Mark McGwire admits Steroid Use

Yesterday we watched the sun rise and the night get dark. We know this will happen. We also heard Mark McGwire admit that he had used steroids. We also knew this would happen. McGwire admitted he had used steroids on and off during his career including in the fabled year 1998. Does this mean the record should not count? Most would say it should not.

What do we make of this? Rodriguez, Clemens, Bonds and McGwire all now implicated as steroid users. Manny and David from the Boston Red Sox World Series winners as well. As a Red Sox fan I do not feel those championships are tainted as it appears that was the environment of the day. But what a terrible era in baseball.

My youngest son when we are watching a baseball game will ask many questions about the players as they parade up to the plate. Is he a good player? Does he hit homeruns? Does he use steroids? How do we answer these questions? Every player that joins the steroid admission club makes the doubt an even more constant issue.

Last evening I picked my oldest son up from practice and advised him of what the days news was. He was not surprised as this was common speculation. Still, he then proceeded to go down that list we all as baseball fans now have of the admitted users. He talked about how now every player is tainted. A player that has a good season instantly has people questioning what he has done to do so. Does he use steroids?

We love baseball in our house. It is religion. Throwing the first ball in the spring is a very meaningful experience. My children play. We watch the Sox each night. The end of the season is a black armband day for our family. This steroid scandal does not diminish our love of the game. We have kids in little league, on school teams, junior leagues and all stars. We watch the players but we love the game. I think this is what baseball fans have to do now. Love the game and hope that the players that are hurting it stop doing so.

The players are only part of the problem. Major league baseball owners, officials and probably the hot dog vendors knew and have known for many years that steroids were flooding the game. The drug program in place is now one with teeth. Every player but Manny shudders at the thought of being called out for a 50 game suspension. Manny, he just thought it was nice of them to give him a vacation during the season, but the program is working. It is my understanding that HGH is not a drug they can test for yet so certainly many steps need to be taken.

Until baseball gets all of admissions out of the way we are going to continually be like small children hearing the truth about Santa Claus. Children sometimes when they discover the truth about Santa do not know what they have lost, we as parents, however, we always know. It is the same with these steroid admissions. When David Ortiz was linked to steroids last summer the look on my 11 year old sons face said it all. He no longer believed in Santa Claus. Again.