St. Louis ? St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says retired slugger Mark McGwire’s accomplishments were not tarnished by steroids.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” La Russa said Friday before the Cardinals played the Pirates. “I was here, I saw him in the gym early, I saw how he took care of himself.

“He ate protein; he killed those cows left and right.”

McGwire hit 583 home runs, sixth on the career list, and admitted taking androstenedione during his then-record 70-homer season in 1998 after a reporter spotted a bottle of the supplement in his locker. In the spring of 1999 he said he stopped taking the supplement because he was worried that kids would follow his lead.

McGwire played for La Russa for all but one of his 16 major league seasons, in Oakland and St. Louis. La Russa doesn’t know how many players are taking steroids.

“It’s probably a good thing the question is being raised, so we can get some answers,” La Russa said. “It’s pretty obvious something has to be done.”

La Russa worries about the effect steroids has had on the game, but not about the players who take steroids.

“I don’t worry about their health,” La Russa said. “If they’re not going to worry about it, I’m not going to worry about it.”