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This digital document is an article from The Sporting News, published by Sporting News Publishing Co. on April 1, 2005. The length of the article is 844 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Baseball will survive this scourge: McGwire goes to bat against the truth--and whiffs.
Author: Dave Kindred
Publication: The Sporting News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2005
Publisher: Sporting News Publishing Co.
Volume: 229Issue: 13Page: 80(1)

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Quotes, stories, statistics, fun facts, photographs, andtrivia surrounding McGwire, his life and career - plus quick bits onother unforgettable home run hitters of the Major League Baseball likeBabe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and more!Includesa record of every 1998 home run - compared to Roger Maris' 1961 season- providing dates, teams, and pitchers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Full of fun facts!
Sports fans will have a good time with this book! How did they find all those tidbits to put in here? The sports trivia experts in my family are already fighting over who looks at the book next. Fear not, baseball fans -- until baseball season is back in full swing, you've got this book andthe one about Sammy Sosa to keep you company during the cold winter months.

A great "first" baseball book for children.
"The Mac Attack: The Road To 62 And Beyond" chronicles MarkMcGwire's record breaking season.Included are interesting stories, stats,and trivia about the 1998 season, as well as facts about his entirebaseball career (including college, minor league and olympic team), hischildhood, and his family.It's not just a book about McGwire, as otherinteresting and pertinent major league facts are included.It evenincludes an exceptional section on Androstenedione, in a way any eightyear-old can understand (even if they can't spell it!)."The MacAttack: The Road To 62 And Beyond" is a great book for parents to readwith their children, and a great "first" baseball book.The onlydisappointment is that the publisher chose to sacrifice accuracy of somestatistics in order to get the book quickly to market.In listing otherunanimous selections for Rookie of the Year, "The Mac Attack: The RoadTo 62 And Beyond" lists Orlando Cepeda as a Cardinal instead of a SFGiant,Vince Coleman as a Met instead of a St. Louis Cardinal, and DerekJeter as a MET instead of a Yankee.It then completely forgets NomarGarciaparra of the Red Sox and Scott Rolen of the Phillies, last years'unanimous picks.It also lists Bobby Richardson as the man who hit the"shot heard 'round the world" (hopefully Grandpa will tell themthat it was really Bobby Thomson), and forgets that Hank Aaron played hisfinal year in 1976 for the Milwaukee Brewers and not the Atlanta Braves. Other than the few boo boos, "The Mac Attack: The Road To 62 AndBeyond" is a great choice for every little leaguer's book collection. ... Read more

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The lives, on and off the baseball field, of the two athletes whose battle for the home run record dominated sports headlines in 1998. ... Read more

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After Babe Ruth erased Buck Freeman’s record in 1919, the new mark stood for 34 years before Maris bettered it, defying as he did an incredulous sporting public. And just as fans’ anger grew old and Maris was grudgingly credited—or discredited—with an unrepeatable hot streak, along came Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, two goliaths who in 1998 and the years just after proved fans wrong again. But when in 2001, only three years after McGwire seemed to put the record beyond reach, Barry Bonds topped him by two. This time fans were staunch in their disbelief, and while many celebrated Bonds’ achievement, others questioned its significance.

This revised edition of Bill McNeil’s Ruth, Maris, McGwire, and Sosa ("libraries especially will want this"—Library Journal) reviews the careers of each home run titan, with special attention to the record-breaking seasons. The cultural and social changes that may have affected both the players’ season totals and fan reception are also considered. ... Read more

