Further Review: Feeling sorry for Mark McGwire?

Call this an ode to the forgotten victims. Of course there was Roger Maris whose record still hasn't been broken legitimately, but how about the Maris family. They bought it too, traveled around the country for a week waiting for the record to fall. They said Mac was a fitting man to break their dad’s record. How foolish must they feel?

Of course there is everyone who did it by the book during the 80's and 90's because we all assume they all were doing it too. Cal Ripken’s 2,632 games; did he need some help to stay in the lineup? Ken Griffey Junior wasn't a very big guy, yet he hit 56 homers two years in a row.

And pitchers; Randy Johnson threw awful hard for an awful long time. Don't we all wonder just a little bit? It's not fair, but it's reality. But they are not victims of Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez. They are victims of Bud Selig and the owners and the players union.

All in some way were responsible for protecting the game and its players yet they all knew that this stuff was going on and did nothing about it until they had to. That's why it's so damaging, and so embarrassing.

But when the money and the attendance grows, no one cares if the biceps go along for the ride. We look the other way because there's money to be made and there's hero status to be attained.

And since we're not going back to the days when athletes made the same as accountants, I’m convinced that there will be another performance enhancing drug epidemic in pro sports. But I’m not convinced that we will care.

Tags: further review, steve hallstrom, sports, baseball, national