McGwire Admits Juicing

[IrishCanadian25]

Mark McGuire came out today and admitted to steroid use in the 90's, including during the HR record run in 1998.

"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."

McGuire is the second major star to admit juicing, with Alex Rodriguez being the first.

This marks a major moment in baseball as another stat has come clean, though McGuire is coming back to the game now.

1. Will McGuire's admission help or harm his Hall of Fame chances?

2. Will McGuire's admission make other steroid-era stars (Sosa, Clemens) come clean?

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I'm glad he finally admitted it although I'm not sure that he said he didn't take steroids at that congressional hearing. I only heard him say he didn't want to talk about the past but take that anyway you want to. It can only help his chances because he finally admitted it and it didn't take him long to admit his trangressions unlike Pete Rose.

I don't know for sure if the others will come clean now but if they do, I would expect Palmeiro to come clean first because he stated that he never took steroids and later tested positive.

 

[Mr. TM]

I have always said the baseball Hall of Fame is a bit of a joke, so his admittance into the Hall of Fame might not happen. So I guess that statement shows my side, I think McGwire should be put into the Hall.

He is one of the biggest features of baseball during a time when it was near extinction. His battle with Sosa is a reviving force in baseball, meaning the thing that revived baseball, might be steroids. They hadn't been illegal, so why punish a player for using the best substances at their needs to perform the best that they could? The help their team, their fans, the media to grow, and that is not a bad thing.

Put McGwire in to a true Hall of Fame, but the one in Cooperstown is a joke.

 

[X]

As I said in the Bar Room, in other news grass is green. Hardly surprising, is it?

1. Will McGuire's admission help or harm his Hall of Fame chances?

I suppose this admission could help in the long run, but for the forseeable future I don't see any of the HOF voters giving McGwire a chance to be in the hall anytime soon, not with the big taboo about steroids still surrounding baseball.

2. Will McGuire's admission make other steroid-era stars (Sosa, Clemens) come clean?

I don't know what the hell is up with Sosa these days. He's apparently white now, and psychotic or something. Everyone is well aware of the allegations surrounding him, and I don't think he's ever going to fully come clean about it.


Oh, one more thing IC: It's Mark McGwire, not Mark McGuire.

 

[Ty Burna]

I'm shocked, truly and honestly shocked that baseball's biggest (literally) star in the 90's was roiding.

Not really, we all knew he was taking steroids. Shit he even tried saying he was just using creatine as a cover up for his juicing. At least he came out and said he took them so we could take a collective breath and finally move on without worrying if he cheated or not.

1. Will McGuire's admission help or harm his Hall of Fame chances?

Well at the moment he wasn't getting in anyways. So admitting it may just end up helping him. Maybe not now but later much later down the line when everyone decides to take the steroids era with a grain of salt.

2. Will McGuire's admission make other steroid-era stars (Sosa, Clemens) come clean?

Unlikely. Clemens is too arrogant to quit fighting his losing battle against the steroids taint that has disgraced his career. Sosa meanwhile won't admit it either and when he was asked if he did take steroids, suddenly he couldn't remember to speak English. So take that for what's its worth.

Meanwhile what does this mean for the single season HR record? We know Barry was juicing, we're pretty damn sure Sammy was juicing, and we know for sure now Big Mac was juicing. I say the record still belongs to Roger Maris with his 61 HRs. No stigma is attached to him other than he wasn't an all star player and everyone hated him because he was going to break Babe Ruth's record.

 

[NSL]

Big Mac always had my "vote". Take away the last 4 seasons, where he was obviously juiced, and you still have a fantastic career. He was a beast in Oakland, and was putting up amazing numbers before it became apparent that he was sticking a needle in his ass.

I don't think it will help his overall chances of getting in though. The writers that have votes have been around the sport for a long time, and dealt with him every day, and now they feel betrayed by the fact that they're life is getting a blemish on it (the entire steroids scandal, not just McGwire).

I don't think it will make anyone else come forward either. Why would it? Each man is his own person, and McGwire's admission should not have an effect on whether or not they'll admit anything.

 

[Gregor_Samsa]

I'm not certain but I believe Jason Giambi and Andy Petite admitted to steriod use before A-Rod.

Anyway, I don't take baseball as seriously as say...Congress does, so Big Mac would surely be in the hall if I was king for a day.

I'm not sure if he ever will be in the HOF though because baseball writers who have HOF votes are impaired by a combination of delusion and nostalgia.