Elusive Mark McGwire breaks his silence when he agreed to do an interview with the New York Times provided that he will talk about his new career of being a hitting tutor to Major League Players. He would not entertain any question about the controversy sparked by former teammate Jose Canseco when he mentioned McGwire to have used performance enhancing drugs in his book.

McGwire rarely appeared in public ever since he retired from professional baseball. Even more so when he appeared before a Congressional hearing for his alleged involvement with steroids.

From ESPN.com:

The Times said McGwire agreed to the interview “with the understanding that it would focus on his work as a hitting tutor, and not on other issues.”

McGwire did briefly address criticism he has received for being linked to performance-enhancing drugs. “I’m such an easygoing guy,” he said, according to the Times. “I don’t need to sweep away any bitterness.”

McGwire took himself out of the public eye after he retired in 2001 with 583 career home runs. That withdrawal became nearly total in 2005, after McGwire – implicated in former teammate Jose Canseco’s book as a steroid user — infamously declined to answer questions from congressmen about whether he used steroids, repeatedly saying, “I’m not here to talk about the past.”

McGwire said he had always been interested in coaching and almost had a shot at it when he was supposed to go to the spring training in 2008 in lieu of Tony La Russa, his former manager. Unfortunately a family situation had prevented him from going. McGwire is currently the hitting instructor for Major League players Holliday and Crosby from the Oakland As and Duncan and Schumaker from the St. Louis Cardinals. They were worried that issue of McGwire being linked with steroids could affect their reputation in the MLB.

This is probably how Tony La Russa, former manager of Mark McGwire feels right now. He has been on McGwire’s side amidst all the controversies he has been facing. McGwire was accused by a teammate, Jose Canseco, of injecting with anabolic steroids and the later had even personally administered a dose on the former. McGwire didn’t deny or affirm any of this since he believed that if he had said “no” no one would believe him, and if he had said “yes” then the law will get him.

La Russa feels that McGwire still has so much ahead of him. The manager thinks that his athlete has the makings of someone who should and could be put in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. La Russa has also been constantly inviting McGwire to participate in baseball events again, which the athlete consistently turned down.

La Russa defended McGwire’s character and integrity when voters for the Hall of Fame explained why they chose not to vote for the athlete.

From New York Times:

When voters receive their ballot, they are instructed to consider six elements of a player’s career, including character and integrity. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSsports.com echoed numerous writers by citing character and integrity in explaining why he was “just not comfortable” voting for McGwire now. Rosenthal said he was hopeful that more concrete information about what McGwire did or did not do would become available in the 12 years he might have left on the ballot.

“If it’s a question of what did he do to make himself stronger that wasn’t legal, and that’s kind of a character-and-integrity issue,” La Russa said. “If it’s a character-and-integrity issue, how many guys do we know who did what Mark did?”

La Russa was referring to how McGwire had two years and $30 million left on his contract when he retired after the 2001 season because he did not think he could be effective anymore. McGwire did not attempt to collect any of that money.

“There was no negotiation,” La Russa said. “No ‘Buy me out, I’ve got you for $30 million.’ Nothing. He said: ‘I don’t want to sign anything. I’m done.’ To me, that speaks about his character and his integrity.”

Unfortunately, La Russa really doesn’t have a say in the matter. He believes that it is up to McGwire to clear his name and to give it back the prestige it once had. If McGwire doesn’t do that, then he may not be able to change the negative opinions about him