You may recall that a wrote a screed last week against Major League Baseball and the mouth-breathing writers who vote for the Hall of Fame. In that screed, I pointed out at least twice that Mark McGwire, currently being held out of the Hall in spite of being 8th on the all-time home runs list because of suspicions that he was a steroids user, had never been proven to have purchased or used any illegal substance during his career.
Life being the irony-fest that it is, less than 1 week later, McGwire came clean.
"It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize," McGwire said in a statement released through the Cardinals. "I wish I had never touched steroids. It was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroids era."Okay, he used. Does that change my opinion regarding his place in baseball's Hall of Fame. Hell no!
People forget in these wussified times in which we live what life was like in the 60's, 70's, and 80's for athletes. This was the era of the Lombardi legacy. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." An athlete felt obliged and was even actively encouraged by coaches and trainers to do absolutely everything and anything to get an edge on the competition, regardless of the ethics or long-term repercussions. Winning NOW was all that mattered.
Of course athletes who grew up in that era used steroids! They weren't illegal in many cases until the 90's, and...wait for it...they WORK!
Old timers like Bob Feller are now bitching about McGwire being a liar and a cheater. Hey Feller! Go die or something! Nobody born since 1950 gives a rat's ass what you think! Of course the old timers are going to bitch! It's THEIR records being shattered by the modern athlete!
I stand by what I wrote about the mouth-breathers who comprise the Hall of Fame voters. These sanctimonious prigs just LOVED McGwire when he and Sosa saved baseball in '98. It's only been since steroids became an easy story line that they've turned on McGwire and professed shock - SHOCK! - that he could have been using! And, make no mistake, lazy-ass sports writers just LIVE for an easy story line. That it might destroy someone's career or legacy matters not one whit. I wonder, if you followed the Hall voters around, how many would be found to be alcoholics, or marijuana users, or cocaine users? Probably more than you think!
So baseball, and Hall of Fame voters in particular, why don't you join Bob Feller in my previously expressed sentiment? Drop dead!
