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That was then...
I don’t know what else there is to say about McGwire. Some, like Joe Posnanski (twice) and my literary hero, Tony Kornheiser, are more forgiving. Mr. Tony spoke about the “confessions of Mark McGwire” on both Pardon the Interruption and his eponymous radio program on ESPN 980 in DC. Others, like Ken Rosenthal, are much less so. The anti-McGwire faction parses through his interview with Bob Costas on the MLB Network yesterday, pointing to the flaws, complaining about the timing, the self-delusions, and myriad items.The New York Times published this article that runs through many of the commentaries.
When McGwire broke the record in 1998, publisher were running over themselves in an effort to get books to the stores, because not only did he obliterate the record, he and Sammy Sosa saved the game of baseball. And not just adults; the kids lit department was overflowing with books denoting his heroism.More recently Dale Tafoya’s Bash Brothers: A Legacy subpoenaed and Jose Canseco’s “writings” have turned the worm. And now we have Mark’s own brother, jay, trying to make a buck of his sibling. Oh, the humanity!
There’s a lot of talk about removing the records on Bonds, Sosa, Palmeiro, Bonds, Clemens, et al. I’m not sure how you could do that. A) You ‘d have to be absolutely certain that the player juiced. B) I’m not math major, but how can you do that without having a domino affect on other numbers. If Bonds hit a game-winning home run, wouldn’t you have to take away the win? If it affected the pennant race, would the teams in the post-season have to be altered? Wouldn’t opposing pitchers’ stats have to be adjusted? Where does it stop?
Herewith a very brief look at the Mark McGwire library (sans children’s books).
The Ball: Mark McGwire’s Home Run Ball and the Marketing of the American Dream ,by Daniel Paisner
(Read a sample chapter here.) |
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Mark McGwire: Home Run Hero , by Rob Rains |
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Home Run: Mark McGwire and The Year the Records Fell , by Bernie Miklasz |
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| Home Run: Mark McGwire and The Year the Records Fell, by the Editors of the Associated Press |
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Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed , by Dale Tafoya |
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Mark and Me: Mark Mcgwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-kept Secret , by Jay McGwire |
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This is now.
is available on Amazon.com,
{ 2 comments }
Ron – you are right about the records, they cannot be deleted without making a mockery of baseball’s “double entry” record keeping system. Forget it.
I am so tired of all of this stuff, and have no illusions that many, many more used some of this stuff, and don’t really care if I ever find out who did or didn’t.
Athletes cheat – this is not a news flash. And while I guess the testing will keep some of them from doing so, I don’t think anyone should be under any illusions that it will stop them all.
Ron – you are right about the records, they cannot be deleted without making a mockery of baseball’s “double entry” record keeping system. Forget it.
I am so tired of all of this stuff, and have no illusions that many, many more used some of this stuff, and don’t really care if I ever find out who did or didn’t.
Athletes cheat – this is not a news flash. And while I guess the testing will keep some of them from doing so, I don’t think anyone should be under any illusions that it will stop them all.
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