Comments on: Sketch o’the Week

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:49:09 +0000

Great points, Lash. I’d never considered the other side of the equation before i.e. pitchers also taking juice. Thanks for the comment.

By: Lash LeRoux

Lash LeRoux — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:17:05 +0000

Great blog, Tom. I agree with most everything you said, with one caveat. Having had a 10 year career as a professional wrestler with the WWF, WWE and WCW, I feel this is one issue I have some inside expertise on. I question the sincerity of his apology on the grounds that it’s easy to come out and admit steroid use after you have retired. Knowing, as I do personally, just how rampant steroid use is in ALL professional sports, I find it very difficult to believe that he would not relive it all again and make the same decisions if he had it to do over. He knows how much steroids played a part in his success. And he knows that for a professional athlete, with a multi million dollar contract on the line, the positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to steroid use. That’s not a politically correct or popular thing to say, but it is the absolute truth and a reality in all professional sports.

As for his H.O.F. merit, I really don’t feel that strongly about it one way or the other. Although, in all fairness to McGuire, I think there is one issue that everyone has overlooked. I have no doubt in my mind that a lot of the pitchers that McGuire faced during his record braking season are guilty as well of using steroids at one point or another in their career. For him to have broken the home run record he would have had to have success against these pitchers as well. That, in many ways, evens the playing field regarding any “unfair advantage” he may have had. In other words, I agree that the true home run “legends” never used steroids; however they also never faced a pitcher who had taken steroids.

By: Joe Groshek

Joe Groshek — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 06:08:48 +0000

Great drawing, Tom!
I agree with your remarks about McGuire….no way should he be in the HOF, neither should Bonds…..I think most people still regard Hank Aaron as the record holder for the most home runs…..I maybe biased about it because I’m from Milwaukee (ie: Braves and Brewers) which Hammerin’ Hank played for both teams, and he did this without the use of Steroids. Long live Hank!

By: Mmmbacon

Mmmbacon — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:23:55 +0000

Preach it Tom!!! I can’t believe how many people are saying that it’s courageous to come out and finally admit it. What a bunch of crap. Bottom line is he’s ONLY admitting this now because it would be such a distraction to the Cards when pitchers and catchers report. If he wasn’t so MONUMENTALLY PRIVILEGED to get back into baseball, and was still holed up in seclusion, he would still be spewing the same ol denials. Nothin like convenient truths. And to have the balls to finally admit it and believe that we’re stupid enough to buy the “it didn’t help my performance” takes completely away from the “admission”. But MOST of all the maddening part is that his name will be above Roger Maris. And THATS a tragedy.

Great post Tom!

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:09:29 +0000

Nope, I don’t buy that. Maybe everyone did know he was cheating at the time (although I followed it and I didn’t think it went past the Andro use), but that doesn’t change the fact that his Hall of Fame credentials were gained using illegal steroids. He was a pretty good fielding first baseman, having won a couple of Gold Gloves (although those often go to big bats at that position anyway) but not a Hall of Fame defensive caliber player. His HOF credentials are all about his bat, and his numbers were inflated by his steroid use. I believe that without the steroids McGwire would have been a good player but nowhere near a Hall of Famer.