Alex Rodriguez tested postive for steroids in 2003; Admits It

[Melissa1334]

"Manning up" only when caught is not "manning up" at all--its just saving your skin, and its motivated by the same greedy, selfish instincts that made him lie in the first place.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=362...ce=search_video

 

 

He's a liar and a cheater. That's not a "man" to me.

my exact thoughts. im already tired of ppl saying that, about how great it is that he admitted it. yes its refreshing to hear as aposed to the rest of them but still. hes still a cheater. if ur not gunna let the other guys in , dont let arod in just becuz he admitted to it.

[Dick Allen]

Yeah, if ARod really was "manning up" he would have told Katie Couric that he used when she asked, not talked about how he dominates without it. I do applaude him for coming clean, although how much can you really believe? I just wish this would all go away. The less Jose Canseco we see, the better off the world

[lostfan]

"Manning up" only when caught is not "manning up" at all--its just saving your skin, and its motivated by the same greedy, selfish instincts that made him lie in the first place.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=362...ce=search_video

 

 

He's a liar and a cheater. That's not a "man" to me.

Yes he's a liar and a cheater, but so are I don't know how many other players too. Just come clean. It doesn't make it ok, but it removes that cloud from you.

[Gregory Pratt]

Well I'll be damned, and it wasn't the "I only did it one time" B.S. either.

 

Yeah, but it's still sort of BS. I can't believe that he just started in 2003 and then stopped because he was no longer dumb and silly and loosey and goosey.

[clyons]

Yes he's a liar and a cheater, but so are I don't know how many other players too. Just come clean. It doesn't make it ok, but it removes that cloud from you.

 

How many of those other 104 players willingly went on national TV with a network news anchor and pissed all over the truth, the sport, and its fans?

 

Yeah, I'm glad he removed that cloud and came "clean," but I'm sure as hell not going to praise him for it. The only difference between Arod, Clemens and Bonds is better representation and a current mega-contract.

[StrangeSox]

Yes he's a liar and a cheater, but so are I don't know how many other players too. Just come clean. It doesn't make it ok, but it removes that cloud from you.

 

It would be more honorable to come clean before you're outed than after you're caught red-handed.

[lostfan]

It would be more honorable to come clean before you're outed than after you're caught red-handed.

Yes it would, and it'd also be more "honorable" than to never have cheated and lied in the first place. That's still more than many other players have done. It's a simple, simple thing. Just do it, if for no other reason than to head off the winds so there's less time I have to hear about it.

Edited February 9, 2009 by lostfan

[Gregory Pratt]

I misunderstood the latest news report, but I still don't really believe him.

[Hatchetman]

"Manning up" only when caught is not "manning up" at all--its just saving your skin, and its motivated by the same greedy, selfish instincts that made him lie in the first place.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=362...ce=search_video

 

 

He's a liar and a cheater. That's not a "man" to me.

 

 

Exactly right.

[nitetrain8601]

Even if he just used it in 2001-2003, steroids have a positive effect even afterwards from what I've read up over the past couple of days. So he could've stopped in '03, but still could be reaping the benefits and reaping the negatives.

[Steve9347]

link

 

Forgiving Alex Rodriguez

by Me

 

"I was stupid."

 

That sentence stands out when listening to Peter Gammons' exclusive Alex Rodriguez interview. The best player in Major League Baseball and arguably the best all-around player in the history of the game has admitted to using substances banned from the game to improve his performance on the field.

 

Citing baseball's culture, the oft-tabloided player gave what one can only hope to be an honest, heartfelt apology for his indiscretions: "When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform and perform at a high level every day."

 

That sounds like an honest statement and one that is also understandable.

 

Rodriguez claims that he only used during the period that he was with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003. To those who were watching the game, his slightly increased production over that period seemed like a natural progression. In the last of those three seasons, A-Rod won his first MVP Award.

 

In his supposed clean years since, and in the period of drug testing, suspensions, and names being named, Rodriguez has collected two more pieces of this prized hardware with the New York Yankees (though probably not the one he'd hoped for after being acquired by the Bronx Bombers).

 

The one page of this unfortunate story that doesn't seem to stick is the now infamous interview conducted by Katie Couric for CBS's 60 Minutes, in which Rodriguez claimed he'd always felt too good to have any need for outside help. This seemed to condemn and belittle those below him who had resorted to using.

 

Believing A-Rod's story is hard to fathom given his previous claims to such a highly-rated and regarded network news magazine. Obviously, Rodriguez has taken the stark contrast in the public response to Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte against the response to Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa, weighed his options, and decided to admit guilt. Admit guilt, and you will be forgiven. Sustain your innocence, and you are toast.

