A-Rod admits to 3 years of steroids use
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In an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons, Alex Rodriguez has admitted to using steroids for a three-year period starting in 2001.
“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” he said.
Rodriguez denied using PEDs since, including his time with the Yankees.
“It was such a loosey-goosey era. I’m guilty for a lot of things. I’m guilty for being negligent, naive, not asking all the right questions,” Rodriguez said. “And to be quite honest, I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using.”
SI.com reported that Rodriguez tested positive for Primobolan and testosterone.
“And I did take a banned substance and, you know, for that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful. And although it was the culture back then and Major League Baseball overall was very — I just feel that —You know, I’m just sorry. I’m sorry for that time. I’m sorry to fans. I’m sorry for my fans in Texas. It wasn’t until then that I ever thought about substance of any kind, and since then I’ve proved to myself and to everyone that I don’t need any of that,” he said.
Rodriguez has lied repeatedly about his drug usage in recent years. He hit 156 home runs while using performance enhancers, 28 percent of his career total.
While much could change in how drugs users are viewed in years to come, this admission could keep Rodriguez from being elected to the Hall of Fame.
More on this story as it develops.
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on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 3:27 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
He is a louse. Release him. Still stinks under pressure, regardless.
Great, now can the self righteous media, who turned a blind eye to PED’s for many years, turn their attention to the people most responsible for the rampant use of PED’s in baseball, meaning Bud Selig, Bob Dupay, Don Fehr and Gene Orza?
his numbers from texas are completely representative of his ENTIRE career. They are nothing to be crazy about, asides from the homeruns(the ballpark can explain this), he has put better numbers than the ones during 01-03
i’m glad he admitted it.
also he was only 25 in 01, 27 in 03.
Put them all in, Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Clemens, Palmerio, Rodriguez. They’ll live with the mistakes they made, however there is no denying steroids or not, they were all very very good ballplayers. And I do have a problem with the members of the media being the moral guardians of the Hall.
reserving judgement until i see the rest of the interview.
On a spring training note, Pete, for those of us planning on coming down there, can you please post the times of the next days workouts? Specifically the first workout on the 18th. I might be down there and would love to watch the circus.
Wow, he comes with a lot of drama. Having not seen the whole thing yet, it seems this could help. If the guy admitted it, that would seem to take a bit of the steam out of the story. Personally, I don’t care that much about whether he’s in the HoF or breaks the home run record. I care about the dust settling so the team can get ready for the season.
[Obvious aside - Jeter looks better every single day, huh?]
Unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single person that is currently in the HOF played steroid free, they should let them all in.
pete, i scooped you on the transcript!
video on espn.com
Pete,
Did you land safely?
I’m going to watch the interview. To see if Phillips radar is still broken.
============================================
Repost:
Of course steroids don’t help ballers, but still an interesting article.
Check out the paragraph about he MVPs handed out in recent years. It’s quite striking.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/s.....of-scandal
“While much could change in how drugs users are viewed in years to come, this admission could keep Rodriguez from being elected to the Hall of Fame.”
Arod wont be up for the HOF until 2020/1/2ish
By then this would have all been blown over.
Well, at least he didn’t get somebody to rub hot oil on his testicles like Clemens…
Yeah, release him and still be forced to pay him. That makes perfect sense. You’re a smart one.
“[Obvious aside – Jeter looks better every single day, huh?]”
Not really. Just because Jeter (or anyone else for that matter) hasn’t been linked to steroids YET doesn’t mean that they won’t be.
Providing that he’s telling the truth about not using since 2003 he did the right thing. If evidence comes out exposing this as another lie he’s done.
Oops. Those are MLB MVP’s.
Pete,
What are your thoughts about this?
I am glad that he at least openly admitted to using PED’s and I only HOPE he didn’t take them as a Yankee.
Michael Kay on ESPN 1050 is ripping him apart right now.
Trish, he only came out because his gonads were in a vise with the ESPN story. There are no other stories on the other 103 at the moment. He was not sincere, he was sorry he got caught, bottom line. He had to admit it.
Two things:
I would hope all those who mindlessly attacked Selena Roberts over the last two days will apologize. She had the story 100 percent correct.
Meanwhile, you can’t look at the numbers over the course of his career and say steroids didn’t help him. He took them for three years, obviously he felt that they did. He stopped only when testing came in. Steroids help players come back from injuries, have better endurance, etc. Its impossible to calculate how many more games A-Rod may have played in because if steroids. It could be 0 or it could be 100. Nobody knows what minor injuries he was able to play through.
He deserves credit for admitting it. But he has been lying through his teeth for six years now. You really can’t look at him the same way. Three years is a long time to take PEDs.
At least he didn’t try to claim he “only took it once.”
I’m willing to forgive, but not quite forget. It does sully his reputation a little bit, though not to the extent of a Bonds or a Clemens.
Wow. Just…Wow.
i hope this means everyone can move on…so much has come out about this crap that i am not shocked by any of it. glad to see him own up to it.
as a life-long baseball fan i have just chalked up this period for what it is and enjoy the games. it sucks that people cheat, but that is life…happens all the time in everything. just some people get caught and others don’t.
by 2020, pitchers will have cyborg arms… so yeah, i think he will get in.
*Is that fair? No. But consider: Since 1996, 26 MVP awards have been handed out. Two went to admitted juicers (Ken Caminiti, Jason Giambi). Eight more went to people who have been officially accused of juicing (three for A-Rod, four for Barry Bonds, one for Miguel Tejada.) Three more went to players accused by Jose Canseco, who hasn’t been proven wrong yet. (That’s two for Juan Gonzalez and one for Pudge Rodriguez.)*
*Add ‘em up, and half of the league’s MVP awards went to accused juicers. And those are just the ones we know about.*
I’m glad he’s admitted it and I’m hoping he spends the rest of his career proving he doesn’t need that garbage. Given how he’s acted in the past, I was very worried he’d go the Clemens route on this so hats off to him for manning up now.
I say – fine – let them all in the Hall if they have the numbers.
Just put the asterisk and the explanation next to the name.
Geesh – the world economy is falling apart around us, and the sky is falling in the baseball stat world.
I’m glad he’s been clean since he joined the Yankees.
I’d also like to see him do some PSAs with kids against PED’s.
Rodriguez is no genius, but hopefully he’s smart enough to know that he only gets one bite at the apple of contrition. If he’s lying about being clean with the Yankees, and that comes out…I don’t even know what I would think.
I have been struggling with this news since I heard it break on WFAN Saturday morning.
I thought about Babe Ruth and his legendary excesses. I thought about the surly Joe DiMaggio and how Mickey Mantle used to hit home runs still drunk from the night before. I thought about Billy Martin, one of the more supreme assholes ever to walk the earth, and Reggie Jackson, another supreme asshole.
But for every Ruth there is a Gehrig, for every DiMaggio a Berra, for every Mantle a Clete Boyer, for every Martin a Torre, for every Jackson a Munson, for every A-Rod a Jeter.
I follow the laundry. I was a Yankee fan before A-Rod and I’ll be a Yankee fan when he’s gone.
This is a sad day for baseball. You know who I blame the most? Bud Selig, one of the most odious Americans currently living.
He looks like he’s been crying.
I don’t but I have a hard time believing he didn’t take anything while with the Yankees. Using the big contract he got from Texas as a reason as to why he felt he needed to use PEDs doesn’t help the argument that he didn’t take it while in New York.
First off that big contract he got from Texas continued through the 07 season. Why not keep taking PEDs to continue to “live up to the contract”?
Second he just got a huge contract from the Yankees. So why not need take them to continue the ‘I need to live up to the contract talk’?
Pete said:
“While much could change in how drugs users are viewed in years to come, this admission could keep Rodriguez from being elected to the Hall of Fame.”
