Mark McGwire Is Very Sad He Hit All Those 550 Foot Home Runs

Nice job of McGwire choosing the MLB network to do his admittance interview. A channel that no one in the world actually has. Well I have it, but no one else.

Breaking News: Mark McGwire Admits Steroid Use

Subheadline: OJ Simpson admits murder.

Seriously. This is old news, even if it was never official before. Much more interesting, however, is the report from a few days ago that there is the vague possibility that Big Mac might be added to the roster as a bench player if the Cardinals are in contention by August 31. Not sure how this would affect Big Mac's HOF eligibility.

Personally, I can't wait for McGwire's first press conference as the Cardinals hitting coach. "So Big Mac, what is your plan to fix holes in your player's swings? Steroids?"

And now, for a pair of quick FJM moments from the article:

Mark McGwire has admitted taking steroids in 1998 when he broke Roger Maris' home run record.

"I wish I had never touched steroids," McGwire said in a statement. "It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.

Added McGwire: That way, I'd never have to admit using them.

Then TLR added his two cents.

Tony La Russa, the Cardinals manager who hired McGwire as hitting coach and who managed McGwire with both the A's and the Cardinals, told MLB Network he did not feel duped by his former slugger, adding, "It's not excusable, it's a mistake but the perception of Mark when he played was he's a really solid individual and a great teamamte and I think that will be restored."

La Russa said he first found out when McGwire spoke to him Monday morning.

Really? Just found out? Even though he managed the same team McGwire played for all but one season of his career? I suspect either La Russa drank so much that he forgot about all the Andro in McGwire's locker or he's flat out lying. Not McGwire or Sosa-style, but Barry Bonds-style lying. I'm sorry, alleged lying. For the record, Buzz Bissinger essentially wouldn't trust Tony La Russa to babysit his kids.

Question of the day: Will Barry Bonds continue to "O.J." his steroid usage, or will he ever come clean?

Admit it you miss Sammy Sosa

I had zero expectations for the Home Run Derby this year and amazingly I was still incredibly underwhelmed. There was no passion from the players, the crowd, or even Chris "Back Back Back" Berman himself. Yes, Nelson Cruz impressed with his pure power and Prince's gyrating belly produced some laughs, but the demonstration as a whole did not impress. If given the chance to attend the derby, I think I would have declined the invitation and stayed happily at home. Outside of the slim chance of rubbing elbows, among other things, with Alyssa Milano, there is really nothing that I would have enjoyed at the derby in Busch Stadium.

This is becoming a scary trend of boredom that baseball needs to rectify in order to compete with the hip, new-age marketing of the NFL, NBA, and even the NHL. As the younger generations are being lured more and more to other sports dues to the glamorization of athletes in the NBA and NFL, the national past-time is becoming just that. Of the past. Who is the Lebron James of the MLB? Wade? Shaq? Brady? Even Vick? Arod is probably the most recognizable face in major league baseball, but that has to do more with his hookers, unclutchiness, and purple lipstick as opposed to being a hero to the masses.

Outside of the Josh Hamilton performance, when was the last inspiring HR derby? All the good ones were all a product of steroids. Obviously that is a thing of the past, and unless they start dispensing heroin, the Hamilton story will never be repeated. Was anyone taken aback by Bobby Abreu, Miguel Tejada, Ryan Howard? I will never forget the Big Mac performance of '99. Sammy Sosa in Atlanta and Milwaukee will stay with me for eternity. Steroids were the great marketing campaign for the MLB for 2 decades, now Bud Selig will have to wake up from him 10 year nap and maybe make a commercial outside of those Boy and Girls Club ads. All-star weekend should be the main national advertisement of baseball, but instead we get a bland production featuring Chris Berman. I hope you're psyched for Joe Buck tomorrow night. I know I'm not

Question Of The Day #2

Right now, Albert Pujols has 30 home runs over the course of 78 games (265 PA). That's a home run per every 8.83 at bats, or a long ball per every 2.6 games. Extrapolating the same size, Pujols in on pace for a 550 AB season with 62+ home runs. Even with the league leading 24 IBBs (second is Adrian Gonzalez with 11), Pujols' pace this season far and away surpasses his monstrous 2006 campaign that was shortened by injury (535 PA, 49 HR). Thus, a pair of important questions that collectively make up today's QUESTION OF THE DAY are posed:

1) Will Pujols eclipse 60 home runs this season, or will pitchers be less inclined to pitch to The Machine in the second half? Will Pujols slow down or need more rest down the stretch?
2) If Prince Albert does indeed eclipse 60 home runs this season, how do we regard the single-season home run record with regard to the tainted legacies of Barry Bonds (73), Mark MwGwire (70) and Slammin' Sammy (66, 64, 63)? Do we crown Pujols the unquestioned champion or leave the records as they are, however tainted they may be.

Personally, I believe that if Pujols does achieve the 60 HR milestone, he should be crowned the true home run king, with BB, MM and SS being listed as asterisked footnotes in the Guiness Book of World Records. As much as I defend the legacies of the bulk of great players who were on roids (its not like you inject and succeed -- you still need to train your ass off; plus MVPs who can't hit 20 HRs (let alone any that eclipsed 400 FT in length) are boring), I feel that the home run title is something pure and accomplished that transcends VORP. In other words, it must be truly earned.

On a final note, the term BB is not an abbreviation for Base on Balls. It refers to Barry Bonds, who was intentionally walked 120 times in 2004 [232 BB that season]. Only three times in the history of baseball has a batter been intentionally walked more than 45 times. All three of those instances belong to Barry Bonds (the other two were 68 and 61 IBB seasons). Pujols is on pace for 51.

Bobby Crosby's Offense "McGwire-itized"

According to MLB.com, Bobby Crosby spent the winter "improving his game" by learning to hit better with none other than former Athletic Mark McGwire. Or, as Crosby puts it:

"While trying to explain the changes he'd made in both his stance and swing, [Bobby] Crosby essentially said his approach has been McGwire-itized"

Guess that mean's he's on steroids now.

[Crosby's new] stance now features a version of McGwire's distinctive crouch, the swing resembling the compact stoke that helped McGwire hit 583 home runs.

Only 528 more dingers to go!

Crosby's career ISO: .141
McGwire's career ISO: .325