AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > September > 07 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHow soon we (choose to) forget
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
It was the record everyone wanted to see broken. Remember? Or is it more convenient to forget?
On Aug. 30, 1998, Mark McGwire hit his 55th homer of that season off the Braves’ Dennis Martinez. It traveled 501 feet to dead center in the old Busch Stadium, and it gave the Cardinals the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. I was there, and the roar of the crowd when McGwire connected remains the greatest noise I’ve ever heard at a sporting event. And afterward McGwire said: “I’m going to do my best to give America what it wants.”
Eight years later, will anybody in America admit they rooted for McGwire to hit 62 that year? (Pushed by Sammy Sosa, Big Mac wound up with 70.) Will anybody admit that the issue of steroids was one we all simply chose to ignore?
Today we act righteously indignant and say things like, “You know, Ryan Howard just might break the REAL home run record.” As if 61 remains the untainted benchmark. As if McGwire and Sosa — and Barry Bonds, who bettered both with 73 in 2001 — were figments of the collective imagination. As if Sports Illustrated never dressed McGwire and Sosa in togas and laurel wreaths in naming the two co-Sportsmen of the Year.
Today we try not to think of Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy at all, and it’s not that hard to do. The two have dropped from sight, de facto fugitives from their own accomplishments. (Bonds remains in full view, but Bonds has always been a contrary cuss.) And we the people try to act as if we knew, or at least suspected, that the big hitters were juiced and their feats bogus from the start, but the cold truth is that, in the golden summer of ‘98 when the balls were flying over distant fences, we didn’t care what propelled them.
Eight years ago, we wanted desperately to see someone hit 62. Eight years after two men went above and beyond that famous number, we seek to deny their existence. We the people are a fickle lot.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Mark Bradley, Quick Hit
Comments
By Vol Fan007
September 7, 2006 12:26 PM | Link to this
Who’s to say that howard isn’t on the juice. Just because he’s playing post 1998 doesn’t mean anything. I mean look at him. Compare his body style and Maris’. Big difference there
By Chris Bell
September 7, 2006 01:08 PM | Link to this
Years ago, a washed up American left the MLB and went to Japan where he was a giant among men. The Japanese respected his hitting ability as he began breaking records, but they were disgusted with his attitude and arrogance. Eventually, the hitter was one home run away from breaking the HR record set by a revered Japanese player. At bat that day, the opposing team intentionally walked him even though there was no one on base. They continued to walk him throughout the game. Later on, he was even walked with the bases loaded.
The other teams got the message and the player was walked for the rest of his career. He never broke the record.
A myth? Maybe. But oe with a point.
By Moore Cowbell
September 8, 2006 09:42 AM | Link to this
Bradley-
Please spare me your sanctimonious attitude. “We the people are a fickle lot.” How profound. How could you have come to such an enlightened conclusion? Because we are upset with the Braves performance this season after winning the division 14 straight seasons in a row? Is it because we think Mike Vick might be over-rated since the Falcons went 8-8 last year? Is it because we question if Tiger will ever win another major after he went through a year and half dry spell? Is it because the cheers turned to jeers for Kobe Bryant when he was accused of rape?
Please give me a break. Circumstances change, information previously unknown comes to light, what you thought you knew no longer holds true. Fans are by their definition FANATICS and fanaticism is fueled by emotion and fervor. It rarely has anything to do with cognitive reason. Mark, you and the media fuel 80% of the fanfare, the drama, the speculation, the unreasoned hysteria surrounding the indiviuals and the accomplishments/transgressions they are invlolved with. Be they atletes, politicians or celebrities, you and the media cling to them like bloodthirsty ticks hoping that somehow the fame those people possess might somehow leach its way into your parasitic flesh.
We chose to ignore that MCguire and Sosa might have been on steroids? How enlightening. You call us fickle, I seem to remember you and the rest of your brood used “juiced” a lot back during the late ’90s except you guys were referring to the ball. Not the Black Angus modeled atletes hitting the ball.