On the contrary, this type of apology, if coupled with a few more years of clean, incredible stats, makes A-Rod a shoo-in for the HOF. He might not get in on the first ballot (a punishment vote, if you will), but he will get in. OTOH, guys like Bonds, Sosa, Clemens and McGwire, are never going to get in if they maintain their pristine innocence. In fact, most believe, that if Pete Rose would only own up to everything he did, he’d be in the Hall right now. People tend to be forgiving of those who admit their guilt and are (or at least, act) remorseful. I think A-Rod has now done what he needs to begin the healing process, both with fans and with the BBWAA.
At least he did what most of the people here suspected was the right thing and just come clean about the situation. Now we know that he used PEDs for three years instead of a single, isolated incident, and that he, like many people who are trying to get ahead in their profession, felt an enormous burden to perform.
He’ll forever be tainted with the label of steroid abuser, but at least he’s jumped a hurdle that players like Clemens and Bonds haven’t.
And about the Hall of Fame. If the people who vote guys into the Hall of Fame still consider themselves moral pillars of baseball society, they may as well clean out the place of any suspected amphetamine users, spitballers, ball scuffers and gambling louses that are already there.
The best thing that A-Rod has going for him is the fact that he’s still a relatively young man who has many productive years of baseball ahead of him. If he does indeed hit 300 more homeruns as a “clean” Yankee and break the home run record, memories of his current situation may soften slightly. We’re a society that lives and dies by the current edition’s byline, so it’s natural that what’s going on now seems to have taken on larger than life proportions. As it turns out, who here remembers Cal Ripken breaking the all-time consecutive games played mark? It was a monumental event at the time, but as time passed, it became more of a fond memory.
Hopefully for A-Rod, he’ll be able to develop a legacy post-PEDs that he can look back on and be proud of. Give him a chance, it’s the least that fans can give him.
add shane spencer to list of roiders. he’s shown all symptoms of roiding: roid rage, increased power, abnormal head, buck tooth…
shane spencer *
scott brosius *
randy johnson *
There is really no reason to hold one of the top 10 best players of all time from the HoF, especially when you think about how many current HoF’s probably took some form of performance enhancers or other drugs (such as coke) during their career.
Time to end the media circus and move on. Let’s “play ball” instead of repetedly attacking players for being humans.
I am glad A-Rod took this route. From what I heard so far, I believe his statements of being clean since 2003 and being sorry.
Your 2001 Texas rangers:
Palmeiro, Arod, kapler, pudge, chad Curtis, galaragga, sierra, velarde
Hmmm
I hope he’s smart enough to realize he only gets one bite at the apple of contrition. If he’s lying to Gammons about being clean with the Yankees (a claim that’s pretty hard to believe), then this becomes a whole other ball of wax and I would be far more on the side of the “cut him now” crowd than I am currently.
I have been struggling with this news since I heard it break on WFAN Saturday morning.
I thought about Babe Ruth and his legendary excesses. I thought about the surly Joe DiMaggio and how Mickey Mantle used to hit home runs still drunk from the night before. I thought about Billy Martin, one of the more supreme assholes ever to walk the earth, and Reggie Jackson, another supreme asshole.
But for every Ruth there is a Gehrig, for every DiMaggio a Berra, for every Mantle a Clete Boyer, for every Martin a Torre, for every Jackson a Munson, for every A-Rod a Jeter.
I follow the laundry. I was a Yankee fan before A-Rod and I’ll be a Yankee fan when he’s gone.
This is a sad day for baseball. You know who I blame the most? Bud Selig, one of the most odious Americans currently living.
i don’t agree with the idea that he only admitted because of the story, so he “had too”. Obviously, Bonds and Clemens didn’t feel they “had” to admit it.
“I would hope all those who mindlessly attacked Selena Roberts over the last two days will apologize. She had the story 100 percent correct.”
Don’t hold your breath, Pete.
You may not be satisfied with his apology but it’s more than you’ve gotten from the other 103 people on the list. Until I hear a better apology from one of them, I’ll accept this one.
Do people who mindfully attacked Selena Roberts need to apologize too?
“There is really no reason to hold one of the top 10 best players of all time from the HoF, especially when you think about how many current HoF’s probably took some form of performance enhancers or other drugs (such as coke) during their career.”
You keep Bonds out you have to keep A-Rod out. Many including myself have been on the keep Bonds no where near cooperstown bandwagon. To change my opinion on that because a Yankee is now tainted would make me a hypocrite.
“Second he just got a huge contract from the Yankees. So why not need take them to continue the ‘I need to live up to the contract talk’?”
Because he gets tested often now and would get caught.
Watching the video on ESPN-my god Alex is orange. oompa-loompa like
How off the hook is Joe Torre for his locker room treachery. Of course the book’s buzz is over too.
This story seems to be bothering the media a lot more than regular fans.
Report the box scores, I can make up my own mind.
since when do steroids turn you orange?
“Unless they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single person that is currently in the HOF played steroid free, they should let them all in.”
That reminds me; while lurking here yesterday or the day before, someone posted this link:
http://www.protrade.com/conten.....f05e1a00a7
Interesting read. And frankly, doesn’t seem all that surprising now.
A-Rod’s OPS+ with Texas: 160, 158 & 147. Average: 155
A-Rod’s OPS+ with NYY: 131, 173, 134, 177 & 150 Average: 153
Highest SLG was posted in 2007. I use OPS+ here because it’s park adjusted.
Now that ARod has fessed up – the press can now go back to concentrating on the more important things regarding ARod i.e. Madonna, Kabbalah, blonde strippers, divorce, the origin of the term “A-Fraud”…
If steroids are so dangerous, how could so many players be using it for years and years, yet be physically fine? I don’t understand this.
Will HOF voters look at his body of work sans ‘01-’03?
I’m impressed that Alex said he was doing it for that long. Lends some credibility. He could’ve said that he’d only been doing it for the 12-18 months prior to ‘03.
But people would probably refute that and he’d look even worse.
The Texas trainer was blasting Alex on Saturday. “His work in the gym did not equate the results on the field.”
A-Roid still knows how to get a mean tan at least. Cmon you gotta give him that! Go Yanks, pride and the Pinstripes!!!
I give Varitek even more credit for lifting A-Rod off his feet in that famous scuffle at Fenway in July of 2004. If I recall correctly…he used a crotch hold. Probably didn’t have much to work with.
one of the most obvious roiders = juan gonzalez
Someone will come out of the woodwork and say ARod has been using with the Yankees.
He will look like a liar all over again. It is unbelievable to think he suddenly stopped using after his MVP season.
Its absolutely hilarious that people are actually surprised by this. A-Rod has used steroids for years….so did a ton of other people.
There are actually a few people from his HS days that say he was using them then too… guy went from a bone skinny junior to a 300+ lb bench presser in one year…
To those who don’t know, steroids provide a GIGANTIC aid for any athlete, and don’t listen to people who say otherwise. I know what I’m talking about.
selena roberts was a lousy colunist, imo.
in this case, selana roberts did a great job. there are dozens of top reporters our there trying to get thier hands on the names on that list. she did it, arod confirmed it.
she deserves credit for great reporting.
I will apologize to Selena Roberts as soon as she apologizes to the Duke lacrosse players whose lives she ruined.
The media is gonna be devastated that he came out and admitted it.
You know they were praying he denied it so they could beat this into the ground forever.
So now they’ll find anyway they can to still rip him for the way he apologized.
All I know is thankfully he came out and admitted it and hopefully this garbage can be put to bed before the season starts.
Some thoughts….
Pat M,
Perhaps this was the demon that always seemed to be eating at him. Not the social awkwardness, the image BS and the off-field shenanigans. Perhaps this was the thing that ate at him everyday. I know if it was me, it sure as hell would eat at me everyday. In essence, he was living a lie for the last 6 years. He no longer has to live that lie.
Wherever you sit on this issue, you have to admit, if he is telling the truth, he has to feel like the weight of the world is off his shoulders today.
