Mark McGwire

Introducing Mark McGwire Will Be Tricky

None of us are fans of harping on the past, but when the past collides with the present, well, then we have an issue.

It’s been four years now since Mark McGwire plopped down in a congressional hearing and stated that he was not there to “talk about the past,” but more specifically, his alleged steroid use and connection to the Steroid Era.

Gee, Mark, what do you think we’ve all gathered around here for?

Mark McGwire is back in St. Louis. Big Mac will join the Cardinals' coaching staff as the hitting coach.

We've all heard the various complaints, criticisms, and even praise for the Redbirds' new hitting instructor, but how much of it is warranted? Should a player get a coaching job just because of his superstar status as a player?

Without a doubt, some superstars have gone on to excel as a major league manager—John McGraw, Joe Torre, and Frank Chance come readily to mind.

You would think after getting swept by the Dodgers in the NLDS, St. Louis Manager Tony LaRussa, who will come back for at least one more year, would be concerned with how the Cardinals can improve. Instead, he seems dead-set on creating a circus-like atmosphere for his 2010 squad.

If you haven't heard, Mark "I'm not here to talk about the past" McGwire will serve as the Cardinals hitting coach next season. And I thought we were heading towards our first Spring Training this decade free of steroid talk.

"I can't push this enough," Mark McGwire said addressing his Cardinals' players.  "Steroids help you hit."

McGwire, former Home Run King, will return to the St. Louis Cardinals as their new hitting coach, and he has a simple slogan: "Get Big...Illegally"

McGwire proceeded to pull a Mike Singletary during his meeting and pull down his pants revealing his testicles had disappeared. 

"Would you rather have big balls or hit the balls big?" McGwire asked.

The Cardinals players seemed to take to the slogan and clearly so did management. 

Trades. The complexity is unbelievable, yet the goal is simple. Throughout the years, thousands of trades have taken place. In some situations, a trade works out great for both teams involved. For example, prior to the 2008 season, Josh Hamilton was traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Edinson Volquez. Hamilton played fantastically in 2008, hitting .304 with 32 home runs and 130 RBI's, which led baseball.

Over the last few years, it has become very apparent that the media and the Hall of Fame voters will never allow one of the greatest power hitters of my generation to enter the Hall of Fame.

My question is: Why? What is their basis to keep Mark McGwire out?

All they can say is McGwire used performance-enhancing drugs.

Has McGwire failed a drug test like Rafael Palmeiro or Manny Ramirez?

The answer is no.

Was McGwire on the dreaded Mitchell Report like Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Andy Petite, Roger Clemens, and many others?

I heard some crazy news last week. Sammy Sosa, the man that represents what integrity is all about in the sport of baseball, is officially a scumbag.

The corked bat was an accident? I guess not. Those stories about how he was a terrible teammate? I guess they're true. I mean it's amazing. How long did it take us to realize that Sammy Sosa was a liar, fraud, and in some cases, a cheat. Really?

Another one bites the dust.

With this week's disappointing, yet predictable news that Sammy Sosa failed a drug test in 2003, the running list of great home run hitters linked to PED's continues to grow.  

While many people had already subconsciously assumed this to be true, the news put another dark cloud over America's past time once again.  

Then, the discussions began, does Sammy Sosa still belong in the Hall of Fame?

Looking back on my days as a recruiter that specialized in placing candidates in the accounting field I will always remember one candidate’s quote that “the numbers tell a story” and regardless of what you are being told the “numbers do not lie”. 

With that said,