attack some of what McGwire has said -

"I wish I never played in the steroids era"

Well thanks Mac. I hope this is a total lie. What would you rather be doing - putting up drywall, or paving parking lots? Your intelligence is equivalent to that of a half retarded person, so I guess a life of manual labor would be better than playing baseball. Asshole.

"The only reason I took steroids was for health reasons"

This is a joke - right? While you did have injury concerns prior to taking 'roids (according to you at least. Canseco begs to differ), your power numbers went up considerably post 1994. Something like going from a HR per 14 AB's to a HR per 7 AB's. You might have been taking them to increase your durability, but guess what - your "gift" in hitting HR's was nearly doubled by the roids as well. Asshole.

"I took steroids on and off for my entire career"

What does this mean? You roided out with Canseco, quit for a season, realized how much you sucked without them, and then started up again? I'd bet my life that "off" is either: (a) cycling off them for a couple of weeks (you know, the old four weeks on, two weeks off cycle) or (b) one or a very limited portion (less than 20%) of his career he was clean. Asshole.

"I don't remember the names of the steroids that I took"

Well, I actually believe him here. He has the IQ of something between a person with down syndrome and a crack baby. I doubt he could spell "steroid". Did anyone see the official statement that he released in writing? It looks like he originally wrote it, and his lawyers attempted to edit it (over ten times at least), but eventually said "fuck it, there's nothing we can do" and released that trash to the general public.

"I never talked about steroids with other teammates"

Yeah, right. And Clemens was never at a party held by Jose Canseco (even though there is a picture of him at said party). Clearly Mac, you and Canseco were butt buddies, but not in the traditional sense. You probably had roid parties on a daily basis that were followed by trips to the local Oakland ghetto where you paid to beat up cheap hookers. Speaking of Canseco - I wish I could have bet on the facts in his steroids book. At the time people were calling HIM the asshole / liar / etc. But now look at him. He's the nostradomus of the steroids era. All hail Canseco.