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Big Mac's back in Cards' clubhouse, and the age of outrage is dead

AP file photos

Unlike many in baseball, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa clearly still looks fondly upon Mark McGwire.

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By MARTIN FENNELLY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 27, 2009

TAMPA - No one ever said anyone linked to baseball's steroids era could never work again.

I mean, what kind of Land o' Opportunity would this be if it was like that?

Still, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa deciding to return for the 2010 season was secondary news Tuesday in St. Louis.

Under the cover of darkness, or at least the impending World Series, Mark McGwire is back.

McGwire was hired by the Cardinals as hitting coach, replacing our fired old friend and former Rays skipper Hal McRae.

Big Mac replacing Clean Mac.

It just doesn't seem fair.

What's next?

Rafael Palmeiro as third base coach?

Barry Bonds as assistant commissioner?

Pete Rose as pit boss at MLB Monte Carlo Night?

Of course, McGwire deserves a chance to work in baseball.

He does.

But my problem is that the steroids era in baseball has been buried alive, even with all those questions out there, even with all those suspects never coming clean, with McGwire, who under oath told a congressional committee he wasn't there to talk about the past. That's why he hasn't come close to crashing the Hall of Fame.

Good.

But now he'll teach Cardinals batters right from wrong, at least at the plate.

The age of outrage is dead.

McGwire and his like ruined an entire generation of baseball now and forever. On Monday, La Russa talked about the man's work ethic, as if that was the only thing that made McGwire smash all those records. Who was he kidding?

But that doesn't matter anymore.

At least Alex Rodriguez came clean, or partly clean, and look at him now, the king of the world as the Yankees get set to take on the Phillies in the World Series.

David Ortiz came clean, or partly clean, and Papi is still beloved in Boston.

Manny Ramirez? All we know is that after his long suspension this season, the Dodgers rolled out the Manny Bobblehead Night as if nothing had happened.

McGwire is a different case. I think emotions are still mixed in the Midwest. He took St. Louis baseball fans, some of the best in sports, for the ride of their lives in the summer of 1998 – took all of us along, too.

I was in St. Louis a few weeks ago, and only grudgingly do Cardinals fans discuss Big Mac. He's like the black-sheep brother nobody in the family really wants to talk about.

Give La Russa credit for not shying away from it all and bringing McGwire back. La Russa, Tampa's own, has always been wound a little differently, so leave it to him to bring Mac back.

Still, it was ominous that McGwire was nowhere to be heard from at Monday's news conference, not in person, not by phone. Media couldn't get at him. Just wait until spring training. Who says there isn't life on Jupiter? We mean Jupiter, Fla., the Cardinals' spring home. The joint will be jumping come February, just you wait.

The Cardinals assured everyone Monday that McGwire will eventually speak.

But what will he say?

If Congress couldn't get this cat to talk about the past, what chance do any of us have?

But McGwire should talk about the past. The Cardinals should encourage it. Get it out of the way. Baseball should encourage it.

It won't happen, but it should.

It should happen, but it won't.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

McGwire's reap penance is that no one will ever look at him the same as they did back in '98.

My problem is that no one will look at anyone else the same either, even the players who played it straight, all tainted by men like Mac.

Be a man, big guy.

Heck, even A-Rod managed that.

Batter up.

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