 

However, given these findings, and all of the reasons for Alex Rodriguez to come clean, and the fact that baseball's best player and the one who was supposed to clean up the record books has admitted to using steroids, there are many reasons to forgive Alex Rodriguez.

 

He is and always has been a great player: With or without performance enhancing drugs, the type of which Rodriguez claims he was too naive to know, he is still a great player. Rodriguez, in my humble opinion, would have gone down as the best shortstop to ever play the game had he never been forced to switch to the hot corner, where he gradually has become one of the better defensive players in baseball yet again.

Author Poll Results

 

Now, taking into account the believable story that Rodriguez only used from 2001-2003 due to the pressure from signing the largest contract in Major League Baseball history, let's compare A-Rod's production with and without PEDs.

 

2001-2003 Average Stats

Games Played: 161.7

Batting Average: .305

Home Runs: 52.0

Slugging Percentage: .615

10 Seasons with Mariners/Yankees

Games Played: 148.4

Batting Average: .309

Home Runs: 39.2

Slugging Percentage: .574

 

What we see here is a believable story. An outstanding player improves his slugging ability slightly with the recreational use of PEDs. It does not sound like Alex Rodriguez was "cycling" or following a strict regimen built to create the greatest ballplayer of all-time, such as what happened in the BALCO/Barry Bonds fiasco.

 

We shouldn't even know about this: Alex Rodriguez gets betrayed after unknowingly testing positive for drugs he was not yet sure were steroids, and we're supposed to condemn him? In tests that were to be completely anonymous? He could have refused that test, but instead took it knowing that there was no risk if he tested positive.

 

He claims he never knew exactly what he took and was responding to baseball's culture He was not 100 percent sure that he was even taking steroids. Now, he's unfairly being ostracized because of this. If baseball fans feel they have been betrayed, A-Rod has every right to feel even more betrayed.

 

Baseball is a game of cheaters and has a history of cheating: This does not excuse Alex Rodriguez's now-admitted use of PEDs. However, the climate in the early 2000s was one of "use or be passed." Peter Gammons estimates as much as 80 percent of Major League Baseball players were on some form of Performance Enhancing Drug during this period. Think about that.

 

Let's look at the many ways baseball players have cheated throughout the game's storied history: Ritalin, scuffed balls, Vaseline, red juice (amphetamines), cutting the bases, spitting on the ball, watering the basepaths, drying out the field with gasoline, pine tar, telescopes in CF, blinking lights, foot tappers in the third base box, infield decks, corked bats, holding a runner's belt, stealing signs from the dugout, and now PEDs such as HGH and steroids.

 

I find it almost impossible to believe that all of those forms of cheating are immediately forgiven, yet PEDs are unforgivable. That gets into a whole other argument, though, that involves a pompous Hall of Fame Voters Committee unwilling to look back on its own actions.

 

Rodriguez has a lot of baseball left: One of the many reasons that Rodriguez must be forgiven is the length of time his career still has left. Unless you want to hear about PEDs every time he steps into the batter's box for the next decade, forget about this. Forget it ever happened.

 

Hopefully, before long, the Alex Rodriguez positive test and admission of guilt goes the way of the others who admitted guilt, and is almost forgotten. By the time he retires, baseball will surely have begun to let accused abusers of steroids into the Hall by comparing them to their peers at the time of their performance, rather than to batters of previous generations. Those who stood out against PEDs such as Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Curt Schilling will even get extra consideration.

 

In conclusion, the culture of Major League Baseball in the '90s and early 2000s is to blame, not Alex Rodriguez. Ostracizing Alex Rodriguez is not fair. We'll never know the complete list of everyone who used PEDs while playing Major League Baseball, and to pick Rodriguez out of 104 names is incomprehensible.

 

Argue what has happened to Barry Bonds all you want, but I truly believe that Rodriguez was not taking PEDs to the sheer extent that Bonds was, and Rodriguez has never lied to a grand jury. Those at the reins of Major League Baseball who continually allowed players to take these drugs while turning the other cheek to higher ratings should be blamed as much, if not more, than these players.

 

For the many reasons listed above, I forgive Alex Rodriguez, and I hope this is a non-story sooner rather than later.

Edited February 9, 2009 by Steve9347

[dmbjeff]

Even if he just used it in 2001-2003, steroids have a positive effect even afterwards from what I've read up over the past couple of days. So he could've stopped in '03, but still could be reaping the benefits and reaping the negatives.

