Press Release: Mark McGwire
I would like to thank everyone for their patience. When we found out about Mark’s recent admission concerning Performance Enhancing Drugs, (PEDs), we felt it was best to wait and digest all the information before making a public statement. Our statement is below:
We commend Mark McGwire’s decision to finally come clean regarding his use of Performance Enhancing Drugs, (PEDs). We do not however condone Mark’s behavior or actions regarding PEDs. We do not condone the use of PEDs, period.
PEDs have played too big a role in our sports arenas over the last 20 years. We feel this is another step in the right direction to clean up the mess.
The use of PEDs compromises the integrity of the game, as well as that of Major League Baseball. It also questions the character of the players who did not take part in such behavior that is so unbecoming.
Although honesty is the best path to redemption, it will not lead you to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mark McGwire cheated. His use of PEDs gave him an unfair advantage over other players in the game. Is there a chance Mark could’ve hit as many home runs with out the use of PEDs? Yes. Sure. Of course. But we will never really know. Because of this, we feel, Mark has robbed himself of induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Although Mark is not the only player tied to the Steroid Era, he does represent a big chunk of it. An asterisk or some kind of symbol should be added to this era of juiced up statistics separating it from the rest of MLB history – like 1961*, the year Roger Maris broke the single season home run record. Maris hit 61 dingers that year. The * in 1961 represents that more games were played that year than there were when Babe Ruth played in 1927 (The Babe hit 60 HRs that year). The argument went, with more games there were more at bats. More at bats = more chances to hit more home runs. There is nothing artificial about that.