If that’s the case, you may be right, he may finally be free of enough inner demons to just go out, perform and not worry about his image or anything else. Time will tell.
Randy,
The last two guys who should be giving interviews are Tom Grieve and Buck Showalter. Rightly or wrongly, it looks like those guys were running a team that was Ground Zero for steroid usage.
You look at that Rangers roster from 2001-2003 and I can pick out 14 guys, 9 I know were using and 5 who were suspected by those in the game to be users. They were all signed by Tom and Buck.
Not exactly something I’d be crowing about if I were those guys.
Pete,
His story is a lot more believable than saying, “I only did it once”. Nobody would have believed that, even if it was true.
He has never flunked a drug test as a Yankee. FWIW, there haven’t been any rumors about him and PED use in South Florida with him for years. Perhaps he is telling the truth. Obviously, we don’t know for sure.
I know few people will give him the benefit of the doubt and that’s not unexpected.
However, if people want guys to ‘fess up, you can’t rip them when they do.
A-Rod’s OPS+ with Texas: 160, 158 & 147. Average: 155
A-Rod’s OPS+ with NYY: 131, 173, 134, 177 & 150 Average: 153
His career high SLG was posted in 2007, but overall it seems to have fallen slightly. I use OPS+ here because it’s park adjusted.
steroids didn’t help jeremy giami
Not sure what drugs he used?
WOW WAY TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT THE STUFF YOU ARE PUTTING IN YOUR BODY!!
‘HONESTLY didnt know what I was guilty of using’?!?
Today…right now…would be perfect timing for McGwire’s mea-culpas.
I wonder whats worse.
a. Arod lying to Katie Curic.
b. Palin telling Katie she can see Russia from her house.
Katie always seems to be in the thick of things.
SJ,
What was your reaction when you heard the news break? Were you shocked? Or did you know and were wondering what took so long for it to come out?
I don’t apologize for anything I said about Selena Roberts because I never doubted that she was correct in what she reported. I said she was a loser for reporting on court-protected information. I still stand by that.
I don’t much care about anyone’s indignation at this point. I don’t care that he took them for three years or thirty three. Baseball will judge Arod and his legacy, not I. I am happy he admitted taking them.
Funny it seems I remember the blogmaster saying that Arod had better admit and get this past him. Now we should all still vilify him because three years is a long time?
No, here’s where I come out. I will look at him the way I always did and let history judge him. I am happy he admitted using.
“Why not keep taking PEDs to continue to “live up to the contract”?”
well Trevor the only reason I could believe he stopped using them after 2003 is because there was testing in place. Now whether or not he used before 2001 is up to you.
Pete,
You responded to my comments early in the morning yesterday when I attacked her story because based on my observations I was very skeptical. I don’t believe my skepticism was misplaced but I was wrong. She broke a great and sad story. To that I tip my hat to her. The question now is what if he hits 1,000 HR? If we eliminate his 2001-2003 seasons in there entirety he would still have more than Hank. Big questions. I like how Olney votes for the steroid era HOFers.
Of all the paths he could have taken when this story came out, Arod chose the most manly one and the one that most fans hoped he would take. And I think for that, fans will be appreciative. This gives him the only path towards possible HoF.
Who cares that he admitted after getting caught. How many people admit to running a red light to the police if they haven’t been caught? Innocent until proven guilty equals it’s not cheating if you haven’t been caught. I guess that’s how the system works.
If any of you think he stopped using steroids in 2003 you are insane. Personally, I could care less. He is a phony and a cheat and I will cheer him when he drives in his 1st run of the season. What I find really funny are quotes like this:
“All I know is thankfully he came out and admitted it and hopefully this garbage can be put to bed before the season starts”
If we were talking about Ortiz my guess is you wouldnt want this put to bed so quickly.
ar: im just proud that im here sharing my story regardless of what the union, …this is noone’s fault, this is my fault”
Barry Bonds lives!!!!!!!!
“WOW WAY TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT THE STUFF YOU ARE PUTTING IN YOUR BODY!!”
or why give the name of 10 when they only know about 2?
hey some posts are disappearing…weird
Ironically, Jose Canseco has been silent.
He’s usually the first one to run to the microphone.
Jim Kaat just hit the nail right on the head.
He basically said that the real blame needs to be on the league and the players’ association for not addressing the problem. He admitted that if he saw other player’s taking something that helped them throw 98 miles an hour, he would have been 1st in line to take it too. He compared it to when he would load up baseballs with pine tar, and that every player naturally wants whatever competitive edge they can get and it is up to the league to stop that.
He also talked about comparing eras and that the players shouldn’t be penalized for playing in the steroid era if there was no penalty for using steroids. He said that if you could have been suspended 100 games for pine tar or scuffing a ball, he never would have done it, but that wasn’t the case. He also said that players knew cortisone was bad for you, but he couldn’t wait to get his shot to get rid of the pain.
Harold Reynolds makes a good point that baseball is a game of endurance, and that steroids changes that aspect of the game. I still agree with Kaat said, that players naturally look for that competitive edge.
Arod did it, so what?
I think the past few years have clearly established PEDs are rampant throughout baseball. At this point would it be surprising if 100% of the baseball population was on steriods? Don’t be surprised if the number is close.
When will the spotlight be turned towards those responsible for letting this culture spread and reach the critical mass it exists at today? If you ask me it is the responsiblity of the commissioner of baseball to protect the sport from such things and Bud Selig failed (and maybe contributed? tipping players? seriously?)
A-ROD UP THE MIDDLE February 9th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
steroids didn’t help jeremy giami
***********************************************
steroids didn’t help canseco’s identical twin brother, Ozzie.
Next to be caught: David “BIG PAPI” Ortiz
if steroids increased my earning potential by 20-30% I would take them in a heartbeat. big deal.
These other 103 players need to speak up or they better not bother apologizing when their names are released.
How weird would it have been if Alex told Katie that he used from ‘01-03?
Of course that was doing interviews to explain away the Boras mess.
Would you be less shocked? Hard to say since we know it now.
There is nothing wrong with questioning how and when the story by Selena Roberts and David Epstein was released. I don’t believe for a moment that she was out to destroy baseball or destroy Alex Rodriguez, although that seems to be the views of many people. The biggest issue I had with the entire scenario was how A-Rod was one of over 100 people from that 2003 testing to show up positive for steroids, yet was the only one who was exposed and subsequently racked and quartered by the media and fans alike.
Of course A-Rod deserves to be blamed for what he did. Steroid abuse is an inexcusable and stupid offense.
We are only privy to the information that is presented to us by journalists such as Selena Roberts. So to hear that the initial list consisted of over 100 players naturally made a ton of people ask the obvious question, which was why she and Epstein didn’t just release the entire list in the first place. Now we know that these are unnamed sources that revealed the results of supposedly confidential testing in 2003. If Roberts wanted to bust the steroids abuse angle wide open, then she should have just busted it wide open. A-Rod would still be there, only he’d be there with a hundred or so other players. Does that make her story any less compelling or influential? Of course not, because the natural inclination would be to trend towards A-Rod anyway.
Journalists have every right to defend their brethren. I would be disappointed if they didn’t. However, many individuals like myself who don’t have the inside information see the story from another angle, namely that Selena Roberts is 2 months away from releasing a published work about the life of A-Rod. No one has the right to tell Roberts when to release her story, but no one should tell the general public what to think either, and many of us have raised an eyebrow about the timing of this article in conjunction with her other endeavors. It is natural to focus on the most talented, most handsomely compensated player in baseball, but to do so ignores the fundamental problem behind all of this, which is the culture and game of baseball itself. And again, I have no problem with an article about Alex Rodriguez. But I find it hard to read the SI article and believe that it was done in the best interests of baseball as a whole rather than the self-interest of an intrepid reporter. Curt Schilling may be a loudmouth, but he’s got a point. Release the floodgates and out everyone from that report.
