Give Mac a Break

Jason Michael Barker

I'm upset. Outraged, in fact. It seems that slugger Mark McGwire has been using androstenedione, a testosterone producer, for the past year or so. It builds lean muscle mass and promotes recovery after injury. Did I mention that it's been banned by the NFL, the International Olympic Committee, and the NCAA? This isn't the part that's really pissing me off, however.

Would you like to know what really gets me about this whole thing? It's that people are actually criticizing Big Mac for using it, even though there's nothing that says he can't.

This isn't a moral issue, an issue of McGwire "cheating" the game of baseball. "Andro," as the drug is commonly known, is perfectly legal in baseball. Whether or not MLB should ban the substance is another matter, but until it does, I've got no problem with him using it.

The only reason this story ever broke is McGwire's pursuit of the Roger Maris home run record. If McGwire were an average everyday player who hit 15 or 20 homers a season, we never would have heard about this in the first place. Still, there are those who believe his performance this season is somehow tainted. Many of these same people go so far as to think that if he does break the home run record there should be an asterisk next to his season total. Hogwash.

Do you really think that McGwire has improved that much thanks to androstenedione? Remember, this is the same player who hit 49 home runs as a rookie back in 1987, 52 in 1996, and 58 last season, not to mention the 39 he hit in just 104 games in 1995. He is a big strong man, standing six feet five inches tall, and weighing around 250 pounds, and he's been that size for awhile. It's not as if he suddenly put on 30 pounds of muscle this season, or doubled his previous season's home run total.

Some of McGwire's new detractors argue that it isn't fair that he uses the product because Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as well as countless others who have pursued the record weren't using it, or didn't have the opportunity to. That's true, but did old-time players have the benefit of 162 games? Did they have nutritionists to tell them that carbohydrates are more important than a steak? Were they able to bulk up using sophisticated Nautilus machines? Was there anyone to warn them about the dangers of smoking? Did they play in homer-friendly stadiums such as Coors Field? The answer to all these questions is of course, "no," and that's just the way it is.

Baseball has changed in the past 100 years, for better or worse. It may not be fair to compare modern records and achievements with those attained in the days of yesteryear, but until someone figures out a way for the 1927 Yankees to play today's version, statistics are all we've got to compare them.

But enough defending McGwire's performance on the field, because there's a more important issue here, that of his choice to use androstenedione. Quite frankly, not much is known about the supplement, although I expect that to change in light of all the recent press given to it. Some doctors say it's an anabolic steroid; others don't agree.

McGwire himself says he trusts his nutritionists not to give him something that's potentially harmful, despite the fact that there isn't enough evidence to decide either way, and despite the fact that it hasn't been around long enough for anyone to have studied the long-term effects of taking it. It's important to consider that anabolic steroids weren't considered dangerous until they became commonplace in professional sports and people became aware of the risks associated with them.

In conclusion: Is there any baseball-related reason McGwire shouldn't take androstenedione? No. Are there health reasons? You bet. Should baseball ban it? Until there's more research, you're darn right they should. Of course, devising even a general drug policy might be a good start...

Jason Michael Barker has plans to open a chain of coffee shops in each major league city by the year 2000. Pre-order your triple tall, no foam, nonfat, two raw sugar hazelnut latte (not too hot!) at jmb@strikethree.com, or feel free to show up unannounced for drip coffee and a scone.