Every now and then, we like to pretend that our Sports tab is full of more than shirtless pictures of rugby player Ben Cohen, so how about a little chit-chat about today's sport page? After becoming the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, former Major League Baseball player Mark McGwire has admitted to using steroids when he broke the home run record in 1998.
However, McGwire doesn't believe the performance-enhancing drugs were the key to his success. According to him, his ability to hit the long ball was a result of studying pitchers and making his swing shorter. "I was given a gift to hit home runs," he told Bob Costas on MLB Network. "I truly believe so. I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes."
As genuinely apologetic as he seems, I wish he'd just admit that the PEDs had something to do with his rhttp://Mark McGwire, steroids, performance-enhancing drugs, St. Louis Cardinals, 1998, home run record, PEDs, sports, studying pitchers, Major League Baseball, MLBecord-breaking achievements! It's such a load of crap that he could have done it without the steroids. For those of you who are more savvy in the sports department, what do you think of this matter?
– Dewitt
There are two kinds of athletes: those who use illegal supplements and get caught, and those who get away with it.
The natural limit for the human body at about six feet tall is 18″ arms. And this is rare. Anyone who has ever been involved with TRUE natural bodybuilding can instantly spot a drug-enhanced body. If you are involved in professional sport, you are on supplements. Steroids, creatine, glutamine, nitrous – all are hard on the kidneys and liver. All shorten lifespan. But you go into it with your eyes open. If you don’t do it, you cannot compete. Any statements to the contrary are lies. Bring on the lies.
More to the point: At the time he began using steriods “for health purposes” he had well under 300 career home runs and without the steriods, his career would have been over. To claim that they had nothing to do with his record is politely referred to as a crock of shit.
What? WHAT? Mark McGwire was using steroids? My God! The oddsmakers take a beating again!
The real hypocrisy is that the Cardinals home office and the owners of the teams of other steroid-using players didn’t mind when their stars’ performances were putting paying fans in the stadium seats!
Big deal. I think it’s time to lift the ban anyway and just do away with all the hypocrisy. There’s a limit to natural human physical achievement and only advancement in technology and pharmacology can crack the limit. Let them all compete openly so it’s not all underground and we can have research for safe and effective athletic supplements.