Coming clean.

Not sure if you heard the news, but Mark McGwire recently came clean about his use of steroids during his professional baseball career.

We all knew he did it. So why does the admission matter?

Well, the short answer is that the guy is trying to get into Baseball’s Hall of Fame and missed election again this year, going 0-for-4.

So much like Michael Vick’s ‘apology’ after getting caught, I see McGwire’s ‘seemingly sincere apology’ as nothing more than a PR-ploy.

McGwire, seeing his chance to make some money/stay relevant begin to fade, simply did what he had to do.

He lied. Again.

I doubt that McGwire is sincerely sorry about using steroids. (If he really was sorry, wouldn’t he have stopped using or admitted it sooner?)

However, I have no doubt that he’s sorry he got caught.

So why babble-on about it?

Simply, the guy put-up monster numbers while he was juiced. Without question, he was an exciting player to watch. And like it or not, his record-breaking pursuit of the single-season home run record did help bring Major League Baseball back from the brink after the strike of the early ‘90s. He was also elected to the All-Star team 12 times. That brief list didn’t do his career justice, as it is an impressive resume and one worthy of HOF discussion. However, the HOF also takes off-the-field actions into account as well. Just ask Pete Rose.

*I’ll note that McGwire wasn’t the only steroid-user to don a cap during his career. But he did lie, when he had the chance to come clean. And in doing so, has undoubtedly hurt his HOF chances.

So the major argument(s) for McGwire being admitted to the HOF is that juiced or not, he accomplished some unheard of feats. And he did so in a league where steroid use was rampant. Basically, he wasn’t the only one doing it and he was the best of those who were. So why penalize him alone and not the others who have yet to be caught?

To which I respond: What if I pose the same question to a different scenario—

Pablo Escobar wasn’t the only cartel boss in Central America, so why should he have been unfairly targeted for scrutiny by the government?

Some may think that is overly dramatic. But the logic is sound.

A fundamental principle was violated when McGwire took steroids. Whether there was a rule against using/testing for steroids is irrelevant. If in his mind, McGwire did nothing wrong, then why deny the actions until now?

The answer is simple -- Because he knew he was in the wrong.

McGwire is a cheater.

There is no lower form of athlete than a liar and a cheat.

And McGwire is both.

Both Escobar and McGwire were among the best at what they did. But, they attained such heights by employing illegal and immoral tactics and had no problem accepting the accolades as they were doled-out.

If you are bold enough to cheat, you should be man enough to accept the punishment.

But then again, if you are bold enough to cheat, you aren’t much of a man at all.

The Hall of Fame is for great men, and Mark McGwire is obviously neither.