McGwire finally admits steroid use

[Gantry]

I'm going to start doing drugs to stay in better shape.  Starting with meth...

[Attezz]

I'm going to start doing drugs to stay in better shape.  Starting with meth...

At least your teeth won't be affected.

[Gantry]

I call the big one bitey...

[ryno]

McGwire only dug a deeper hole with his bullshit today.

If he's going to admit to this shit, just admit to it and be done.   All he had to do was say, "I used steroids."   When Costas gets into the "why" aspect, Mac should have been honest and said "to hit a bunch of homers."   End of story.

Instead, he cried like a bitch, made some bullshit story about not using roids for strength purposes, and said he could have hit 70 homers without the juice and gives God credit for his talent.  What a fucking moron.


Without the juice, McGwire is (at best) Ron Kittle.



My apoloties to the Kittle family.

[Nacho]

Without the juice, McGwire is (at best) Ron Kittle.

Then what does that make Sammy Sosa?

[ryno]

Without the juice, McGwire is (at best) Ron Kittle.

Then what does that make Sammy Sosa?

DominiKittle

[edfan]

says god given ability  is what put up the numbers
hand/eye coordination
bats speed
studying pitchers

says records his would have happened without the drugs

I wonder just how many home runs were added because of roids.  Obviously, the guy could hit homers before he took them.  He'd probably still be a 500 HR hitter, but to say that he'd have hit 70 in a season without them is sorta delusional.

He kept saying he only did drugs to stay healthy, not for a perforance boost. Talked about the grind of the 162 game schedule. That the man upstairs gave him the gifts to hit all them HRs. Costas never dug at him deep enough on the drugs helping his numbers.

Sounds like McGwire's career would have been coming to a close around 94-95 without the drugs.  The interview really does not make him look that great. The drugs helped do all of the record breaking stuff. Stupid to say it didnt. 

Right.  I did not understand that at all.  he kept saying that he didn't take them for strength, but to stay healthy.  By definition, doesn't that mean that he took them to make his body stronger than it would have been without them?  To think that it did not improve his overall strength, but just his back is unrealistic

[BDawk]

I always thought McGwire's thing was taking stuff for recovery. I'm sure he never complained about the strength aspect, but he was a gym rat and one of the big benefits here is the ability to work out every day and need significantly less recovery tiem in between workouts / games.

When you think about it, he pretty much started the steroid crap when he was giving an interview at his locker and the reporter asked him about his andro. 

[Attezz]

Relievers always take steroids for recovery, and rarely for strength purposes. It's not too tough to fathom that McGwire did the same.

[Stock]

I am so surprised.  It's not like 90% of baseball wasn't doing something illegal.
I just do not care anymore.  And I am sure there will be a day where people don't understand what all the controversy over steroids was about.

Agree with Ryno though.  He should have just said he took roids to keep himself in better shape, prolong his carreer, and to hit more home runs.  End of story.

I hate the whole crying bullshit.

I don't really agree with his comment that steroids also led to his knee and back injuries.
That was probably since he was able to do about 10 more years of 600 pound squats in the gym.
Mac was big into olympic power lifts in the gym, and that shit is not good for anyone's joints.

[BDawk]

I don't really agree with his comment that steroids also led to his knee and back injuries.
That was probably since he was able to do about 10 more years of 600 pound squats in the gym.
Mac was big into olympic power lifts in the gym, and that shit is not good for anyone's joints.

I still don't get the genuine shock and the fact that people are so appalled about this.  I don't blame anyone for doing steroids.  People do anything for an edge.  Why would athletes be any different.  More HR's means bigger contract and more endorsements.  I'd say it was a good risk to take

[Mike D.]

He's still my favorite player of all time.

[Darky]

I want McGwire's shrunken steroid cock in my pooper

[Mike D.]

You can read my mind.

[BeefMaster]

I don't really agree with his comment that steroids also led to his knee and back injuries.
That was probably since he was able to do about 10 more years of 600 pound squats in the gym.
Mac was big into olympic power lifts in the gym, and that shit is not good for anyone's joints.

