McGwire Breaks Silence But Refuses To Comment On Testimony

Mark McGwire Declines To Discuss Steroids In Return To Busch Stadium

In his first public comments since testifying before Congress at a steroid hearing in March, former MLBer Mark McGwire “did not elaborate on his congressional appearance in which he repeatedly sidestepped questions about whether he had first-hand knowledge of steroid abuse in the game,” according to Joe Strauss of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. McGwire, who was at Busch Stadium Friday for a celebration of the final weekend at the ballpark, said his statements at the hearing would be “the last time I’m going to ever talk about it.” McGwire: “I’ve moved on from [it] and I wish the media would. It’s pretty simple. I made my statement in [DC].” McGwire later said, “I miss the game of baseball. And I can’t wait for someday when somebody offers me a fantastic job to get back in baseball.” Strauss noted McGwire gave a pregame interview “devoid of steroid talk” to Cardinals radio analyst Mike Shannon. FSN Midwest “expected to interview McGwire in its TV broadcast booth during Friday’s game,” but Fox sources said that they had “been instructed that questions about steroids and the March hearings were off limits,” which “led to a discussion at FSN over how to handle the situation.” But FSN Midwest GM Jack Donovan said, “He decided to sit with his family, so we never had to make any decision” (ST. LOUIS POST DISPATCH, 10/1).

REAX: When asked about McGwire, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said, “This is a day of celebration. ... That’s the only comment I’m going to make on that subject.” Meanwhile, Selig said he has not heard from the MLBPA since the most recent Congressional hearing in DC last week (MLB.com, 10/2). In Houston, Jose de Jesus Ortiz wrote, “Shame on the Cardinals, and shame on [MLB] for letting the Cardinals parade a fraud before the Busch Stadium public the same week ... Selig continued to press hard against the drug enablers in the players’ union” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/2).

LEFT OFF: The AP reported McGwire was left off the All-Time Busch Stadium Team by fans who instead voted for current Cardinal Albert Pujols at 1B (AP, 10/1).