Mark McGwire, who along with Sammy Sosa revived the sport of baseball in 1998 with their home run race to break the single-season record of 61, then held by Roger Maris, has reacted to the slew of suspensions doled out by MLB yesterday.
McGwire, who socked 70 home runs that year, later admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. Sosa too was accused and convicted in the court of public opinion of using steroids to power many of those home runs, effectively ruining one of the most cherished times in baseball history.
Now, many of MLB's greatest players have been tainted. The current home run king, Barry Bonds is a leper to the Hall of Fame voters. Roger Clemens has been disgraced. Now, Alex Rodriguez, once the heir to the home run throne has become an aging punch line who just earned a 211-game suspension.
"I wish I was never a part of it," McGwire said. "Just get rid of it. If it's better to have bigger suspensions, then they're going to have to change it."
In addition to regret about his own involvement, a clearly remorseful McGwire said it would have helped to have stringent punishments established ahead of the problem. "I wish there were things in place earlier," McGwire said. "They were put in in 2003 I think. I just really hope and pray that this is the end of it. Everybody, especially the players, don't want any more part of it, and I hope this is the end of it. ... I wish I was never part of it."
McGwire also touched on the growing frustration with PEDs among clean players. "It doesn't matter what I think; I think it matters what the players think, and from what I hear every day in the clubhouse, they're just happy it's coming to an end," McGwire said. "They're happy that Major League Baseball is taking care of it and we can move forward. Hopefully this will be the end of it."
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