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Chapters: Reggie Jackson, Joe Dimaggio, Frank Robinson, Yogi Berra, Mark Mcgwire, Don Mattingly, Jim Rice, Lou Piniella, Gene Tenace, Terry Pendleton, Willie Stargell, Eddie Murray, Rod Carew, Johnny Pesky, Alan Trammell, Kirk Gibson, Tony Oliva, Dave Parker, Rocky Colavito, Dave Magadan, Hensley Meulens, Bobby Doerr, Ted Kluszewski, Tony Pérez, Bobby Bonds, Clint Hurdle, Gary Matthews, Tommy Henrich, Mickey Vernon, Don Baylor, Harvey Kuenn, Art Howe, Chris Chambliss, Billy Williams, Dwayne Murphy, Harry Walker, Bob Watson, Nellie Fox, John Mclaren, Steve Henderson, Jack Clark, Walt Hriniak, Lloyd Mcclendon, Denny Walling, Tony Muser, Gary Gaetti, Jim Frey, Jesse Barfield, Lenny Harris, Lefty O'doul, Hal Mcrae, Lee Elia, John Vukovich, Dale Sveum, Carney Lansford, José Morales, Jim Lefebvre, Manny Mota, Charley Lau, Deron Johnson, Mike Cubbage, Rick Down, Brook Jacoby, Butch Wynegar, Lee May, Tim Wallach, Kevin Seitzer, Gene Clines, Bob Skinner, Dave Clark, George Hendrick, Rudy Jaramillo, Alan Cockrell, Hank Sauer, Luis Salazar, Billy Demars, Bill Robinson, Mike Easler, Ron Jackson, Minnie Mendoza, Dave Engle, Rick Schu, Mike Aldrete, Thad Bosley, Doug Rader, Scott Ullger, Mickey Hatcher, Jay Ward, Jack Howell, Denis Menke, Terry Crowley, Ralph Rowe, Tommy Mccraw, Ty Van Burkleo, Joe Vavra, Kevin Long, Gerald Perry, Merv Rettenmund, Sean Berry, Jim Presley, Joe Sparks, Bruce Fields, Deacon Jones, Greg Biagini, Harry Spilman, Clarence Jones, Rick Renick, Mike Barnett, Greg Walker, Mitchell Page, Don Slaught, Jeff Pentland, Ben Hines, Jim Skaalen, Rick Eckstein, Al Vincent, Derek Shelton. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 525. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (born May 18, 1946), nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason, is a ...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=59396 ... Read more

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Discusses great home run hitters in the history of baseball and focuses on the significant accomplishments of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa in the 1998 season. ... Read more

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The Classic Baseball Price Guide Beckett Baseball Card Monthly. Awesome Photos and Stories on the Hottest Players of the Time. Articles from in house Departments ; Off the Bench, Short Prints, The Hot Lists , Convention Calendar, Short Stops, Baseball & Card Quiz, The Ninth Inning and more. In this Issue Cover Article on Mark Mcgwire, and Your Guide to Opening Day Collectables... ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Proceso, published by CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V. on August 30, 1998. The length of the article is 1938 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: McGwire y Sosa, en su carrera por romper el récord de más cuadrangulares, dan nueva vida al béisbol en Estados Unidos. (Mark McGuire y Sammy Sosa, beisbolistas profesionales)(TT: McGuire and Sosa, in their competition to break the record of the most home runs, give new life to baseball in the US) (TA: Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, professional baseball players)
Author: Roberto Velázquez Bolio
Publication: Proceso (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 30, 1998
Publisher: CISA Comunicacion e Informacion, S.A. de C.V.
Issue: n1139Page: p77(2)

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This digital document is an article from St. Louis Journalism Review, published by SJR St. Louis Journalism Review on January 1, 2010. The length of the article is 1201 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: McGwire's stupid confession: writers who do not have a season in the sun will want McGwire whenever the Cardinals visit their city, or they'll want McGwire when they visit St. Louis. He is bound to be a major distraction in any case.(sports & media)(Mark McGwire)
Author: Joe Pollack
Publication: St. Louis Journalism Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 2010
Publisher: SJR St. Louis Journalism Review
Volume: 40Issue: 317Page: 13(2)

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Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco--the Bash Brothers--ushered in a new era of muscle-bound power hitters in baseball in the late 1980s. Suddenly balls were flying out of the parks like never before, and the rest of baseball stood up, took notice, and followed suit. Baseball's bodybuilding revolution, with its resultant steroid infestation, was here to stay, and many experts today point to these two players as a large reason why.

Author Dale Tafoya has interviewed more than 150 teammates, coaches, scouts, and friends who knew McGwire and Canseco during that era, including former A's general manager Sandy Alderson, former team president Roy Eisenhardt, former commissioner Fay Vincent, Hall-of-Fame closer Dennis Eckersley, and 2004 Ford C. Frick award-winning legendary broadcaster Lon Simmons. They provide first-person commentary on what living and playing with the larger-than-life duo was like, and relate the shock and awe that followed both players and the team as well.

Tafoya also investigates the players' pre-Oakland careers, how they exploded upon reaching the majors with the A's, and what happened when the two moved on. While Canseco has admitted his steroid use, McGwire ducked the question when Congress asked about his use by saying, "I am not here to discuss the past." Tafoya investigates the claims of each.