As for A-Rod, I hope he can move on from this sordid episode and put his life back together because it would truly be a shame to see an individual with such prodigious talent go to shambles. If anyone can forgive, it ought to be Selena Roberts herself, who ruined the reputation and nearly ruined the lives of several young men playing lacrosse for Duke University. If anyone knows what it’s like to get a second chance to do the thing that he or she truly loves after making a huge mistake, it’s her.
Go Yankees.
Agreed completely with MZwerd. Selena Roberts gets (and deserves) absolutely nothing in the way of respect or apologies until such time as she can apologize for her role (which was not insignificant) is trying to crucify the Duke lax players. Yes, this time she actually managed to do her job and seek enough confirmation to justify printing her words but no one can be faulted for not believing what comes out of her mouth/ pen after her actions in 2006.
A-Rod using stuff doesn’t bother me nearly as much as him lying about it.
That said, this isn’t something that’s going to go away.
People are going to keep wondering how pervasive it is, and we’ll probably see more and more names revealed.
A-Rod has a lot of haters, so for some people this is (wrongly) fun.
But what happens if Jeter stands accused? Mo? Or someone on another team? Pujols? Zambrano? How many records are “tainted”?
I don’t expect baseball players to be saints. They’re athletes, not monks.
I expect the media to do its job–which in _this_ case Selena Roberts did, although I really _don’t_ like her, especially after the Duke debacle.
And I expect that we’re all Yankee fans today and will remain Yankee fans tomorrow.
Doris from Rego Park
February 9th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
What I find really funny are quotes like this:
“All I know is thankfully he came out and admitted it and hopefully this garbage can be put to bed before the season starts”
If we were talking about Ortiz my guess is you wouldnt want this put to bed so quickly.
———————
Guess all you want there.
If you knew me or even read my comments over the past few days you would know what my position on this issue was.
So please don’t sit there and tell me what I would be saying if Ortiz was caught. You have no clue.
pete,
i still want to know why he was the only one named. is he the only one whose name roberts could get, or is he the only one she’s writing a book about?
and just because he thought they helped doesn’t mean they did. i could inject myself with cream cheese under the impression that it would make me live forever. would it? he had high home run totals at exactly the time hitters generally peak in an excellent hitters environment. how many home runs could they really have added to his career total?
Congratulations to Selena Roberts for getting right. Good for her. I still maintain she should have to provide “the process” of how she got the information, which she apparently thinks she doesn’t do. I didn’t doubt the information itself, just annoyed that people don’t seem to want to back up their information to help convince others of it.
As for A-Rod, never mind that he took steroids back in 2003, plenty of people did. The thing that annoys me is that he found it necessary to specifically deny that he did, then give us that stupid, lying spiel about how he never felt overmatched. Here’s an idea, A-Rod (and really that A-Fraud moniker finally sounds appropriate): If there’s something being discussed that directly touches upon your own questionable activity, it’s best to keep your big mouth shut. How do people no understand this? Just. Shut. Up.
im with vasgursian about the shorter season. id like to see a 150 game schedule with scheduled double-headers early in the year and a schedule that starts the 2nd week in april and ends around sept 20th.
Great interview by Jose Cruz, Jr. Al Leiter asked him why he (Cruz) did not use PEDs and was he tempted. He said, sure, sometimes you get a little tempted, but at the end of the day, he’s not in any Mitchell report or on any lists and he can sleep and night and be proud to tell his own kids he never used. Ultimately, it comes down to what can a person live with within himself.
If anyone believes that Arod didn’t know what he was putting in his body they are idiots.
He knew. He was a quarter of a billion dollar athlete. His entire livelihood depended on his body and his strength and his health.
If you think for a fricking second he would pop a pill that some bubbermesiter dropped in his protein shake without asking him what it was, then you need to get your head checked.
Arod may have told some truth today, but he’s still lying to all of us and to himself.
There is NO WAY he didn’t know what substances he was taking. None.
What he’s trying to tell us is SOMEONE ELSE gave him this stuff and he just took it like a robot.
I don’t buy it and I never will.
What he didn’t learn from this mess was when it’s really time to stop the lying.
The guy cheats on his wife, cheats on the game…he didn’t learn anything.
“If we were talking about Ortiz my guess is you wouldnt want this put to bed so quickly.”
Only because it is clear to anyone with a functioning brain that Ortiz is a user. It’s not fair that he (along with all BOS players) get a free pass while the Yankee witch hunt continues.
People saying, “So he used it, what’s the big deal?”
The big deal is that he said he was clean and MLB was more than happy to let him be the poster boy of clean baseball, even though they knew he wasn’t. Can’t tell me that Selig didn’t know about this.
But the good news is that he’s now one of the guys. He’s not a savior and he can step off the pedestal. It’s not all about Alex and the homerun chase (ask the Giants how that period was, not very fun). It’s about 25 guys playing baseball.
might the dominicans decide to throw him off the team?
Orza crawled out of his hole:
Gene Orza, the chief operating officer of the baseball players’ union, said on Monday that he did not tip off Alex Rodriguez to a drug test at the end of the 2004 season.
“It’s not true,” Orza said in an e-mail message. “Simple as that.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02.....ref=sports
Gammons on 1050
Why are reporters allowed to publish information gathered from sources leaking sealed court documents, all under the guise of “doing their job”, but when it comes to protecting a source, those same reporters act like they’re morally obligated to conceal their identities?
i cant accept that he didnt know what he took. this casts a shadow over his admission. im happy he admitted it, but i know he’s lying to me again.
Im giving him the benefit of the doubt that 2003 was the last year he took it. But to say he didnt know what he was taking is ridiculous. Sheffield said the same thing about the cream. For someone who is into himself as much as Alex is. I cant for a minute believe that he didnt know what he was taking and probably do research on the maker. When Cash resigned him, he said that he wanted to comeback from the start and it was Boras who made the anouncement in the world series game without his knowledge. Yeah whatever.
Someone mentioned that maybe him taking this stuff severed the Jeter/Arod friendship. I wouldnt be surprised if it had something to do with it. When do the lies stop?
This is the first time Roberts has done any legitimate reporting about ARod. Even if she played by the rules on this story, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a hack. Her previous work on ARod was nothing but character assassination. She has displayed a willingness to twist facts to make a story.
My concern is that she has the rest of the names and is sitting on them to ensure that her ARod story, and her upcoming book, get as much attention as possible. If that’s true, then she’s worse than a hack.
I notice that the Yankees play team USA and team Canada in early March in Tampa and some tickets are only $9. Does anyone know whether most of the Yankees generally play these games or whether it is all backups.
Thanks.
PETE
I didn’t slam Ms ROBERTS yesterday. However, there was 104 names,and she published 1 a YANKEE.
The media bias toward the Yankees is unbalanced as compared to the other teams that spend money on their teams.
I would’ve respected her more if she had exposed the complete list. *This is a gotcha,moment.* When you report yellow journalism like the scandal rags, *no getting on the high horse, and *SCREAM RESPECT!!*
*If You had broken this story,you would dig deeper to be* *fair, and published the full list.*
G Love
Big difference between knowing what he put in his body and telling what he put in his body.
The Feds say they want the suppliers and want to talk to everyone on the list about that. If he told 10 things he took, he would have to give up 10 suppliers he got it from.
That’s got to be an issue kept in mind.
M,
Bet Selig knows a lot more than just that…wonder if anybody will ever ask him about 1973
i cant accept that he didnt know what he took. this casts a shadow over his admission. im happy he admitted it, but i know he’s lying to me again.
you can’t possibly imagine a situation in which he tells his dealer “just get me the good stuff, i don’t care what it is” ?
not to mention the barry bonds excuse of “for all i know it’s legal as long as i don’t know what it specifically is.” people do that sort of thing all the time.