“Journalist”, heal thy self.
By Moore Cowbell
September 8, 2006 09:43 AM | Link to this
Bradley-
Please spare me your sanctimonious attitude. “We the people are a fickle lot.” How profound. How could you have come to such an enlightened conclusion? Because we are upset with the Braves performance this season after winning the division 14 straight seasons in a row? Is it because we think Mike Vick might be over-rated since the Falcons went 8-8 last year? Is it because we question if Tiger will ever win another major after he went through a year and half dry spell? Is it because the cheers turned to jeers for Kobe Bryant when he was accused of rape?
Please give me a break. Circumstances change, information previously unknown comes to light, what you thought you knew no longer holds true. Fans are by their definition FANATICS and fanaticism is fueled by emotion and fervor. It rarely has anything to do with cognitive reason. Mark, you and the media fuel 80% of the fanfare, the drama, the speculation, the unreasoned hysteria surrounding the indiviuals and the accomplishments/transgressions they are invlolved with. Be they atletes, politicians or celebrities, you and the media cling to them like bloodthirsty ticks hoping that somehow the fame those people possess might somehow leach its way into your parasitic flesh.
We chose to ignore that MCguire and Sosa might have been on steroids? How enlightening. You call us fickle, I seem to remember you and the rest of your brood used “juiced” a lot back during the late ’90s except you guys were referring to the ball. Not the Black Angus modeled atletes hitting the ball.
“Journalist”, heal thy self.
By Rob Hicks
September 8, 2006 09:54 AM | Link to this
I don’t think Howard is juicing. His head size isn’t “all swoll” as they say. I think he’s a talented kid and that’s all. As for Pujols, I can’t make that same statement.
Bonds may not be using the “cream” or the “clear” but he is forever tainted. Please don’t give me that “well they weren’t illegal in the 90’s” crap. They were a schedule III drug during the first George Bush’s years (that’s the same class as heroin folks). Just because they weren’t banned by baseball doesn’t mean they were not illegal. No sane person will deny Baroids was taking them.
By Sean T. O'Brien
September 8, 2006 11:19 AM | Link to this
Sanctimonious indeed. Who the devil are you to decide we have forgotten Mac or Sosa? As you say they both retired and have been hidden away since. What are the fans supposed to do, stop paying attention to what is happening today and flood the blogisphere with posts about the past?
Mac made no secret that he used a ‘steriod’ that was at the time ‘legal’ under the baseball rules. He kept the bottle of pills in his locker where everyone could see it — and did, hence me knowing about it.
Also, I don’t care if Bonds was juiced. I never liked him or his haughty attitude. The Mac-Sosa season was great, but that was eight years ago. As you say, the record has fallen again since then. There are new topics to discuss. Have Big Mac show up at a few Cards games to wave at the crowd and we’ll stand, cheer and honor him. Until then don’t expect the public discourse to center on nearly decade-old daring do.
Life and sports moves on. Please don’t presume to decide how we remember or honor the past.
By Lamar Cook
September 8, 2006 11:38 AM | Link to this
Off the subject, but why ain’t Bobby Dews in the Georgia Hall of fame. Please tell me I am not searching the Hall’s web site correctly.
Lamar Cook
By Doc Dawg
September 8, 2006 11:39 AM | Link to this
The Missouri state legislature just voted to rename that section of I-90 from the Mark McGwire Highway to the Integrity Bypass.
By Cee G
September 8, 2006 03:09 PM | Link to this
I truly feel that this is one of the most overblown sports stories ever, and that baseball covertly pushes this story to remain front page news! One other interesting note on this is that the pitchers’ are somehow absolved of all this steroid talk. One pitcher was already busted earlier & who knows how many more “juiced” pitchers may be or have been out there! Based on that it seems that if the pitchers are juiced & the batters are juiced, doesn’t one wash out the other?