It’s official: the era of villanizing steroid users is over.

Mark McGuire was something of a PED posterchild: while he’d been a solid power hitter toward the start of his career, and had even broken the homerun hitting record for a rookie in 1987, it wasn’t until 1998 that he achievbed national renown, as the nation was transfixed by his purtsuit of the single-season home run record.  Yup, NINE years into his career. NINE.  At the age of THIRTY FIVE.

Both McGuire and Sosa, who competwed with him to be the first to beat Maris’ homerun record, weree widely assumed to be on steroids even back then.  McGuire admitted taking over the counter products which, while then legal, have since been defined as steroids.  In 2005, McGuire testified before Congress and..um…lied. Or, in any case, avoided the tough questions  by saying he wasn’t there to talk about the past.  (Given that tyhe past was why he and Jose Canseco, who appeared with him, had been subpoaenad by Congress in the first place, this strikes UPH as somewhat disingenuous at best.)

As media and former fans hopped on the hating-Mark-McGuire train, he disappeared from the public eye, coming out of his secluded gated community for an in-depth ESPN the Magazine portrait a year or two ago..and nothing else.  Until Tony LaRussa, manager of the Cards, hired him–very quietly, and for home games and practice only–as a hitting consultant.  Most of the world didn’t notice, and baseball raised it’s eyebrows and went along: the man could certainly hit.

Yesterday, LaRussa hired McGuire again, and this time, he’s the hitting coach.  Not a consultant, not a helper, but the number one guy.  Suddenly, McGuire is visible again and…

…it’s fine.  Very little negative press has attended the hiring, and if famously gunshy McGuire feels ready to do it? Well, to us, that’s the number one sign that our era of villainizing steroid users is officially behind us. 

Time for baseball to move on.