When Mark McGwire stood before Congress and said he wasn’t talking about the past, the slugger became one of the poster boys for the steroid era.
That poster is now life-size.
McGwire admitted yesterday to using performance-enhancing drugs when he broke baseball’s single-season home run record in 1998. The 12-time All-Star said his decision to become the St. Louis Cardinals’ new hitting coach prompted his confession.
“I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come,” McGwire said in a statement.
“It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected.”
McGwire, who fell well short of the required votes for entry into the Hall of Fame last week, is the second big-name ballplayer to admit steroid use in the past year; the Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez came clean last February. Of the top 15 players on baseball’s all-time home run list, six have been linked to performance enhancers.
A contrite McGwire expressed regret for his transgressions.
“Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era,” the former slugger said. “It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize.”
With McGwire’s admission, focus now shifts to other suspected cheaters, such as Barry Bonds, David Ortiz, Roger Clemens — and Sammy Sosa, who hit 66 dingers while chasing McGwire in the 1998 home run race.
