My take on Mark McGwire

I made some notes on the Costas-McGwire interview.

McGwire got all emotional and cried several times.

He admitted to taking steroids but not for the purpose of cheating.

Although not as bad as Peter Gammons (Melissa Rivers asks tougher questions than the ones Gammons posed to Alex Rodriguez in a similar interview last year), Bob Costas didn’t hold McGwire’s feet to the fire. He didn’t really cross-examine him.

McGwire stated that he’s wanted to come clean for five years now.

McGwire couldn’t be more contrite and apologetic.

These were notes I took BEFORE the interview.

It was that predictable. And boring. Halfway through I thought, why don’t I just pop in my DVD of FROST/NIXON? At least that was somewhat entertaining and the acting was convincing. This was just an orchestrated damage control charade. Tom Hanks’ line in LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN was wrong. “There is nothing BUT crying in baseball.”

Poor Mark McGwire. Your heart has to go out to a guy who broke baseball’s most cherished record under false pretenses. He had to live with his guilt for five whole years. If he was so tortured by this why did he wait five years to come clean? Was it his conscience, his realization that he owed the world the truth? No. It’s because he accepted a job as the St. Louis Cardinals’ hitting coach and knew he would have to face the media.

So who gives a shit that he’s crying on MLB.TV? I’d rather they show a replay of the 1969 World Series or a winter league game from Venezuela.

McGwire cheated, knew he cheated, on the advice of his handlers denied that he cheated, and now wants forgiveness so he can get back in the game he disrespected and not have to play golf under an assumed name.

I’ll forgive him when Roger Maris does.

How ironic and sad that the only person who seems to be telling the truth in this whole steroid debacle is Jose Canseco.

AMERICAN IDOL review late tonight. I expect fewer tears than the McGwire interview.