Gammons: “Alex had all this orange stuff oozing out of him. I was really grossed out.”
from last post:
doreen -
jim kaat is a breath of fresh air.
mlb network is excellent at times when real baseball people like kaat are talking to other real baseball people.
jose cruz jr is on now. i used to shag balls with him when he would visit his dad from georgia tech.
good kid.his dad taught him well. jose cruz sr was a class act.
Jim Kaat is absolutely correct.
Mel,
I had no idea he used. There were a LOT of rumors of him using in Texas. A lot of them came because of the people he was hanging around with at the time and also who was on that roster.
I was disappointed when I heard the news. Shocked? Sadly, I’m not shocked when names come out these days. There are guys on other teams I know were bigger users than Arod and I’m shocked their names have yet to go public. I see this as an opportunity for him to stop what I believe has been a personal 18 month freefall for reasons I’m not interested in discussing on this blog.
I see this as an opportunity for him to grow up, accept responsibility, get rid of the image and programmed BS, and get back to being the good guy he was for a VERY long time.
There is a really good person in Alex Rodriquez. You hope this is the final “demon” that leaves him so he can be the guy he used to be. IMO, if that happens, he will not only play better, he will be a helluva happier human being.
It will make him a better baseball player. More importantly, it will make him a better person.
PED use is rampant in professional sports. It has been for years.
For all the righteous indignation people in the sport and the media give to this subject, nobody really DOES anything about it.
You aren’t going to scare people straight. It didn’t happen with the overall war on drugs and its not going to happen with PED use in sports.
The only way you can fix it is to put together the type of comprehensive drug testing program (such as the one administered by the USADA) and have people who really know what they are doing run it.
Year round testing is one thing that has to be implemented. If you don’t have year round testing, its pretty easy to beat the system.
If Arod was tipped off in 04 about an upcoming test, then he did not stop using after 03 like he has said.
this admission could keep Rodriguez from being elected to the Hall of Fame.
You are obviously not a fan of his, which is your right. For the record, neither am I.
But to make the above statement is just plain silly. Leave out those three years altogether, and he still has a HOF career.
And what about all the players in the HOF that did “greenies”? Are their records “tainted”?
ian, i hear team usa has some hot-shot ss.
Forget it. I don’t owe Roberts or anybody else an apology.
m,
I guess the Lake show answered my question of can they keep the top spot without the big man. Good win yesterday. I think its L.A.’s year unless the sustain more injuries. Not saying my Spurs wont give them a run for their money but they are just soooo deep. Thoughts on the Morrison/Vlad trade? We need another big man. I hope they pull a trigger on a trade that can fill that need.
“Alex had all this orange stuff oozing out of him. I was really grossed out”
What!
pete, can the yanks void his contract with this now?
Lets not forget in ‘05 Arod was very big. He said that he got too big and “worked out” to much and had to lose that weight to be lighter. The next season he was smaller. Who knows what the truth was…
We should really turn this blog over to SJ, he’s much more even handed than Pete.
Bravo SJ.
SJ44,
Thanks for your candor. Alex is the ultimate “Poor little rich boy” to me. A lot of what went on in the last 5 years can be seen in a different light. I hope that he can be one of the guys and work towards the goal. Having more role players is not sexy, but you need that and I think they’ll help Alex get closer to the team.
I realize that cheating is rampant, but it’s no excuse.
yanks without arod = 3rd place
at least he admitted what he did and he explain y he did it now we have to move on we have to cheer for him hes our third baseman and all we do is support him
Has anyone said if Alex contacted the Yankees before giving that interview?
yanks with arod = 4th place
SJ44, The pursuit of perfection had to be just tearing him up..That in addition of craving acceptance by the NY meadia and Yankee fans ir’s just too much to bare….It’s as if he lived on an island very much alone…..I do believe he’ll be embraced by both the meadia as well as the fanbase as he bared his soul….Look for a different A-Rod in 09…The road may be challenging in places like Boston, Texas, Seattle but overall he should be fine as he may have finally found comfort in being Alex the ballplayer rather than the mythical A-Rod.
gammons really sticking up for arod here…
SoS,
It was a great week (except for the Andrew thingy). A lot of people (Reggie Miller) saying watch out for the Spurs. The new guys are getting the system now. I surely hope they don’t cause us any problems.
Bravo for Arod…he could easily have just admitted to the one time use, but instead seems to have come clean. He better get the same treatment that Giambi and Pettite got.
This whole steroid thing is tiring. It’s nothing but a self-serving exercise in sports journalism. Baseball writers (for the most part) are the biggest group of nostalgic, misty-eyed bastards in the world. There is no purity in the MLB, purity in baseball exists in parks and streets around the country when kids are using the extra summer daylight wisely. These guys get paid millions of dollars to play a game so no, there is no purity in the sport.
we need one of those national reconcilliation things here about steroids in baseball. everybody who testifies gets blanket immunity. anybody who doesnt gets no immunity at all. nobody has to give up names.
then go with WADA testing, blood testing and storage and later testing of samples.
Current testing would likely catch any player using standard steriod treatments – but that’s not likely what’s happening.
Still no reliable test for HGH – but HGH shouldn’t necessarily be referred to as a PED. The intent among users seems clearly to be mostly as a recovery aid for connective tissue – tendons, ligaments. Or as a PED perhaps to enhance them to avoid injury.
But for a fascinating look at the issue from the dark side, Will Carroll has a great post on Baseball Prospectus of a meeting with a guy he calls “X2″ (www.baseballprospectus.com , Feb. 5) from the supply side about testing and the future of PED’s. I’d like to believe baseball has been cleaned up to some extent. Carroll’s story gives plenty of reason to believe it may never happen, nor is now.
Gammons said that Cythnia was at Arods house when he did the interview.
If anything, this entire ordeal has punctured the routine that A-Rod has been trying to pull with the media and the fans from day one, which is that of an individual who is devoid of flaws.
Now we all know and understand what should have just been accepted a long time ago. A-Rod, just like any other human being, is a flawed individual. He doesn’t have to be Mr. Perfect to get people to like him, all he had to do was be honest with himself and the fans. One of the saddest aspects of this entire situation is the fact that his interview with Gammons is about the most genuine and realistic person that fans will see.
I wish that this had never happened, but if A-Rod is to truly learn anything from this, hopefully he will stop being the guy that he thinks everyone wants him to be and start being the guy that he has tried so long to conceal.
Society loves flawed people. A-Rod, welcome to the party.
advice to anyone:
when you feel the urge to talk katie couric , don’t do it.
I would like the geniuses asking whether the Yankees can void ARod’s contract to tell us who will be ARod’s replacement at third, and how we’ll get around the huge drop in production that would result from the change.
Also, I’d like to know whether you support a policy of kicking every single player who ever used PEDs off the team, or if ARod gets special treatment because you don’t like him.
Looks like there’s a 3 minute clip on espn.com.
I wonder what the Lie to Me guy would say.
Alex scratches his neck. And there’s the red string on his wrist.
“Gammons said that Cythnia was at Arods house when he did the interview.”
Interesting. Perhaps their divorce was amicable. If she was there to give him moral support, that was very big of her.
Here’s all I ask. Please do not post vile comments about other people. I just had to delete several comments about Selena Roberts that were disgusting. Try and have just a little class.
It’s his fault, nobody else’s. Write whatever you like but have a point and show some respect to people. How in the world do some of you people function in society? It’s frightening.
i mean- how can anyone say Jeters clean? he his his career high in HR;s in 1999 when he hit 24.
This might be old news, but for people wondering why Ben Sheets was never signed: “The answer is that free agent right-hander Ben Sheets intends to undergo surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his elbow.”
David Cone’s Labrum, was Kapler a juicer? I know he was a big guy, but did he ever show up on any list?
As for the Yankees, they’re married to ARod for better or for worse. He came to them hat in hand with no leverage and they extended his contract until he’s 43 years old.
Mel,
That’s just it. He isn’t a “poor little rich boy”.
