McGwire & the Dopeman

In 1987, I was an eleven year old boy growing up in the Bay Area watching Mark McGwire play for the Oakland A’s. That year he hit 49 home runs and won Rookie of the Year. One year later, my room had two posters of his teammate Jose Canseco, the first player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases. Almost 20 years later, I am in my house watching the Bob Costas' interview with Mark McGwire admitting that he used steroids.
McGwire reports that he didn’t use steroids during his rookie season and that he first used steroids for health purposes. Then comes the question that makes my internal lie detector go off. Costas points out that’s all fine and great, but that the performance enhancing aspects must have become evident. McGwire goes on to deny that he saw any evidence that the steroids had any performance enhancing aspects and avoids answering if steroids made him stronger. He insists he took the steroids for “health purposes.” He goes on to label himself the “walking mash unit.” Let me put some emphasis on this: The Walking Mash Unit.
Costas, ever the baseball historian, gives him some pretty, clear, undeniable evidence of the impact of steroids in baseball. “During the stretch from ‘85-‘94 there were 21 players who hit forty home runs. From ’95-‘03 there were 104 players who hit forty home runs.” McGwire attributes his increase in home runs to better technique. Costas goes on and asks McGwire to explain how Bonds averaged a home run every 15 at bats before 2001 and then in 2001 averages a home run every 6.5 at bats. Then Costas has a brilliant quote, almost flabergasted, “something was happening.”
Something was happening. It was then that McGwire told Costas that he wishes that “we had drug testing. You and I wouldn’t be having this conversation.” For me, it felt like the first truthful thing he said in the conversation.
The point is this: the McGwire story is a distraction from THE question: why wasn’t there drug testing? That is the only question that matters. It is the only question of importance. And if you have the answer for that one, all of this other crap means nothing. The answer is of course, the reoccurring, drumroll, please: mo’ money, mo’ money. And look no further than the dopeman himself: “Don” Bud “Dopeman” Selig, aka the Commish.

Bud “Dopeman” Selig’s contract is currently set to expire at the end of 2012 at which time it is reported he plans on retiring. Selig took over the position in 1992 as the acting commissioner, becoming the official commissioner of baseball in 1998. According to an article by Andrew Bagnato of sfgate.com, revenue increased by almost 5 billion dollars, between ’92 and ’07. If you want to know the reason Selig is still the commissioner- that is the reason.
When did Selig know about steroids being used in baseball? According to Greg Stejskal, a retired FBI agent, reports that he shared the results of their investigation that “led to more than 70 steroid-related convictions” to MLB’s security boss, Kevin Hallinan in 1994. Stejskal confirmed that in their investigation both Canseco and McGwire were identified. Asked in the last week when Selig had found out about McGwire’s steroid use he reported “beforehand, but not by much.” Sixteen years seems like it should qualify as “much.”
The NFL began testing for steroids in 1987. In 1994, when Stejskal shared this information with MLB there was no “drug testing program at the time.” According to MLB.com’s own article on MLB’s drug policy in 1998, the year McGwire hit 70 home runs: “A jar of androstenedione is discovered in the locker of St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire, …McGwire admits he uses the steroids precursor …Using steroids, precursors or performance-enhancing drugs is not illegal at that point in Major League Baseball.” The timeline goes on to say that in 2001, MLB implements random drug testing (steroid, performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), and drugs of abuse (marijuana, cocaine) for the minor leagues. In 2002, it states that no MLB player can be tested without probable cause. At this same time, it was public knowledge that Ken Caminiti admitted to Sports Illustrated that he used steroids during in NL-MVP season in 1996.
In March of 2003, all MLB players all MLB players are subject to be tested once during the season. After the season it was announced that 5-7 percent of those tested returned positive. According to the article, “Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement that he was pleased to learn ‘that there is not widespread steroid use in baseball.’” Six years later, a report surfaces that AL-MVP Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids. Soon after, Rodriguez confirms that he was using steroids between 2001-2003.
It appears that it wasn’t until Congress became involved that MLB began to reform, tighten their permissive drug policy. In this case, the cliché it takes an act of Congress to get something done is dead on.
On January 11th, 2010, the Dopeman declared that “the so called steroid era is clearly a thing of the past…” and reports that in 2009 there were two positive tests for banned substances out of 3,722. According to a New York Times article, Michael Schmidt interviewed Travis Tygart, head of the US anti doping agency: “He said that? “If so, it sounds like the same stick-your-head-in-the-sand approach that led to this whole mess. I find it hard to believe that is what he said.” According to Jay Marrioti of the Chicago Sun-Times, there were 108 exemptions who supposedly were diagnosed with attention deficit disorder; therefore, ok’d by MLB to use amphetamines. (Off Subject: I am not sure how amphetamines would classify as a PED. It sounds like the Robin Williams skit on the snowboarder who lost his gold medal because he tested positive for marijuana and the Olympic committee classified pot as a PED.) Marrioti did the math and figured that while it is estimated that 4.5 percent of the American society has ADD, 9 percent of major leaguers have ADD. In addition, MLB does not even test for human growth hormone (HGH.)
With all the debate about whether McGwire, Bonds, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Clemons should be in the Hall of Fame (and most pundits agree that any player to have used PEDs shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame) there is very little discussion about the man in charge of the league when this was allowed to happen. The lesson here is, I guess, if you can increase profits by 5 billion dollars you can do whatever you want.