LaRussa Returning, Hires McGwire As Hitting Coach

NFL News - October 26th, 2009 - Written by John

Upon his retirement in 2001, Mark McGwire faded into the shadows and shrouded himself in secrecy until he was ultimately yanked back into the spotlight during the infamous steroid hearings. He will have a chance to restore his once-proud image when he finally returns to baseball voluntarily for the first time.

Sources report that Big Mac will be hired by the St. Louis Cardinals to serve as hitting coach for Tony LaRussa, who also made news by announcing he would be returning to the club for another year. He had been considering his options since the Cardinals were ousted from the playoffs in the first round. He is on the final month of a two-year contract signed after the team won the '06 World Series.

The report also claims St. Louis has dispatched previous hitting coach Hal McRae, and scheduled a press conference on Monday to announce the news.

McGwire has close ties to LaRussa dating back to his playing days with the Oakland Athletics. They were reunited again when LaRussa began his tenure with the Cardinals and McGwire was traded to the club in 1997.

McGwire became a hero in St. Louis during his five years with the club. In 1998, he and Sammy Sosa helped bring back the popularity of baseball that had been lost after the strike in '94. That summer, he and Sosa embraced each other as they chased baseball's home run record together, both breaking the previous mark of 61. Although Sosa hit 65 homers that year, McGwire received the majority of the attention for hitting a then-record 70.

Those record breaking MLB Offensive Stats have since been surpassed by Barry Bonds.

He was brought back down to earth, however, in 2005 when he and three other home run kings were brought in front of a Congressional panel to answer questions about the rampant use of steroids in baseball.

He has 583 career home runs, tied for eight all-time, but has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after being on the ballot twice.

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