Key figures talk about the Mark McGwire home-run record chase in 1998:


THAT WAS THEN


Cardinals first-base coach Dave McKay’s connection to Baseball’s Bunyan was seared into the sports consciousness when he became the first man to greet McGwire following his record-breaking home run.

McKay’s connection to Big Mac extended to Oakland, where he also supervised strength and conditioning in addition to his coaching duties. It was McKay’s responsibility to feed McGwire batting practice in what became a daily spectacle during the chase.

And it was McKay who motioned McGwire back to first base after the big man inadvertently jumped over the bag on his historic tour.

“I told myself I was just going to celebrate,” McKay recalled. “I was going to stick my hand out there, let him hit it and go around. He came to first base and jumped up on me. Then he went by the bag and I heard him kind of grunt. I just pointed at the bag and said, ‘Touch this thing!’ Because of me pointing, everybody thought I called him back. It wasn’t like that at all. He made the ‘uh-oh’ sound first.’

“During the build-up, you wanted him to be left alone and not have Sosa on his back. But that’s what happened. It was almost like it was going to ruin the thing. He was feeling it. There was a lot of stress. And you felt it with him. Then it’s over, and you can breathe. When he hit it, it was just a relief.”


THIS IS NOW


McKay last saw McGwire in San Diego during the 2007 season, two years after McGwire testified awkwardly before a congressional subcommittee about steroid use in baseball. As suspicion fell on McGwire, some deflected to McKay, credited with putting together the combination of weight work and nutrition that contributed to McGwire and Jose Canseco’s rise as Oakland’s “Bash Brothers.”

“I could sit back and say whatever I want to say. The fact is, there are people who believe you and people who don’t believe you,” McKay said. “Explaining things just seems a waste of time.

“Sure, it bothers you that people think you were involved in something. But I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. Those people who know me, know me. Those people who don’t, I’m not going to concern myself with them. It’s a reflection of our program. I would hope there was nothing going on. But I can’t control what people think.”

Added McKay: “We’ve been out of touch. (McGwire) has his life away from the game; you have your life away from the game. You’re busy with people in the game. Every now and then I think about giving him a call. Usually, it’s not convenient. And when it’s convenient, you don’t think about it.”