Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
January 21, 2010, Washington Post

The Score: Mark McGwire cheated himself and baseball

I remember the day as if it were yesterday. It was the fall of 1998. I was sitting in the stands at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School watching my son and two teams of 14-year-olds play a baseball game. The small aluminum bleachers around the park were filled with parents and kids.

One father who was late for the game rushed up to the stands. He breathlessly announced to everyone, "McGwire just hit another one!"

Immediately, everyone at the game began to talk excitedly. That summer, Mark McGwire of the St. Louis Cardinals and Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs had electrified sports fans everywhere with their race for the single-season home run record. McGwire ended that season with 70 home runs, breaking the previous record of 61, set by Roger Maris in 1961.

I thought of that afternoon when McGwire admitted last week that he had taken steroids during long periods of his baseball career, including that record-breaking season. Steroids are substances that can make athletes stronger and able to hit the ball farther. But steroids are also dangerous and against the rules. McGwire clearly cheated when he took steroids.

I am glad that McGwire finally told the truth. It must be hard to live with a lie that big. McGwire also told his son, his parents and even Maris's widow that he cheated. That must have been really hard.

But now baseball fans have questions:

-- Should McGwire be allowed in the Hall of Fame?

-- Should his 583 career home runs or 70 home runs in 1998 stay in the record books?

-- Would McGwire's teams have made it to the playoffs and the World Series if he hadn't used steroids?

Sports fans love to watch two evenly matched teams in a close game when they are battling hard and fair. It's fun to root for your favorite team in a game like that. Later, it's fun to remember the great games and players and talk about them with our family and friends.

But what fun is it to remember a player or team that breaks the rules? Why would anyone care about a cheater?

So now when I think back on that sunny fall afternoon when everyone at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was talking about McGwire and baseball, I am sad.

I realize that McGwire did not just take steroids, he took a great sports memory.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's sports opinion column and is the author of such kids' books as "Touchdown Trouble" and "Soccer Team Upset."

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