Mark McGwire has come out and admitted the one thing everyone knew about him – that he took performance-enhancing drugs. Of course, as has been his wont since his retirement from baseball, McGwire did so in a cowardly and milquetoast manner.

“I was given a gift to hit home runs,” said McGwire, who is attempting to return to baseball as a hitting instructor for the St. Louis Cardinals. “I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes.”

More than three years ago, I penned a message to McGwire at WorldGolf.com:

“People adored you because you had an integrity when you played the game, Mark. But that integrity seems to be gone. Perhaps it’s a side effect. Because now you just don’t seem to care. Be honest with us all, Mark, ” I wrote.

But when McGwire did finally admit to his lies, he failed in the most dramatic of ways. PEDs help athletes. It’s that simple.

For McGwire, it’s just another step in his transition from “All-American Hero” to “Coward.”

–WKW

Crossposted at William K. Wolfrum Chronicles