McGwire: You Can't Prove Anything
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Harold Friend (Lou Gehrig)
Mark McGwire has had two careers. The first was good, the second was great, but some individuals question if he had help with his second career, the one in which he hit so many home runs in such a short time.
In 1998, as McGwire was on his way to hitting a record setting 70 home runs, a reporter discovered a bottle of androstenedione in his locker. McGwire never tried to hide the fact that he used the supplement, which was legal and has NEVER been illegal, but which is banned by the International Olympic Committee, the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a performance-enhancing and potentially harmful drug. The National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and of greatest significance, Major League Baseball have not outlawed its use. The results of an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players' Association was released on December 12, 2006.
Dr. Joel Finkelstein and Dr. Benjamin Leder of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, in a study whose sample consisted of 42 healthy males aged between 20 and 40, discovered that males who ingested 300mg of androstenedione for seven consecutive days had increased testosterone levels. Testosterone levels returned to normal after not taking the supplement for one day. Study subjects taking 100mg of androstenedione did not have increased testosterone levels.
Androstenedione is a precursor to testosterone, the hormone which produces secondary male characteristics and which affects muscle size and strength.. Finkelstein and Leder found "'no significant adverse effects of androstenedione. but warned that long term use could be hazardous, particularly in women or children. It is not androstenedione but rather the high levels of testosterone it can produce that might be responsible for acne, baldness, or heart problems.
Baseball Commissioner Al "Bud" Selig said that his sport is concerned about androstenedione use and that he supports further research. Major League Baseball has no intention of altering its position on the legality of the use of the supplement. Players are allowed to use it.
Some individuals believe that androstenedione helped McGwire, but it has NOT been established if it helps a player to hit home runs. Some medical practitioners believe that it helps a player to avoid injuries and return from injuries faster, but beliefs are not scientific evidence. Major League Baseball is funding another study in an attempt to discover if the levels of testosterone ingested by participants in the first study are sufficient to produce enhanced performance.
Now step back for a second. Mark McGwire took androstenedione. It is legal. It is allowed by Major League Baseball. It will be allowed by Major League Baseball in the future. There is no reason that Mark McGwire should be castigated or penalized for taking androstenedione.
Maybe the supplement does help a player to avoid injuries and maybe it does help a player to return from injuries faster. So what. Doesn't following an exercise regiment the way many athletes do help to avoid injuries and help players return from injuries sooner?
Ingesting a legal substance to increase one's strength and stamina is no different from following an exercise regimen to accomplish that goal. Our society has been indoctrinated to believe that some methods of improving one's self are acceptable while others are not, and that some substances should be allowed while others should not.
Roger Clemens exercises. That is acceptable because he is working. He is "paying a price" his strength and stamina. You know, the old American work ethic. Mark McGwire takes a supplement, which is a lot easier than exercising for three hours (however, McGwire did work out extensively). Exercise and you work. That is good. Take a pill and you are taking the easy way out. That is bad.
The leaders of our society, the health "experts," and certain financial interests conclude that some substances are bad for you. Don't use them or you will pay the price. If you play for the National Football League, you'd better not get caught taking androstenedione, but if you have to treat osteoarthritis symptoms (not the cause---the symptoms), you were allowed to take Vioxx, at least until it was recalled.
This past season Jason Giambi received a number of cortisone injections to help his sore right shoulder. Players have been using cortisone for decades. Cortisone is a steroid. It is an inactive precursor to cortisol, which is the active substance. Cortisone elevates blood pressure, prepares the body for the "fight or flight" response, and it suppresses the immune system, which helps to explain why there is a high correlation between stress and illness, especially circulatory system problems. So here, we have a proven, serious side effect of a steroid drug, cortisone, but it can be used. Do you think Jason and the Yankees thought that cortisone might help enhance Jason's performance?
The fact that Mark McGwire was uncooperative when he testified before the House Government Reform Committee has nothing to do with androstenedione. When asked by St. Louis congressman William Clay if he could assure fans he had played with honesty and integrity, McGwire replied, "I'm not going to go into the past or talk about my past.."
McGwire also refused to discuss Jose Canseco's allegations that he used steroids, stating that the source of the allegations must be considered. Canseco had requested immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony but was refused, which must raise questions about the House Government Reform Committee's goals. Interestingly, in his book, Jose accused Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro of steroid use. We all know what happened to Rafael.
Layers of problems exist. Some supplements and steroids are legal. Some are legal but banned in certain sports. Some are illegal. There is a lack of consistency, a tremendous amount of money involved in selling sports and drugs, and an unwillingness of many to cooperate.
Mark McGwire must be judged on his entire career. Based only on his record and any intangibles he may have possessed, he is a borderline Hall of Famer, a position that can and should be argued, but basing one's decision on inference is dangerous. Yes, one can easily infer that Mark McGwire used steroids, but as one can learn from the old rock and roll song, "Silhouettes," by the Rays, you might infer that two silhouettes on the shade were one's girl friend with another man, but you might discover that you were on the wrong block.
References
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9F0CE2D8153EF93AA35751C0A9669C8B63
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortisone
- http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/17/steroids.baseball/
- http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2389391
- http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_rays/silhouettes.html
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