The thing is, Mark McGwire admitted with a straight face that for about one-and-a-half years, he had been taking the drug androstenedione, which, when taken internally, produces testosterone, a controlled substance.

But here's the downside: While it is legal in the world of baseball, it is banned in other sports, like football (NFL), basketball (NCAA), and the Olympic Committee.

So does this mean that these drug freaks are going to rally to, as I put it, "illegalize" this hormone-producing drug, just in time for Mark McGwire to break Roger Maris' home run record?

Why are these drug watchdogs being a party pooper all of a sudden? I mean, think about it: if Mark McGwire wasn't hitting all these home runs this season, they wouldn't come out with the story in an attempt to put the McGwire/Maris record attempt in a bad light. And of course, it's common sense for that not to happen at that time.

It's because every time there's always something great about to happen, some jackass always has to come along and spoil it. Like that saying, "One bad apple spoils it for the whole bunch..."

Case in point: When Hank Aaron attempted to break Babe Ruth's career home-run record (another Mark McGwire milestone in the making, I think so), whites all over the country threatened Mr. Aaron to no end. But eventually, he overcame all the hoopla and broke that record.

Which is why there's no doubt in my mind that Mark will do like Mr. Aaron and take all of this steroid mumbo-jumbo and put it in the back of his mind, and go for that record, forget about all the controversy and the media, and concentrate on the game. Worked for Hank Aaron. History might repeat itself.

But in this world where the media takes one story and twists it out of proportion (e.g. the Monica Lewinsky bullshit), even the media won't be a safe haven for Mark McGwire, at least not this week.

Just wait until he possibly does break Roger Maris' record... the key point isn't going to be setting a new record... it'll be how he managed to do it in such a quick amount of time.

Think about it... On August 19, he had had 47 home runs already. That day, he hit two against the Cubs, and the following day, hit two more against the Mets in two games. He added on the 22nd and 23rd with one more each day. Seven home runs in five days is amazing for most, but it also brings up a concerning question: How?

Here's where the media steps in, my friends: They disregard the fact that Mark McGwire has made such an outstanding highlight in his career, and mar it with this story that he has been using a drug that, while it may be illegal in other sports, is legal in baseball. They must realize that androstenedione is indeed legal in baseball - and leave it at that! there is no point in arguing over something that the facts are already laid out for all to see. To do so is obnoxious and absurd.

You wanna know the sad part about this commentary? I wrote it all as the thoughts roamed free in my mind, without a net, because I had these thoughts brewing inside my mind, and I just couldn't wait to spew them out into HTML form for everyone in cyberspace to observe. I'm not thanking you for hanging in there through this essay, nor am I patting myself on the back; I just wanted to be the first ordinary person - not a sports writer, not somebody associated with the media, not even one of those airheads over at ESPN's SportsCenter - to share my viewpoint and perhaps send a message that you can't just go and ruin a great thing before it has been even done. Let's get this steroid story out of the spotlight, and let McGwire finish his season on the right foot.

You can bitch all you want about steroid use in baseball during the World Series when McGwire and his Cardinals won't be playing.

Of course, that's my opinion, I could be wrong...