His mom worked 3 jobs when he was growing up. He used to get dropped off at the University of Miami after school for years and work his butt off with the college guys on the field. Everyday. He rarely took days off.
He didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He had a lot of early success. One could argue it was too much, too soon.
He also had no real male mentors, aside from Scott and Rich Hoffman (his HS Coach), who could lead him down the right path.
I always felt he would have been better off if he went to college for 3 years. Looking back, he needed it more than one would have thought when he was 17.
If you go back and look at athletes who had great success very, very early in life, the guys who are able to handle it seem to have a strong father figures in their lives.
Alex never really had that. Scott and Rich could only do so much.
I was glad to hear Cynthia was there for the interview. She gets him more than just about anybody in his inner circle.
He was never happier than when his marriage was in good shape.
I was glad she is there to help him through this. She will give him the kind of advice he may not like hearing but, needs to hear.
I feel a sense of relief for arod, he finally came out of the closet, and maybe that helps him in the long run. Gammons just said he seemed the most human and sincere ever.
(first post ever btw)
First – all of this came straight from the mouth of Mr. Boras after much rehearsal – Boras knew he had a big-dollar PR problem on his hands.
Second – A-Rod stopped using just before he became a Yankee? That’s very convenient for Boras’ PR purposes. Then why was he warned by the Union in 2004? And we can tell that he stopped juicing because he was “tested”? Everyone knows that there are ways to test clean, including using the newest drugs.
Third – He didn’t know what steroids he was taking? There’s another big lie.
Yankees like to cheat to win, thats why A-Roids got that extension
In response to a few common anti-A-Rod observations in this thread:
(1) One reason why it’s believable that A-Rod stopped using PEDs after 2003 (as he claims) is that mandatory testing began in ‘04. It doesn’t appear he had access to BALCO PEDs (e.g., “clear”) like Bonds did because he was clearly taking traceable PEDs in 2003. In contrast, Bonds was taking (then-untraceable) PEDs in 2003. That’s why Bond’s 2003 test initially didn’t come out positive until the Feds used more advanced techniques to trace these advanced PEDs in his urine.
(2)We’ll have to see the full interview, but I didn’t interpret A-Rod as saying that he didn’t know he was taking PEDs. It’s clear that he acknowledges he took banned substances. Rather, I think he’s saying that he doesn’t recall what type of anabolic steroids he precisely took — for example, Deca-durabolin vs. Primobolan vs. something else.
(3) While A-Rod’s reputation is tarnished forever, let’s give him credit for fully accepting responsibility. Perhaps he was cornered and he learned from the missteps of others, but: (1) unlike Bonds, Sheffield, Clemens, Palmeiro, et al, he admitted guilt; (2) unlike Giambi or McGwire, he didn’t rely on inculpatory silence or vague admissions of guilt; and (3) unlike Pettite, he didn’t offer an implausible story of I only used it once. (Of course, if it turns out he used PEDs during his Seattle and Yankees years, then he’s really toast).
SJ is absolutely correct. Alex is a victim.
Note than in 2003 Tex was a rookie with Texas. Does this taint him too?
A-Rod should go a step further in rebuilding his image. If the union would let him, he should submit to regular BLOOD tests (not urine tests) for PED use by an independent lab. Then release the results to the press. Of course, he’d never do it and the union wouldn’t let him, but this would at least provide evidence he will be free of drug-enhanced-performance issues for the present and future years.
Finally, does anyone think that the release of A-Rod’s “confidential” test results and no one else’s smells of someone out to get A-Rod or the Yankees? Does anyone think for a second that Selena Roberts’ sources don’t know the names of others on that list? Anti-Yankee conspiracy theory, anyone?
“I would like the geniuses asking whether the Yankees can void ARod’s contract to tell us who will be ARod’s replacement at third, and how we’ll get around the huge drop in production that would result from the change.”
I know. A-Rod’s contact cannot be voided since there wasn’t any language in it that specifically mentions steroids. Face facts, people. He’s ours for the next 9 years. Learn to support the guy or we will be without another title for 9 more years.
Derek Jeter will be key in this whole thing. If he comes out and says that he supports Alex, more fans will cut A-Rod some slack. If Jeter does his usual “no comment” routine, Alex is screwed.
She’s not saying – she’s avoiding the question – I think she’s got the list. (Selena on MLB)
Pete,
Sports matters a heck of a whole lot to some people (and definitely too much for too many). It’s only natural for people to vent their frustrations and anger at the person that’s revealed A-Rod as a steroid cheat.
Is it classless and terrible to say these things? Of course it is. But it’s free speech and I can’t fault people for being so emotional for something they’re so invested in. I would just say to get another hobby….
Gammons supported A-Rod on 1050. He said A-Rod was very sincere and honest in the interview.
She doesn’t even say she’s writing a book. Said she was working on a “profile.”
Doreen,
Absolutely. Otherwise she would say she doesn’t have it. Possession is 9/10ths of some kind of law. But then she’d have to explain how she got just one name.
“He didn’t know what steroids he was taking? There’s another big lie.”
I don’t think it matters what he took. He admitted he used. Further with the way the media treats Alex if he said he took 3 things and they found out it was 4 they’d kill him again.
Boras has said that all of Alex’s tests were clean since 2004 so nothing should pop up now.
I hope that we can just get on with baseball. Pitchers and catchers report Friday.
Kabe Kapler went to Western HS in Anaheim I believe….He was a 165 lb of….He is a manufactuered athelete…If you get my drift..I’m far more cautiuos after Randy I, saved my baco the other day…
Ster Rod is through…stick a fork in him.
Psyluk,
Pete deletes comments that have really nasty content. If you saw them you would agree they should be deleted.
He left up my comment about Roberts btw. She is definitely not immune to criticism.
I love how people say, “this will affect his HOF” status. Maybe, but maybe not. Assuming he plays for another 8 years, that means the HOF is at least 15 years away (7 year wait, right). Who knows what he will do for the next 8 year, what other names will come out (gasp, Derek Jeter, gasp), and how everybody will feel in a decade in a half. My sense is that the fans will be over this by mid – summer and he gets into the HOF. 15 years is a long time – cooler heads will prevail.
Regarding the whole voiding his contract nonsense. Gimme a break. So then does everyone who used steroids get their contracts voided? No team would have enough guys to field a team.
Use your brains and think a little bit people.
m,
Yesterday proved that the west is still the toughest conference. I dont think the Spurs can take the Lakers out unless they bring in a big man. Duncans going to be worn out by the end of the season if they dont bring in some help. Odem is darn right scary when he actually wants to score. Biggest underachiever in the league(a compliment).
By the way, I’m not sure it’s a bad thing she doesn’t mention the book she’s writing.
Unfortunately for A-Rod and baseball fans alike, this is one storyline that will linger like the smell of bad fish for the entire season. There will be some people out there that won’t be able to let this story go.
I’m already bracing myself for the first “He’s hit yet another home run. Is he really clean?” article that’s guaranteed to come out during the season.
I understand players that didn’t take steroids wanting names to come out. They want to be known for doing it the “right way” and have their numbers looked at differently. The problem is, every single name will never come out. Even if the 103 other names are out, that doesn’t come close revealing everyone that took PEDs. What about the people who were told ahead of time about the test? What about people taking PEDs that aren’t traceable?
I don’t care one way or the other if another name comes out. The focus should be on the league and the players’ association taking the blame for this entire problem. If they confronted the problem early on, demanded player testing, and enforced serious penalties, this wouldn’t be known as the steroid era.
The irony of all of this is that we are all discussing what Jose Canseco had been telling us for years. We owe Jose (barf!) an apology long before we give one to Selena Roberts.
Showalter on 1050
I’d like to see Ray Morneau weigh in on this…
Can Selena Roberts face prosecution for publishing information from sealed court documents?
Great article by Tony Massarotti up on a certain Yankee-related website that shall not be named here.