The Bash Brothers revolutionized baseball; Tafoya discusses whether it was for better or for worse and paints a colorful portrait of the duo's rise to popularity and their ensuing exposure and shame. Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed is the first book to fully investigate how these two players helped shape baseball for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

WORTH READING
THE BOOK COVERS THE CAREER OF MCGWIRE AND CANSECO ALONG WITH THE INVESTIAGATION AND SCANDAL OF THE STEROID ERA. THE BASH BROTHERS WERE BIG NEWS AND GAVE BASEBALL A MUCH NEEDED SHOT IN THE ARM (NOT IN THE BUTT) IN THE LATE 1980'S. THE A'S PLAYED IN 3 CONSECUTIVE WORLD SERIES AND WERE A GREAT GATE ATTRACTION. JOSE WAS VERY BRASH AND FLAMBOYANT. MARK WAS THE OPPOSITE, QUIET AND DID NOT ENJOY THE SPOTLIGHT. BOTH TURNED TO THE NEEDLE TO HELP THEIR CAREERS AND MADE THEM HUGE AND HULKING. BUT THEIR QUICK TRANSFORMATION MADE IT SO OBVIOUS THAT STEROIDS WERE INVOLVED. THEN JOSE WROTE A BOOK AND NAMED NAMES AND CREATED WAVES OF CONTROVERSY. WITH BOTH THEIR CAREERS OVER, THE BALCO INVESTIGATION OPENED THE DOOR INTO STEROID INVESTIAGTION. JOSE WHO ADMITTED TO USAGE IN HIS BOOK WAS CALLED UPON ALONG WITH MCGWIRE AND MANY OTHERS TO DISCUSS THE STEROIDS PROBLEM. MCGWIRE PRETTY MUCH DID HIMSELF IN WITH PLEADING THE 5TH ON ALMOST EVERY QUESTION THAT CAME HIS WAY. RECENTLY HE ADMITTED TO USING ROIDS. THIS IS A NICELY WRITTEN AND INTERESTING BOOK AND WELL WORTH READING. I AM GLAD THAT MCGWIRE CAME OUT OF SECLUSION AND HAS BECOME THE CARDINALS BATTING INSTRUCTOR. HOPEFULLY JERKS LIKE AND CLEMENS AND BONDS WILL BE CAUGHT AND WILL SERVE JAIL TIME FOR PERGERY.

A compulsively readable obituary of the steroid era
I just received this for Christmas and couldn't put this down once I started it. I was initially suspicious of the content, because from judging the cover, I assumed this would be a rehash of everything I've read in the papers or in Canseco's "Juiced," but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of reporting the author has done with key officials and players in baseball. Due to the breadth of this reporting (the story starts before the "Bash Brothers" were even born), by the end of this book you definitely have some sympathy for Canseco, McGwire and anyone else who pumped up their body with these exotic and toxic chemicals to turn baseball into a new type of WWF/WTF spectacle we've never seen before. More than than, there's just a lot of greatbaseball in this book -- from clubhouse stories from their minor league days to what was really going on behind the scenes with those '80s A's teams. This won't be the last book to be written on this era, but what a meaty, well-written addition to the canon.This one goes right next to Bouton's "Ball Four" on my shelf.

The Bash Brothers and beyond
McGwire and Canseco were the poster boys for the recent era of performance-enhancing drugs in MLB.Towering home runs blasted by hitters with hulking physiques became the order of the day, with the `Bash Brothers' leading the charge.This book provides an excellent account of their careers while demonstrating the impact they had on the game as a whole.

The amount of research Tafoya has conducted is impressive and the many contributions from former team mates and coaches really enable him to add something new to the ever-growing mound of books and articles on this subject.When first approaching the book, there were three main questions I was hoping to be answered:what really did fuel McGwire and Canseco's incredible power feats?How big an impact did their exploits have on the rest of baseball, both directly and indirectly?And finally, but most importantly, how many people knew what they were up to?All three questions are answered by Tafoya, while leaving plenty of thinking space for the reader to consider the subject further.

The front cover is, for once,quite a good starting point.The images of McGwire and Canseco in mid-swing are juxtaposed by images of their solemn faces at the 2005 Congress hearings.Their stories, from coming through the minors to being Major League stars and their ultimate falls from grace, are certainly good ones to tell.

What makes the book for me though is the way that those individual stories are put into the context of the issue as a whole.Central to this is the fact, made clear in this book if any doubt existed, that there was widespread knowledge within the game of players using performance-enhancing drugs. Nothing was done about it by MLB and, in truth, it has largely been due to the intervention of other bodies (e.g. the criminal investigation of BALCO) that the subject is being looked at now.While it's hard to feel too much sympathy for the likes of the Bash Brothers, we have to remember that they played during a time when MLB didn't have a proper drug-testing programme and there is little evidence that players were discouraged from taking a similar route.

