ST. LOUIS - Nostalgia is one of the most powerful emotions a human being can feel. Whether it’s a TV show that reminds you of childhood, or a song that stirs up old emotions you’ve long forgotten, our past always stays with us.
Baseball is the most nostalgic game there is, no question about it. The history, moments, icons and personal bonds it helps to form are what make it America’s past time. But like life, baseball has never been all sunshine, rainbows and happy times, and that’s ok. Even after all we know now, it’s also ok to look back on Mark McGwire’s 1998 season, and smile.
September 8, 1998 was one of the greatest days in the history of St. Louis. Not just St. Louis sports history, but St. Louis history. There are few times our city can truly say the eyes of the nation were upon it. This was one. The images are iconic. Big Mac’s shortest home run of the season zooming over the left field wall, him missing first base, shaking hands with Cubs players, lifting his son in the air at home plate and then jumping into the crowd to embrace the family of the late Roger Maris are moments we all cherished at the time and hopefully still do. The memories are the same. It’s the perception that can change.
No, McGwire did not do this clean. Yes, this era of baseball will forever be tainted by those who decided to cheat. That shouldn’t change how it made you feel in the moment.
Four years after the strike of 1994, baseball was still struggling to win back fans. The excitement of a chase for perhaps the most treasured record in American sports was the perfect prescription. I’ve always thought the notion that McGwire and Sosa “saved baseball” was a little much. Baseball will always survive. However, without that summer chase between the two titans, it would’ve taken a lot longer for the game to re-establish its relevancy.
Mark McGwire’s at-bats in 1998 were appointment television. When he was due up you didn’t go to the bathroom, you didn’t get a snack and you didn’t answer any calls on your old Nokia. It was clear from the beginning that this guy was doing something historic. Nobody remembers that the 1998 Cardinals finished third in the division that season. They remember the excitement of the chase, and the 3 million plus people who showed up to Busch to see it unfold.
20 years later It’s time to take 1998 and the steroid era for what is was. We can’t keep acting like it didn’t happen. What occurred in that time period is a crucial part of baseball history that not only has nostalgic value, but should teach us a lesson going forward.
I choose to embrace Big Mac and 1998. He admitted his mistakes, will likely pay for them by not being enshrined in Cooperstown, has established himself as a coach and is rightly a member of the Cardinals hall of fame.
Before you attempt to tarnish the memory of McGwire and that year, think about how it made you feel in the moment. It was one of the most exciting times to be a Cardinals fan and gave the whole baseball world something to root for. That’s how I’ll remember it.