 

i was curious on this too. the whole story is so fascinating and has so many different aspects to it. each person's view of baseball from the mid 80's(canseco,mcgwire era) to 2005(when real testing occured) can be viewed in so many different ways. is it just a part of the game during this time period and we move on? do we punish everyone? just punish those who we have true proof? do we lump in every player who we have no proof but plenty of suspicions? with the broad list of the mitchell report(25th men, 5th starters, minor league fodder) to the superstars(bonds,arod,palmeiro,clemens,etc) of the game who have been caught, i just think it's a thing of this era. no one can really be cast as a "clean player". not with so much proof that it was a part of the game. as sox fans, we all assume and hope big frank was clean. we hope thome is clean. unfortunately, there is no way to prove it with anyone. i just think we take this era for what its worth and move on.

[WCSox]

The less Jose Canseco we see, the better off the world

 

As unsavory a character as Canseco is, this issue arguably wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the exposure without his book. Many negative things can be said about the guy, but he's been pretty much on-target at exposing these guys. I'd rather listen to a hypocrite like him than have the entire issue swept under the rug.

 

[Jimmywins1]

you don't have to completely transform your body in order to have done roids...clemens was always really thick and he had a solid base to build on when he was a rookie...also you have to remember guys like brian roberts, alex sanchez, derrick turnbow etc have all been juicers...you dont have to add significant bulk to have juiced

 

not to mention jim f***ing parque.

[Texsox]

I think there should be some positive aspect of him admitting it and avoiding the circus. That should be the expectation, but it is not. Still we should encourage this and discourage the Clemens, Bonds, and Rose type denials

[Balta1701]

Yeah, but it's still sort of BS. I can't believe that he just started in 2003 and then stopped because he was no longer dumb and silly and loosey and goosey.

If he stopped in 2003, then why would Gene Orza have tipped him about the date of the upcoming steroid tests in 2004 so that he could be cleaned out for them?

[Balta1701]

As unsavory a character as Canseco is, this issue arguably wouldn't have gotten anywhere near the exposure without his book. Many negative things can be said about the guy, but he's been pretty much on-target at exposing these guys. I'd rather listen to a hypocrite like him than have the entire issue swept under the rug.

It says an awful lot about the people running the game currently that people like Canseco and McNamee are the ones coming out of this looking positive. Canseco seemingly got half his teams juiced, stole a couple MVP awards and a WS ring or two, and is a general scumbag, yet at this point he's been right about virtually everything. Brian McNamee's an admitted steroid distributor, and he mistrusted a hall of fame pitcher who was supposedly a wonderful family man so much that he kept documents and needles safely stored away implicating that pitcher.

[RockRaines]

Bye Bye any chance at the HOF. Now we have you admitting you cheated, we have the statistical evidence you cheated, we have awards you won because of cheating. Go f*** yourself

[witesoxfan]

To me, that looks exactly like the Barry Bonds transformation, right down to the baggy uniform he's wearing when he hit the 500th homer.

 

I don't know, I guess I don't see it. To each his own.

[mr_genius]

If I was a pro-baseball player I would have juiced too. I'll admit it. So much of the league was caught up in it, I wouldn't want to be at a disadvantage because I refused to use PEDs.

[Balta1701]

If I was a pro-baseball player I would have juiced too. I'll admit it. So much of the league was caught up in it, I wouldn't want to be at a disadvantage because I refused to use PEDs.

Which of course brings us to another key question...how the Hell are Selig, Fehr, and Orza still employed?

[Melissa1334]

watching on espn, he didnt even admit to the 2 drugs he took. he wouldnt even say where he got them from. he kept talking about the gmc lol

[MHizzle85]

Bye Bye any chance at the HOF. Now we have you admitting you cheated, we have the statistical evidence you cheated, we have awards you won because of cheating. Go f*** yourself

I really find it funny how vocal people are about this. Bonds says he didn't take them and people call for his head. A-Rod admits to it and people jump all over him. You would think all these "critics" have done nothing wrong in their lives...

[knightni]

Bye Bye any chance at the HOF. Now we have you admitting you cheated, we have the statistical evidence you cheated, we have awards you won because of cheating. Go f*** yourself

 

/throws topic grenade, runs.

 

What's worse, a legal (at the time) PED or an illegal recreational drug?

 

If MLB never enforced it, how was it illegal/cheating?

[WCSox]

It says an awful lot about the people running the game currently that people like Canseco and McNamee are the ones coming out of this looking positive. Canseco seemingly got half his teams juiced, stole a couple MVP awards and a WS ring or two, and is a general scumbag, yet at this point he's been right about virtually everything. Brian McNamee's an admitted steroid distributor, and he mistrusted a hall of fame pitcher who was supposedly a wonderful family man so much that he kept documents and needles safely stored away implicating that pitcher.

 

Yeah, no kidding. I'm especially interested to see what happens to Orza, who will have violated the CBA (at the very least... and possibly served as an accomplice to criminal activity as well) if the allegations against him can be proven.