Oh, Mark Mcgwire. You did steroids, you say? I guess you just figured that it was your turn to come clean. Do you have a book coming out or something? What about that tearful speech in front of the Grand Jury where you said you had no knowledge of steroid usage in baseball? You claim that taking steroids is your biggest regret, but I find that hard to believe. How could your greatest regret be the one thing that made you who you are?
Steroids made you into the giant red-hair lumberjack, swinging what appeared to be whole trees in your pursuit of Roger Maris’ record. You beat his record of 61 homeruns when you walloped 70 in ’98. Did you think it was time for even more juice when Barry Bonds magically broke your record three years later? What about your old pal Jose Canseco? You and many others said that he was full of crap when he talked about all the players he knew who openly used steroids, but it appears that everything he has said has been proven right.
Should we feel bad for you for having to carry this burden of perfection? Obviously, you were always a great ball player, but you knew that performance enhancers could propel you into elite status. What would your career have been like if you never juiced? Clearly, your numbers wouldn’t be the same, but at least you’d still have your morals. But, it’s not your fault, right? Everyone was doing it.
NBA: Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty to felony gun possession this week, but he will have to wait until March to find out if he’ll be sentenced to prison time. He is expected to be given six months due to the fact that this was his first big offense, but the judge could give him up to five years if he feels fit. Personally, this whole story is extremely strange to me. This is one of the oddest sports stories I’ve ever heard. This has to make you wonder how many professional athletes carry guns with them everywhere they go and how many keep guns in the locker room. Plus, how was it that nobody in the coaching staff noticed that Arenas had a gun in his locker? What did he need protection from, a full court press?
NFL: The wildcard round of the playoffs was last weekend. The Jets beat the Bengals 24-14, the Cowboys stomped the Eagles 34-14, the Ravens destroyed the Patriots 33-14 and the Cardinals beat the packers (in the most exciting playoff game in years) 51-45 in OT. Saturday, the Cards take on the Saints at 4:30 EST on FOX and the Ravens play the Colts at 8:15 EST on CBS. Sunday, The Cowboys tangle with the Vikes at 1:00 EST on FOX and the Jets take on the Chargers at 4:40 EST on CBS.
National Lacrosse League: The NLL opened its regular season last weekend. Orlando opened the weekend on Friday night as they beat Philadelphia 13-8. Rochester took out Buffalo 10-5. John Grant had 2 goals and 6 assists and goalie Pat O’toole stopped 42 of the 47 shots he faced. Washington beat Colorado 17-8, Toronto spanked Boston 17-7 and Calgary beat Minnesota 12-7. Check out the article I wrote for nllinsider.com about last week’s Rochester/Buffalo game:
The odd: I acquired a strange article of clothing the other day: an Armani suit that formerly belonged to Mark Wahlberg. No, I didn’t pay for it. I’m a fan of Wahlberg, but I am not the kind of guy who buys things on ebay that were owned or signed by celebrities. I have no need for a mouth guard worn by Chuck Lindell when he knocked so and so out. My friend D.J. used to live in L.A. and he was given the suit from a friend who thought that it might fit him (it didn’t). I believe the friend got it from a production assistant friend who worked on a movie with Wahlberg. This is just guessing on my part since I don’t really know the beginning of the Wahlberg suit story. D.J. moved to Brooklyn this week and he thought that the suit would be perfect for my apartment. So, now it sits in the back of my closet waiting for me to (attempt) to impress girls (unsuccessfully)with the tale of its acquisition. Say hi to your mother for me.
*Are you a fan of a particular sport that you want me to cover next week or know of any sports stories you want me to mention? This is your article, not mine. Have at it. Throw me an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com
30 year old freelance writer and The Father Life‘s resident beer columnist and sports editor. He also writes about fine beverages for drinkingmadeeasy.com and Chilled Magazine. On top of that, he writes about college and professional lacrosse for insidelacrosse.com. He’s also written for Genesee Valley Parenting Magazine, the Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper and ESPN.com. “Osburn on Tap” appears monthly in THE FATHER LIFE. For questions, comments, or if you have a story idea for Chris, throw him an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com. Also, follow him on twitter http://www.twitter.com/chrisosburn