McGwire: Brother's book marks 'sad day'

JUPITER, Fla., Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former slugger Mark McGwire says the publication of a tell-all book by his brother Jay is "a sad day" for his family.

Mark McGwire, speaking to reporters Thursday at the St. Louis Cardinals' spring training facility in Jupiter, Fla., said he doesn't plan on "ever seeing" his brother again after the publication of his book, "Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and The Truth Behind Baseball's Worst-Kept Secret," the Palm Beach Post reported.

In the book, Jay McGwire claims he introduced his brother to steroids and casts doubt on Mark McGwire's claims to have used the bodybuilding drugs purely for health reasons, rather than to gain a competitive edge.

The Post reported McGwire said the book marked a "sad day" seven times during an eight-minute interview, adding, "He had to do something to try to sell a book."

Mark McGwire set the single season home run record in 1998 with 70, finishing his 16-year career with 583 home runs. The ex-slugger in January admitted to using steroids for about 10 years, but only to recover from injuries.