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Former baseball superstar Mark

McGwires journey through thepeculiar American celebritypurification ritual has not yet begun.But if it does, this is how it will work.

First, hell bare his soul to a sad-eyed DianeSawyer, head cocked with her death mask ofempathy. Then, hell take his medicine from aglowering Dr.Phil, who will tell him that he let

himself and his loved ones down. Suitablyhumiliated,McGwire will topitoff by poking fun athimself on TheTonight Show withJay Lenoas thehost braysalong. Onewonders ifenduring this kind

of publicatonement will beenough to sparehim the ignominyof watching hisname scrubbed off

monuments, his records spackled with asterisks.This familiar shoving of a hero off his pedestal

is almost a spectator sport in itself these days.McGwires fall from grace began on March 17,2005, during congressional hearings into the useof steroids in baseball, when he made a criticaldecision not to deny having used steroids. Norwould he implicate his peers as having engagedin any illegalities. McGwires carefully parsed

testimony of the neither confirm nor denyvariety was a closefacsimile to similarslippery evasionscongressmen haveheard for yearsfrom civilians andgovernmentapparatchiksavoiding a directanswer. Its the

PHOTOCREDIT

178 FLEX | NOV. 05

Before federal investigators broughtVictor Conte to court, Conte brought

Marion Jones to FLEX

BALCOREVISITED

FLEX FEATURE

BI-BI Carefree VictorConte struts his stuff outsidea federal courthouse in SanFrancisco following one ofnumerous appearances.

BY JIM SCHMALTZ ILLUSTRATION BY JOE ZEAPPHOTO/PAULSAKUMA

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