Left field

UPDATE: Does Big Mac belong in the Hall of Fame?

In a statement sent to various news outlets on Monday Mark McGwire finally admitted what many had already suspected.

“I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize,” McGwire said in the release.  “I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.”

McGwire said his decision to talk about his steroid use was prompted by his new position as St. Louis’ hitting coach.

McGwire said he feels he has an obligation to talk about this part of his career and answer questions.

Not what McGwire has apologized and is willing to talk about his transgressions, does this change his HOF chances or does this solidify his place as nothing more than a cheat who has no place in Cooperstown?

Original post: Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Frank Robinson. That’s it, the complete list of players who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame (HOF) that have more career home runs than Mark McGwire, after he again fell short in this, his fourth year of eligibility. McGwire received only 23.7 percent of the vote, well shy of the 75 percent needed for Hall entry.

The Lasting Hangover of Baseball’s Steroid Era

Today’s report by the New York Times revealed David Ortiz to be the latest in an ever-growing list of Major League Baseball players guilty of using illegal performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). Ortiz’s name is now included on what has become an overhyped and mysterious list of names that tested positive back in 2003, before mandatory testing was put into place.

It was confirmed that Ortiz’s 2003 Boston Red Sox teammate Manny Ramirez is also present on the list, confirming lingering suspicion surrounding him ever since Ramirez was suspended 50 games this season for using an estrogen-based drug that acts as a masking agent for PEDs.

The testing in 2003 was agreed to by the MLB Player’s Union in order to determine if mandatory testing (and thus punishments) would be incorporated the following year. Players were aware this testing would occur and were under the impression that the results would remain confidential. Years have passed, but some of the 100 names continue to leak to the media. Many have argued that each leak prevents the sport from healing and that all names on the list should be released once and for all, even despite the confidentiality given to the results.