Prodigal Son

We all love a good redemption story. Or at least I do. Each story symbolizes the possibility that any fallen person can be saved. And so it is with my childhood hero, Mark McGwire. When I first started blogging, one of my original posts was about my emotions after first discovering McGwire likely used steroids. It is one of my favorite posts that I have written (which is why I reference it any chance I get). And it only got worse from there - with McGwire refusing to talk about the past during a Congressional hearing (possibly because Bush refused to grant him immunity - just speculation, but interesting to think about).

But now, we have the redemption. McGwire was asked by his old friend Tony LaRussa (manager in Oakland and St. Louis) to come back as a hitting coach for the Cards. There is little doubt that McGwire will be a good hitting instructor since so many say he is a serious student of hitting mechanics. We all knew though that in order to come back, McGwire would have to talk about the past. So he did, and so he admitted to using steroids. He told Bob Costas and the world when he used and why. He seemed genuine and rightly emotional.

But so why do I feel a bit let down? Why is this not actually the prodigal son coming home? Maybe because, no matter how much sympathy I have for him (and all other players that have been thrown under the bus by the complicit owners and oblivious press), I feel like McGwire is still deluding himself and the public. I might grant him that the original reason he started using was because of his string of injuries starting around 1991. But to suggest that steroids did not help him hit home runs is just wrong. Sure, there is more to hitting home runs than strength, but it certainly requires strength to hit a lot of home runs.

So maybe this redemption story isn't as great as it could be. Maybe McGwire held a little back. Yes, I am a little less than satisfied. But I am still glad that McGwire is involved in baseball again, this time showing the world one of his great strengths - his knowledge of hitting mechanics.