Louis Cardinals Glee Live! hired McGwire as their hitting

Louis Cardinals outline hired McGwire details as their hitting coach last month, everything that had been left unanswered suddenly became relevant again. Did McGwire use steroids? If so, what did he use? How did he use it? How often? On and on and on.Why McGwire choked on his microphone on Capitol Hill is mystifying. The guy had it easy.After Steve Wilstein of the Associated Press wrote an article in 1998 detailing McGwire’s use of androstenedione, an over-the-counter muscle enhancer, McGwire admitted using “andro.” During the ’98 season, andro was considered legal by U.S. law and Major League Baseball, although it had been banned the NFL, International Olympics Committee, and the World Anti-Doping Agency.In 2004, the product was defined by Congress as an anabolic steroid.It wasn’t even Wilstein’s intention to dig up a steroids-related issue regarding the Cardinals’ famous slugger Wilstein was in St.

Louis to cover the epic home run chase that summer between McGwire and Sosa, and only became aware of the andro when a bottle of it was sitting in plain view in McGwire’s locker as Wilstein perused the clubhouse.Wilstein, believing to be doing his job as a journalist, reported what he saw, and poof…his words were the first needle to puncture baseball’s steroid balloon.But all McGwire had to do in front of Congress was recount exactly what happened in ’98, and he would have walked out of that court room and enjoyed lunch.McGwire could have gone before Congress and said the following: “In 1998, I was using a muscle-enhancer called androstenedione At that time it was legal by MLB and U.S law . In 2004, androstenedione was determined to be an anabolic steroid by Congress."However, at the time of my use, I was not aware that andro was anything more than an enhancer . I am sorry that my era left a blotch on the game of baseball, but as a player I was only doing everything that I could, within the rules, to prepare my body to play every day for an entire season.”That’s it . If McGwire would have said that then he would have been free . Sure, there would have been subsequent questions, but as long as he didn’t contradict his previous statement, he would have been out of there in no time.Given the simple fact that andro was considered legal to use at that time, the problem wouldn’t have been McGwire’s any longer.

All the public scorn and media fuss would have been directed at MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig for not having stricter policies . A statement like that would have taken McGwire all of what, 30 seconds? How did his lawyer not direct him to do this?McGwire found the only possible way to hang himself . Say absolutely nothing at all while even projecting a sense of fraudulence and suspicion . But, as McGwire could conveniently say, that’s all in the past .

His infamous days in front of Congress are gone.Hisre-acquaintance with the trauma that is the public microscope is just beginning.McGwire could have lived in the shadows for the rest of his life and he wouldn’t have been bothered much . I was happy to let Big Mac be in peace at his home as long as he wasn’t involved in baseball.McGwire has no place in baseball, and we don’t waste any time remembering his career or speaking of his name .Sounded pretty fair to me at the time.As Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak is now learning, that’s fantasyland . With McGwire back in a major league dugout next spring, the Cardinals are trying to come up with a plan to introduce their new hitting coach and deal with all the questions in one big swoop.“I don’t have a timetable yet on when we’re going to do things or how we’re going to do them,” said Mozeliak . “But it’s not something we’re ignoring or hoping will go away.”McGwire did not attend a news conference last month to announce his hiring, but Mozeliak wants to introduce him to the fans and media in a way that will let him properly answer all the necessary questions.“There is going to be a wide range of what people are hoping to hear,” said Mozeliak .

“We’re not there yet as far as what it’s going to look like…hopefully in the next week or so we can work through that.”It shouldn’t take that long to figure out because it’s not that complicated . There are going to be a lot of cameras, a lot of microphones, a lot of steaming pens and clicking keyboards, and a lot of commotion . It is going to be uncomfortable and it is going to be awkward.But McGwire needs to wear it like a pink bouquet because he earned it.I’m sure there are some people who don’t want McGwire remotely close to another Major League stadium . There may be some that think it’s preposterous that he could be employed by MLB after being one of the prize horses that helped pull the steroid buggy.While those judgments are fair, I am not in that camp I have no problem with welcoming McGwire back to the game . I think he could be very beneficial to young players and, most importantly, many communities across America.Is there anyone in baseball that could have a wider impact than McGwire at this point in time? Think about it; it’s a question worth asking.McGwire could not only share his wealth of baseball and hitting knowledge—knowledge that Matt Holliday has already dug into—but he could also be a monumental proponent of the fight against steroids. That’s an issue that isn’t left only for the professionals.