Jeremy,
I don’t disagree with erasing bad messages at all. I was just saying that I can see how some overzealous and overemotional individuals who have way too much invested in the affairs of a baseball team can lash out in a disgusting manner.
“Boras has said that all of Alex’s tests were clean since 2004 so nothing should pop up now.”
Why do I need to keep reminding people that Scott Boras is a liar?
SoS,
I don’t know if it’s the toughest. But it definitely swung back west a little. We were getting wiped for a bit there.
(but Phoenix is now a half game out of a playoff spot)
O-damn! That’s what we’ve been cravin from Lamar. And it was great to see Bonner light it up in front of the “home crowd”.
islesfan,
At most she can be jailed for contempt if she refuses a court order to name her sources. Otherwise she committed no crime and cannot be prosecuted.
By the way, that’s yet another terrible angle in this story. Jose Canseco has just bought himself another 15 minutes of fame.
Mikey, doll, they seem to have deleted what I wrote!!! For shame
When can we expect A-Roid to issue Jose Canseco a public apology?
SJ,
When you mentioned 18 month down fall. Did you mean in his personal life or business? Both?
*PETE*
There isn’t a person happy about this info going into a new season, *but to ask anyone to apologize to a bias*
*sports writer is asking a lot.*
*The Yankees get no luv from sports wrriters.* SHE GOT HER DIRT,let that suffice.
Doreen-
It does seem that SI reporters do have a disclosure problem.
Pete,
He hit 28 percent of his career total homeruns in that time period but that time period was also about 25 percent of his career so basically he has not declined at all since that time period. Then, you have to take into account that righties do hit more homers in texas when compared to yankee stadium so it makes sense if you extrapolate those numbers across his career – that dont reflect any sort of significant improvement over his career norms while not using.
Also, you have to consider that he has won TWO mvps since texas and NEITHER of his two best seasons were over that time period – his best seasons were in 1996 in seattle his first full year in baseball and 2007 with the yanks. Not only, were those extremely far away from his time in texas but they were 11 years apart illustrating how consistent arod his been at being one of the best in the game. tHAT IS THE main reason i FELT it was pretty evident from merely looking at his numbers that unless he used his entire career, he did not have any significant dropoff and did not use all that long.
This really and truly reflects he common held belief that roids do not make a player a superstar. He put up big homerun totals in arlington but that is also a park in which righties hit a lot of homeruns especially when compared to yankee stadium. Moreover, his average and obp in arlington do not significantly deviate from his career avg and obp. This guy is one of the best baseball players of this generation and three years of juicing across a 20 year career can NOT change that. The BBWAA has to realize this or they should be stripped of their voting privelages.
Actually, they should have already been stripped of their voting privelages but this would really create a stir. Furthermore, the fact that some of the writers were writing articles yesterday discussing that they would not vote for arod without the slightest bit of proof and without even hearing what arod has to say should imply how ignorant and biased they are in this vote. The BBWAA does not deserve such a privelage when some of its members are a joke and hopefully, one day someone of importance will realize this and change it.
Canseco, I’m still waiting on my confession of him loving manly women. That is still absent.
“By the way, that’s yet another terrible angle in this story. Jose Canseco has just bought himself another 15 minutes of fame.”
Except that he’s been MIA since the story broke. You would think he’d be doing a press tour after this. I haven’t seen him on any news or sports show. Has anyone seen him since Saturday?
Do you believe I belong now?
Any idiot here who claims that he stopped in 2003 and that he has been clean since doesnt know anything because the roids he took, he would be able to retain a high percentage of the bulk gained through steady workouts. So he did gain an illegal advantage and maintained it. A-Roid: Cheater and Yankee for life, accept it!
sj-
you know i have said stuff like arod’s not a real yankee, but i feel today that he started the process of getting back on track.
i just hope he’s telling the truth and getting everything out he has to.
no doubt alex made a mistake, but after watching jose cruz jr talk on mlb network talk candidly about why he never used steroids and how his family and his dad, jose cruz sr had a lot to do with his decision, it makes sense with alex how he didn’t exactly have male role models guiding him as a kid.
you mentioned how jeter had his dad being a drug counselor and having that impact his decision makiing process. it does matter. it doesn’t excuse alex, but it helps show why he made a bad decision .
somehow i think all this is going to help alex.
just an aside: i really do not like iistening to selena roberts talk like she really knows alex rodriguez. alex this , alex that. to me she’s a very small part of this story. if she ever proves it wasn’t a leak handed to her, then maybe i’ll take her more seriously.
Anyone else happy this lady is on the phone instead of in the studio? Definitely a face for radio.
She seems like a lady that’s been angry at A-Rod for his off the field issues that made it her goal to expose him. She comes off as real smug for getting what she wanted.
If A-Rod stops taking steroids this year, will his stats go way down? Will he be emotionally damaged?
m -
LO played his best game of the season yesterday. That’s the guy we’ve been wanting all along. That’s the kind of skills he has. Huge win for the Lakers. No Bynum. Kobe reduced due to his illness (although he was still able to muster that clutch turnaround to move the lead from 4 to 6). What a great game.
S.o.S.
I’ll give your Spurs credit for a good game. I have always liked the way they play the game. Pop is one of the best coaches in the game.
m
It does’nt happen often
but I was rooting for your Lakers yesterday.
Laura –
Canseco is like tax day. Everyone hates it and everyone can see it coming. It’s only a matter of time.
rodg12,
One of the most beautiful shots I’ve ever seen. Even Radmonovic didn’t have that kind of rainbow.
I can’t believe there is a “Void his contract” movement. Who would you like in the middle of our line-up Joe Crede? perhaps Adrian Beltre(another PED user)? I dont think so as fans we need to forgive A-Rod he approached this issue as honest as he could.
You can go directly to boston.com for that Massarotti article, too
http://www.boston.com/sports/c.....s_aro.html
randy l -
It is creepy the way Selena talks about Alex. She talks about him like she cares about him, and I don’t think that’s quite so.
Nope Jim, you still don’t belong in the Hall. Not even close.
“I would hope all those who mindlessly attacked Selena Roberts over the last two days will apologize. She had the story 100 percent correct.”
Actually, Pete, she only got half the story right. All parties have categorically denied the Gene Orza part. Not that I would expect you to ever take another journalist to task.
AND, not many people attacked Roberts for whether the story was correct, but rather the incredibly sleazy manner in which she reported this. I mean, a book that is being self-proclaimed as an “expose”on why A-Rod is a liar, and using illegal information to do so. Noooo, that’s not questionable at all.
So, Pete, you are saying, that since you will have a HOF vote by the time A-rod is up, you won’t vote for him? Lord help us all…
canseco has been right about every player he’s written about.
my guess is he tried to put out another book
Jeremy,
Yeah, contempt of court for not revealing her source is what I was getting at.
I find it hypocritical for a reporter to freely publish information sealed by the court but will refuse to name a source who committed a crime by leaking that information.
MaineYankee,
Can’t say I returned the favor.
Looks like a 2-horse race in each conference now. Some unbelievable basketball being played right now.
“Any idiot here who claims that he stopped in 2003 and that he has been clean since doesnt know anything because the roids he took, he would be able to retain a high percentage of the bulk gained through steady workouts. So he did gain an illegal advantage and maintained it. A-Roid: Cheater and Yankee for life, accept it!”
I wouldn’t say he’s a Yankee for life because he was on the Mariners and the Rangers. I’m happy he’s on the Yankees now, and look forward to watching him hit home runs against whatever team you root for. I’m sure there aren’t any cheaters on that roster, though, right?
Yea doreen, she is working on a profile alright – a criminal profiling i think is what she meant because she makes arod out to be some sort of criminal using a book as the venue in which to do it. This lady takes no responsibility for her actions when she writes – she merely writes the most controversial and salacious material in order to turn a profit. Her kind really is despicable as she basically seems to thrive off the suffering of others – ousting arod to the public with 103 other names at her disposal and now, she is continuing her journey to make arod hated by all by writing a book in which she talks about everything he has ever done wrong in his life and why it was all his own fault, She even goes so far as to question his sexuality Ive heard. This lady deserves no respect for yankee fans. She is the worst kind of writer, the worst kind of person it seems.
