Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
You hear all kinds of things when you talk to people about St. Louis Cardinals legend Mark McGwire. He was a strong hitter, great person, and good man. What you rarely hear anywhere anymore is that he was one of the players that stood tallest in the so-called steroid era. His career path before and after retirement is proof however, that the stain of using PEDs is not something that takes over the entire being of a man. The man of McGwire overrides any PED taint that anyone could bring up. This is hopeful for those going through it now.
Though he knew that reporters would be asking about the PED suspensions, McGwire was still upbeat and willing to discuss his players’ outlook on everything. He downplayed what he thought because he is right that what current players think is more important than anything else. Everyone hopes this is the end and the sign that nothing like this will overtake baseball again for the foreseeable future.
The great news for all of the guys that were suspended for 50 games is that McGwire shows everyone how best to deal with the situation where PEDs are in their stat-line. He doesn’t shy away from it but rather owns it as best he can I believe. In spite of the asterisk that could go by many of his career stats, he deserves no asterisk by the heart he has and the type of person he is. In the end of everything, the person is what people care the most about. Even Alex Rodriguez will be forgiven by the people of baseball if he owns his mistakes and goes on about his business.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
