Much like I wrote almost three years ago when Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids in baseball, another athlete held up by the American people has given up the fight against drug charges. I had watched the Tour de France since before Lance Armstrong won his first race in 1999, but admit I watched it more frequently between 1999 and 2005 when he was on his win streak. My dad was also an athlete with cancer and had admired Lance for his triumphs in both areas of his life, but was very put off by Lance when he divorced his wife Kristin in 2003

Mark McGwire finally admitted that he used steroids in the 90's including in 1998 when he hit the single season home run record.  It's not a huge surprise given some of the info put out in recent years, but I really hope he understands how many kids followed him before/during/after he started using.  I didn't like the "Bash Brothers" of the Oakland A's because I thought Jose Canseco was a jerk, but I did like Mark McGwire and played first base for many years looking up to him.  I stopped playing softball in 1993 which was the year he started taking 'roids, so at least I was following him more closely during his "clean" years.  But I was happy for him in 1998 and thought for a while that he should still be able to get in the Hall of Fame.  Not sure where his place in baseball history is now... but it probably won't be in Cooperstown.