Okay, first off, to get it out of the way: I think this is a brilliant move. Mark McGwire, despite what shortcomings he may or may not -- or may -- have had in the ethics department, was a brilliant hitter, and one who understood very, very well the importance of a proper plate approach. McGwire was a remarkably patient hitter throughout his major league career, even before he became the poster boy for the beta version of the Bonds Treatment.
In recent years, as you're probably well aware if you pay much attention to what the Vacuous Twins, Dan and Al, have to say during broadcasts, McGwire has taken to instructing a small group of hitters in the offseason at his home in California. Skip Schumaker is probably the most well-known of his disciples, and it was right around the time he began training with Mac that Skip took a significant step forward. Chris Duncan trained with McGwire as well, and in fact developed a plate approach similar to that of McGwire his first couple years in the big leagues, before the injury bug attacked Chris in earnest.
Of course, there is an elephant in this room, and it's a doozy. Talking about Mark McGwire strictly through the lens of what he did on the field is, to make a rather shocking understatement, foolish. What muddies the waters so much, of course, is the fact we have to question just how legitimate those on-field accomplishments really are in light of what we suspect about the way Big Mac went about achieving those results.
So what do I think about all the other stuff? What do I think about the steroid allegations, and Jose Canseco, and Congressional hearings, and I'm Not Here To Talk About The Past?
Three words. I. Don't. Care.