Overall, this is a well-written, detailed book that greatly helps to inform the debate on how we should perceive the so-called `steroids era'.

A Valuable Contribution
For those interested in the pedigree, upbringing, and grooming of Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco both in their personal and professional lives, this book is a great wealth of information.A bulk of the book - the first 192 pages - deals with the Bash Brothers through high school, college, the minors, and breaking into the majors before being marketed as "The Bash Brothers" up until 1992.The remainder of the book picks up with the Bash Brothers being quickly reunited in 1997 and the litany of players who started bulking up, hitting record homers, and signing giant contracts.Steroids rumors in baseball slowly gained attention until Canseco's expose Juiced was written in 2005 and MLB was subpoenaed before Congress to testify.

Having grown up with the Bash Brothers and finding them the most exciting players to watch in my lifetime, I appreciated the amount of work the author went through to talk with so many people surrounding them and uncovering details from their personal lives as they made their way to the majors.Canseco is portrayed as having raw talent and explosive power, but a very lazy work ethic.He was frequently being disciplined, getting in trouble with the law, having a hard time with authority, always loved fast cars and women, and always seemed to like to party and have a swagger about him.His father is portrayed as coming down on his sons and yelling at them whenever they failed to perform.McGwire, in the opposite, is portrayed as a shy, kind, well-mannered, well-disciplined person from a well-off family who was very involved in the community and was generally very supportive and encouraging.He married his college sweetheart who was very well liked by the other player's wives.

McGwire and Canseco were never close off of the field and generally didn't share the same interests though they were marketed together and made into national stars as the Bash Brothers.Jose Canseco showed that having muscle actually helped baseball players.Being taboo at the time, the Oakland A's started baseball's first weight training program which would become a norm in baseball over the next decade, transforming the game.Canseco was obsessed with working out and wanted to sculpt his body, seemingly being more interested in body building than baseball, whereas McGwire enjoyed working out every day as a way to unwind.

By the time Canseco was traded from the A's in 1992, he had the reputation of not wanting to work hard or play.He wanted to DH and hit homeruns.Coming off of the worst season of McGwire's career, he returned in 1992 looking like a football player and had a comeback year.He worked out with his brother J.J. in the off season and put on 20 lbs. of muscle, who was a body builder and steroid user.

Eventually McGwire became the game's symbol of power while Canseco found it hard to find to work even after putting up the best numbers of his career in 1998.With so many players getting big and breaking records as well as suspicion of cheating looming, Canseco believes he was blackballed from the game as a liability to MLB who would soon have to pretend to be ignorant of it all to save their public image.He claims to have written Juiced to protect the players from being victimized and blackballed by MLB to protect their image the way he was, wanting the players to side with him against MLB who turned a blind eye to prevalent drug use and encouraged the culture to continue for profit at the players' expense. (Though most see Canseco as being desperate for money and selling trash at the expense of his peers for profit).

The final chapters of the book race through a lot of the events that transpired which exposed illegal drug use in the game and eventually landed some of baseball's biggest stars before Congress, and ends a little too abruptly for my liking.The author rightly mentions Operation Equine (An FBI sting on steroids dealers in the early 1990's) but only a short paragraph's worth.I would have liked him to have pointed out that an FBI informant actually sold McGwire steroids and that the very formula was described in detail as being for "hardcore users."It would have served the book well to mention that the FBI went to MLB in the early 1990's and told them they had a drug problem, naming Canseco as the prime suspect, which elicited little more than an ignored memo sent to clubhouses.This information is important for Canseco's case that MLB knew and endorsed the steroid use at every level, filling ballparks and making the game exciting, and now is attempting to bar and blackball "cheaters" to save their public image.Canseco compares MLB to the mafia, asking players to perjure themselves before Congress and destroy their lives and images for the sake of the game.

Though the book ends mentioning McGwire being snubbed from the Hall of Fame, I would have liked to see more of a discussion on the reasons people believe he should be in and the reasons people believe he should be kept out.I would also like to see more on whether or not Canseco should be appreciated for what he is doing or despised.Lastly, I would have liked to see discussion on whether or not these players should be treated as if they have committed the unforgivable sin or shown a level of grace, given the vitriol spilled at both McGwire and Canseco looks more like an irrational witch hunt than having a reasoned understanding or understandable disappointment.A nice epilogue touching on these issues in the paperback version would make this a five star book for me, but it is still a great and appreciated effort.