I still don't get the genuine shock and the fact that people are so appalled about this.  I don't blame anyone for doing steroids.  People do anything for an edge.  Why would athletes be any different.  More HR's means bigger contract and more endorsements.  I'd say it was a good risk to take

It's even crazier the way people get so angry about HGH - it doesn't even have much for negative side effects that have been discovered (although the benefits aren't as clear-cut, either).

[bonny]

I don't really agree with his comment that steroids also led to his knee and back injuries.
That was probably since he was able to do about 10 more years of 600 pound squats in the gym.
Mac was big into olympic power lifts in the gym, and that shit is not good for anyone's joints.

I still don't get the genuine shock and the fact that people are so appalled about this.  I don't blame anyone for doing steroids.  People do anything for an edge.  Why would athletes be any different.  More HR's means bigger contract and more endorsements.  I'd say it was a good risk to take

It's even crazier the way people get so angry about HGH - it doesn't even have much for negative side effects that have been discovered (although the benefits aren't as clear-cut, either).

Its because these guys are using drugs that are illegal, or getting perscription drugs illegally. (HGH from a dentist under the table  etc)

[edfan]

With this admission, it only bolsters my belief that Fred McGriff was one of the best legit power hitters of his era.  From 88 - 94, McGriff was the most consistent/dominant power hitter in his league that has not been linked in any way to steroids:

88 - 2nd in the league with 34 only behind Canseco
89 - 1st in the league with 36
90 - 4th in the league behind Fielder, McGwire, and Canseco
91 - Tied for 4th with Dawson behind HoJo, Matt Williams, and Ron Gant
92 - 1st in the league with 35
93 - 4th in the league behind Bonds, David Justice and Williams
94 - 4th in the league behind Williams, Jeff Bagwell, and Bonds,

This leaves Cecil Fielder, Howard Johnson, Jeff Bagwell, and Ron Gant as the only people at any time over that 7 year stretch, not linked to steroids, to hit more home runs than McGriff in the league that he was in.  None did it more than once

From 95 - 02, McGriff continues to hit homers at an average pace of 27 per season, but it is only a blip on the radar because people are hitting home runs like it is nothing.  03/04 don't really count because he was holding on for 500 by then.  By the time 95 rolls around, the list of people who hit more home runs than McGriff  in his league on a consistent basis is a list peppered by those who have been busted for roids or are extremely suspect:


Gary Sheffield - busted
Todd Hundley - busted
Ken Caminiti - busted
Sammy Sosa - we all know
Mo Vaughn - busted
Mike Piazza - implicated
Steve Finley - probable
Bernard Gilkey - probable
Benito Santiago - busted
Rafael Palmeiro - busted
Manny Ramirez - busted
Shawn Green - probable
Alex Rodriguez - busted
Juan Gonzalez - implicated
Dean Palmer - probable
Joey/Albert Belle - probable
John Jaha - probable
Ivan Rodriguez - busted
Jason Giambi - busted
Dante Bichette - probable

Some of the guys that are listed as probable may have been busted or implicated, but I tried to to reach

[Darky]

Man, Big Mac is really getting a new one torn all over the place. I can't take it anymore...no ESPN for the rest of the week.

[Mike D.]

I think Tim Kurkjians stance on this is actually a good one.  Vote 'em all in, let history sort it out.  Maybe put a note on the plaque "Steroid Era" or make sure it's mentioned in the Hall of Fame somewhere.  Attach a story to the player, so people can keep it in perspective.

[edfan]

I think Tim Kurkjians stance on this is actually a good one.  Vote 'em all in, let history sort it out.  Maybe put a note on the plaque "Steroid Era" or make sure it's mentioned in the Hall of Fame somewhere.  Attach a story to the player, so people can keep it in perspective.

I can't say that I disagree with this in general, but there are a few players that make this tough.  McGwire and Sosa being two of them.  Without all the home runs, they are not HOF worthy.  Without the steroids, do they hit enough HR's to be HOF worthy?  It is possible that McGwire could have been out of the game around the same time as Don Mattingly for very similar reasons.  If you put in a guy like McGwire, all that says to me is that Mattingly should have taken steroids.  He could have been healthier, bulked up his stats, and made a case for the HOF.  This is just one of those things that can never be a clear cut issue and someone will be upset no matter what conclusion is drawn