Let’s Erase Any Doubt About McGwire’s Clout

He was one of his sport’s most famous athletes, involved in its most glamorous pursuit.

But when it was proven he had used anabolic steroids, he lost his world record in the 100 meters, his Olympic gold medal and his livelihood, having been suspended for two years by track and field’s governors.

As if that weren’t humiliation enough, his government made a federal case out of it, assigning a panel to examine a sports culture so perverted in Canada that athletes would not only cheat but risk permanent damage to their health in order to win.

Ten years later, Ben Johnson’s name remains synonymous with scandal.

On Sunday, the day after it was revealed by the Associated Press that Mark McGwire uses a muscle-building substance equivalent to a steroid, he hit home run No. 53 in Pittsburgh, moving closer to baseball’s most cherished record.

Although he hit the home run in the opposing team’s ballpark, fans didn’t cease cheering until he emerged from the dugout for a curtain call.

McGwire is an American hero. I have no desire to see him or his pursuit of Roger Maris’ record tainted. McGwire has broken no laws, not even baseball’s, and has hurt no one, with the possible exception of himself.

To his credit, he was honest when confronted by the AP about his use of the testosterone-producing pill, androstenedione. He had no reason not to be honest. The substance is sold over the counter and is not banned by baseball.

Should it be?

That is the real question. The International Olympic Committee, the NCAA and the NFL have placed androstenedione on their banned lists because it is believed to enhance performance and creates possible health risks. How much it contributes to either, particularly the latter, is debatable.

The problem is that major league baseball and its players union refuses to recognize there is even an issue.

Steroids are baseball’s dirty little secret.

Without extensive testing, it is impossible to determine the number of major league players who use steroids or related products, although the estimate I’ve seen most often is 30%. One agent who has represented some of the most powerful of power hitters told me last year that half the position players use them.

McGwire told the AP, “Everybody that I know in the game of baseball uses the same stuff I use.” McGwire was presumably referring to androstenedione and creatine, a muscle-building amino acid that is becoming increasingly more popular and controversial.

Yet, major league baseball has no policy specifically regarding steroids or substances, like androstenedione, that have similar effects.

Perhaps McGwire shouldn’t be the focus merely because he was the one who placed the bottle on the top shelf of his locker for everyone to see instead of hiding it, but this is a subject that should have been addressed years ago in baseball.

One reason involves ethics. If players can’t cork their bats, why should they be allowed to, in effect, cork their bodies?

I can argue either side. McGwire himself offers evidence for both. No, the pills don’t necessarily help him hit the ball. Yes, they do help him hit it farther because they allow him more quality time in the weight room.

There is no question, however, that steroids should be banned in all sports because they are potentially dangerous to athletes’ health. That was proven most recently in a Berlin courtroom, where two doctors and a coach were convicted last week for the physical harm they inflicted on East German swimmers with an institutionalized steroid program between 1978-89.

The makers of androstenedione emphasize that their substance is not classified as a steroid and was approved by the FDA. Although some experts in the field believe it is a steroid, they have no evidence that it is hazardous to health. But, they warn, there is a risk in taking anything that tampers with natural testosterone levels.

McGwire is 34, old enough to decide whether he wants to take that risk in order to be in Babe Ruth’s league.

But what about Babe Ruth Leaguers, some of whose coaches no doubt went to their local pharmacy Monday morning to buy androstenedione for their teenage McGwire wannabes?

What about minor leaguers, or major leaguers for that matter, who feel pressure to use the substance in order to keep up with the McGwires? That’s a dilemma they, like track and field athletes, shouldn’t have to face.

If he breaks Maris’ record, I don’t want to see an asterisk by McGwire’s name. But I do want to see baseball take action in the off-season to insure that when we talk about “the natural” in the future, we truly are talking about one.