Steroids have been all the rage in the media lately, and after the total abomination that was Roger Clemens' hearing last Wednesday, it doesn't seem far-fetched for other athletes named in the Mitchell Report to admit their own guilt in hopes of being seen as the remorseful, misled athlete rather than the egotistical, uncontrollable maniac that Clemens came off as.
However, an admission of guilt can come in many different forms. Andy Pettitte just told the truth, while catcher Paul Lo Duca admitted to making some mistakes in judgment.""
But Eric Gagne takes the cake. The newly acquired closer for the Milwaukee Brewers made a statement Monday, apologizing to his new teammates for the distraction he has caused during their spring training in Phoenix.
""I'm here to let you guys know that I feel bad for my family, what they had to go through, and all my friends and especially my teammates here in Milwaukee,"" Gagne said, according to MLB.com. ""I think that's just a distraction that shouldn't be taking place. I'm just here to help the Milwaukee Brewers get to the World Series and get to the playoffs, and that's all I really care about.""
Well isn't that nice? Gagne feels bad for the pain that being named in the Mitchell Report has caused all of those around him and is sorry for using Human Growth Hormone.
Wait ... he is sorry, right?
Gagne never commented on whether he took performance-enhancing drugs. He merely apologized for the distraction.
""I am more than satisfied,"" Brewers manager Ned Yost told MLB.com when asked about Gagne's closed-door comments. ""It's a done, dead issue as far as I'm concerned.""
So if Yost is fine with it, and none of the players are really talking about it, what did Gagne truly apologize for?
Gagne's apology holds as much weight as when a child hits his sibling and a parent forces him to say he is sorry.
His statement seemed unnatural and without much emotion of any kind.
Since he is from Canada, Gagne gave a statement in French as well. In that statement, Gagne said, ""I do not want to look to the past because the Mitchell Report already did that, and now it's time to move forward.""
Through the covert use of French, Gagne seemed to shed a little more light on the issue, but not enough for anyone to see.
There is a refreshing feeling when a player actually tells the truth. While it would have been great for Gagne to go that route, he is in America on a year-by-year visa, so admitting to breaking the law probably wouldn't have been in his best interest.
But considering no one was talking about it - people hardly remember fellow relief pitcher Derrick Turnbow testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs back in 2003 while he practiced with the USA Olympic Team - Gagne could have said nothing.
Also, with a front office that has already put the ""distraction"" behind them, the fact that Gagne addressed the matter in this way seems very peculiar.
If Gagne truly wants to move forward, then taking a step backward seems the wrong way of going about it.
If you think Nate should apologize for using steroids and HGH while writing this column, e-mail him at ncarey@dailycardinal.com.
