"Cheaters never prosper."
We all heard this phrase from our parents, teachers and from society as a whole as we grew up. It is a nice sentiment to teach important lessons to kids as they grow. But it is dead wrong - at least in baseball.
Last night we were subjected to another tearful admission by one of baseball's great players that he did, indeed, cheat with performance enhancing drugs. Despite the media playing stupid yesterday and today, this doesn't really come as a big revelation. Most people strongly suspected (at the very least) that McGwire used a lot more than the Andro to which he previously admitted.
This doesn't really make him unique in the sport. We have already seen evidence against or admissions by many of the game's greats during the past decade. We are likely to see more information come out linking additional players to PED's (performance enhancing drugs) as time goes on. As the giants of the era are coming up for their time on the HOF ballot, this issue will continue to garner attention.
The hard fact is that PED's were a major part of the game during the 90's and 00's. If baseball decided to give me a HOF vote I would go ahead and vote in McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Clemens, ARod and the other greats of the game during that era. For better or worse, they actually achieved careers worthy of entry into the Hall. It is too hard to know who did what and what the ramifications were on their performance. I would take the numbers at face value and vote based on that.
However, I'm personally tired of the tears. If one of these athletes really wants to show that they are sorry for what they did, I have a recommendation: give it all back. Take every penny of the millions of dollars earned through cheating and give it to charity. Sell the houses and cars. Give up any endorsement contracts that still remain or give that income to charity. Get a real job that wasn't earned through an illicit (and in many cases, illegal) edge. Live like a regular person for the rest of your life - like regular people that don't cheat have to do.
Then I'll believe the remorse is real.
Otherwise these tearful admissions are just another way for these guys to feel better about themselves. There's no benefit to the fans for McGwire to come out and tell us what we already knew. I'm sure it is a big load off his shoulders, but it does nothing to change my mind about how I feel about him or his career.
The overarching lesson in baseball is this: it really is okay to cheat. Just make sure you get everything you want before you get caught.
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