Posted 11:15 a.m. Tues., 01.12.10 - On Monday, Mark McGwire was here to talk about the past. The retired slugger, who is returning to the Cardinals as a hitting coach, 'fessed up to what most fans, sportswriters and members of Congress have long believed: that he used steroids. One local sports historian speculates that baseball purists will continue to have a problem with McGwire, but he doubts that most fans were surprised by McGwire's admission. (Photo from mlb.com )

Updated 9:05 a.m. Tues., 01.12.10 -  McGwire tearfully apologizes for steroid use: He says he took them to heal injuries, but they didn't help him hit home runs.| AP/Sporting News

View from Chicago: McGwire beats Sosa to the punch again. | Chicago Tribune

Earlier, former Beacon columnist Alvin Reid had five questions for McGwire . A couple of them are now answered. Click through for more coverage.

Posted 10:52 a.m. Sun., 01.10.10 - With roughly 25 professional companies producing theater in St. Louis and only about half as many official venues, finding stages on which to perform three to four times a year is like a game of musical chairs: Everyone's scrambling, and inevitably someone gets left out.

Posted 11:02 a.m. Sun., 01.10.10 - St. Louis native Gerald Boyd went from the slums of Mill Creek to become managing editor of The New York Times by way of the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His memoir, which is to be released in February, was finished after his death in 2006 by his wife, Robin D. Stone. This is the last of six excerpts featured in the Beacon. Yesterday: Covering a presidential campaign Today: Jayson Blair, and a dream dies.

Posted 4:10 p.m. Sat., 01.09.10 - St. Louis native Gerald Boyd went from the slums of Mill Creek to become managing editor of The New York Times by way of the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His memoir, which is to be released in February, was finished after his death in 2006 by his wife, Robin D. Stone. This week, the Beacon is featuring six excerpts. Yesterday: Moving to the Times. Today: Covering a presidential campaign

Posted 11:59 a.m. Fri., 01.08.10 - The 2009 Rams were the least talented team in the NFL. Consequently, they finished with the worst record in the NFL. Along the way, they had their share of bad breaks and poor bounces. They were "in" a few more games than they won, then lacked the talent - experience being a component of talent - to pull out the close ones in the fourth quarter. And the numbers back up that assessment.

Posted 11:48 a.m. Fri., 01.08.10 - St. Louis native Gerald Boyd went from the slums of Mill Creek to become managing editor of The New York Times by way of the University of Missouri and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. His memoir, which is to be released in February, was finished after his death in 2006 by his wife, Robin D. Stone. This week, the Beacon is featuring six excerpts. Yesterday: Covering St. Louis City Hall. Today: Leaving the Post-Dispatch

Posted noon, Thurs., 01.07.10 - Pedro Almodovar’s hypnotically watchable new movie is rich with references to legendary filmmakers. But “Broken Embraces” stands on its own as both a compellingly twisted, surprisingly witty tale, and as a fascinating summary of all Almodovar has learned in his three decades of filmmaking.

Posted 7:06 p.m. Wed., 01.06.10 - The show - "Document" - consists of 10 paintings, all renderings of the bureaucratic ephemera that track our lives: birth certificates, social security cards, marriage and divorce decrees, and death certificates.