In the end, this book is well worth the purchase if you are a fan of McGwire and Canseco.

BUY THIS BOOK! YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID !
It's hard to believe that "Bash Brothers: A Legacy Subpoenaed," is Dale Tafoya's first book because he writes with the polished style and investigative savvy of a seasoned author and journalist. Mr. Tafoya's preocious writing skills may be due to his previous career as an investigative journalist, and "Bash Brothers" is filled with scoops that will impress some journalists while filling others with envy.

I have no interest in sports, but something made me pick up Mr. Tafoya's book, and I was hooked! Normally a slow reader who takes a week or longer to read a book, I consumed "Bash Brothers" in one sitting because Mr. Tafoya's work is such a page-turner.

Sensational but never sensationalistic, candid but never sleazy, "Bash Brothers" is a compelling look at how anabolic steroids and other alleged athletic performance enhancers have corrupted what has been called "America's Favorite Past-Time."

Sadly, after reading Mr. Tafoya's masterful account, pro baseball may no longer be America's favorite anything.

But there's a silver lining to the ugly cloud that permeates not only baseball but so many other sports as well. I hope that Mr. Tafoya's work will serve as a warning for impressionable high school (and even middle school!) students who are tempted to emulate their sports heroes by using illegal steroids. Despite those quacks who claim that steroids do NOT enhance athletic performance or add lean, rippling muscle to their users' physiques, the sad fact is that steroids DO give athletes an (unfair) advantage over their drug-free competitors.

Young people think they are immortal simply because no one their age has died. However, in years to come, Mssrs. Canseco and McQwire may find that for a brief period of glory as baseball superstars, they have blown their livers and end up on a long liver transplant list that by the time it comes for them to get their transplant, they will no longer need one because...they're dead. (Remember Mickey Mantle?)

If you are thinking of sticking a syringe into your hip to improve your athletic prowess, first read "Bash Brothers" and think again. You may decide to toss the hypodermic and its poisonous contents into the trash, where steroids belong. The trash, however, may be full because it already contains the reputations of the Bash Brothers and any hopes they had of landing lucrative product endorsement deals. And forget about the Hall of Fame, unless they're thinking of applying for a janitorial job there.

My disapproval of using chemicals to turbocharge athletic ability does not reflect the ravings of a crank since I am considered a knowledgeable writer on the subject of drug abuse as the author of "The Opium Wars: The Addiction of One Empire and the Corruption of Another," about the two 19th century wars fought between China and Britain when China tried to stop British merchants from importing opium into China because it was devastating Chinese society and its economy. I'm also the author of "Tweakers: How Crystal Meth Is Ravaging Gay America." I am currently writing "Nice People Can Be Addicts Too: The Epidemic of Prescription Pain-killer Abuse."

I would love to get feedback from other readers on the subject of substance abuse. They are invited to email me at FSanello@aol.com. Thank you for hearing me out. I'll get off my soapbox now.

Frank Sanello ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from American Decades: Primary Sources, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3110 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.American Decades Primary Sources provides fresh insight into the decade's most important events, people, and issues. Entries representing a diversity of views that provide insight into the seminal issues, themes, movements and events from the decade. Also included are concise contextual information, notes about the author and further resources. American Decades Primary Sources includes chapters on the arts, medicine and health, media, education, world events, religion, government and politics, lifestyles and social trends, law and justice, religion, business and the economy, and sports. Included to provide unique perspectives and a wealth of understanding are first hand accounts that include oral histories, songs, speeches, advertisements, TV, play and movie scripts, letters, laws, legal decisions, newspaper articles, cartoonsand recipes. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from American Journalism Review, published by University of Maryland on November 1, 1998. The length of the article is 1089 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: As Mark McGwire cashed in on Roger Maris' single-season home run record, sales of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch set off a buying and marketing frenzy. The "Project 62" team was formed from advertising, editorial, circulation, marketing and production staffs to successfully cash in on baseball's historical season. Extra editions with feature stories and photo essays were sold on the Internet and by scalpers reportedly for up to $40.

Citation Details
Title: A Grand Slam for the Post-Dispatch.
Author: Sherry Ricchiardi
Publication: American Journalism Review (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1998
Publisher: University of Maryland
Page: 12(1)

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