“Im giving him the benefit of the doubt that 2003 was the last year he took it. But to say he didnt know what he was taking is ridiculous”
Yes to both here also.
Well that explains why Texas was happy to pay him $9M per year to play somewhere else when they traded him after ‘03. Now that A-Rod’s said it himself, I can believe it.
Still, if it was supposed to be confidential, how the information got out should be investigated. There are 103 other players on the list who are about to have their privacy and/or confidentiality violated.
If a doctor or a lawyer does that to their client, they can lose their license to practice their profession. I don’t know the details of how it came about, but something along those lines has happened and someone should face the music for it … they should not be labelled a hero. This should be pursued from a legal standpoint.
And, Canseco is still a jerk.
Al,
You keep saying there’s a movement. Not true. There was one writer, but the radio guys, people here aren’t calling for it.
But if they could do it, I’d be tempted to take it. Not because of the steroids, but because having A-rod for the next 10 years is a risk,
Can this lady be forced to give up her source in order to go after the person that leaked the information that was supposed to be sealed by a court?
“No,” said Rodriguez. “I’ve never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I’ve always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn’t have a problem competing at any level. So, no.”
Not so confident now huh?
One thing is for sure: Baseball has entered a very dark period, one that will be cast with a shadow of doubt, suspicion, and mystery.
oops, submitted too soon.
He’s a risk mental-health wise. The good news is he doesn’t have this burden anymore.
“I expect the media to do its job—which in this case Selena Roberts did, although I really don’t like her, especially after the Duke debacle.”
Exactly. I’ve been saying all day that Roberts is a crappy reporter in general but in this instance she did her job.
At this point, I could really care less about who and who didn’t use steroids.
And you know what, if we didn’t have Alex, we would have Soriano-Your telling me he never did them?
“He is a stench on the game, and anyone else who cheated—breaking major league baseball rules along with, more importantly, the laws of the United States—has no right to continue to pursue and achieve records held by the imperfect people of the past who did it the right way.”
Good luck sifting through the last 38+ years.
Not saying Alex is crazy. Just that he has the potential to drive himself up the wall.
Lala,
A-Rod severed the link between the past and present of the game?
I hate to break the news, but baseball has been chock full of unsavory characters for over a century now. Not to mention that the current state of baseball is only possible because baseball was a racist, segregationist game for several decades.
Everything today is the “worst thing ever” until the new “worst thing ever” happens.
“I find it hypocritical for a reporter to freely publish information sealed by the court but will refuse to name a source who committed a crime by leaking that information.”
Of course it is because Roberts did this for one purpose and one purpose only. To get her name in lights. The test results were never supposed to be made public and there were no penalties assesed with respect to the players who tested positive. That was the deal.
Some reporters take their jobs very seriously and really want to do a top-notch job of reporting. Not trying to look in peoples’ closets hoping to find skeletons, not publishing information that is sealed by a court of law. To me Selena Roberts is nothing more than a hack journalist.
There are journalists who do a wonderful job of reporting the news without trying to be the ones to make the news. Roberts is not in that class.
My opinion.
P.S. I take court orders seriously.
what have you all cheated on in your lives?
“I find it hypocritical for a reporter to freely publish information sealed by the court but will refuse to name a source who committed a crime by leaking that information.”
It might be hypocritical, but that’s the way journalism works, to my knowledge. People with confidential information shouldn’t leak it, but if they do, it’s fair game for reporters unless it puts lives at risk. People throw around the phrase “freedom of speech” a lot, but this is one area where it really applies. Gagging reporters is just about the toughest thing for the government to do.
I highly doubt a court will order Roberts to reveal her sources. Judith Miller was jailed for contempt for refusing to name her source in the Valerie Plame leak, but that went to a matter of national security.
Wasn’t Giambi recently signed to his 7 year contract when the news came out about him? They keep saying he was at the end of his career. In fact, he’s still gonna play this season.
Lala -
YAWN!
Buck Showalter on the webcam with Kay.
Said he’s turned down lucrative offers to write books.
But he doesn’t think he’d do it. Wouldn’t want the guys in the clubhouse to think that he’d lay all their stuff out there.
MainYankee,
That game could have gone either way. I was too busy to watch the first 3 quarters. I turned it on and watched Hill at point guard and was worried that Tony Longoria was hurt.
One thing i like about Popovich is his nonsense approach and his leaders believe in what hes selling. What im concerned about this year is they are trying to outscore teams, not shut them down.
I don’t believe for a nanosecond that he suddenly stopped using after 2003. Puhleeze.
He said he NEVER took them a year ago, now suddenly after he got caught we’re supposed to believe that as soon as he left Texas he got off of the juice?
He was coming to NY, the toughest place to play sports and suddenly he stopped shooting steroids?
Yeah freaking right he did.
“Im giving him the benefit of the doubt that 2003 was the last year he took it. But to say he didnt know what he was taking is ridiculous”
I disagree. If A-Rod had a handler, his own version of Brian McNamee, he could very well not know exactly what it was that he was taking. The guy could have told him what he wanted to hear – “it will make you hit the ball longer, you’ll play for more years”. From Alex’s perspective, who cares what it’s called. All he knew was that it was a PED. So when he says that he doesn’t know what it was that he took, he could be telling the truth.
Mikey,
What are you some kind of roids expert? Have you done them? What is your background on the subject matter? i WOULD say that someone could retain net gains from eating protein bars, drinking protein shakes and working out 24/7 as well. hE retained net gains from roid use after six plus years? I am in medical school but i dont pretend to know a lot about steroids but your arguments seem horribly flawed. Thanks for trying though.
Not that I trust him but Steve Phillips said he suspects 75% of players tried steroids, Schowalter said it was less than that but it was certainly a fair deal.
Of course he’s not going to admit everything. This is supposed to be a damage-control PR exercise.
I think MLB must make sure and make it 100% clear to fans that this is a thing of the past and it is absoultely impossible to cheat tests today, so that hopefully, years later this all becomes a bit fuzzy and A-Rod’s HR record will feel less tainted.
Or maybe A-Rod could try to beat Aaron without the HRs from those 3 years. Is that doable?
I’ve cheated. So what does that prove?
I still think this story was more her going after ARod than trying to expose the use of steroids. She said that in the course of her story she heard things that made her look moer closely at him and steroids.
I think there was enough swirling around other players that could have been exposed if they wanted to. I think I have a problem in that she had an ulterer motive. Not just for the good of the game. Players are blamed for their desire for the big contract. Was the motive for this story the same? $$$.
Drew
February 9th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
what have you all cheated on in your lives?
How many of you make 30 million a year playing a kids game?
“Can this lady be forced to give up her source in order to go after the person that leaked the information that was supposed to be sealed by a court?”
Yes. Either that or she can spend time in the pokey.
The whole “he has contributed to a stench on the game!” argument is a little extreme when you consider some of the other problems that have plagued the sport–racial segregation/racism in general, gambling, fixing games, etc. Steroids is the 21st century’s version of those skeletons in past generations’ player’s closets. Although I guess if you want to get really self-righteous, it would make sense to call for A-Rod’s retirement and require him to work in Denny’s.
m
Leyland said the same thing. Said I can pay for what I want in cash and no good comes out of talking about other people.
“He was coming to NY, the toughest place to play sports and suddenly he stopped shooting steroids? Yeah freaking right he did.”
You know, it’s like a broken record around here. People are posting the same, idiotic thing. I don’t know for sure that Alex stopped using after 2003. What I do know is that he has been tested on a regular basis since he’s been a Yankee and has not failed one test. That to me is enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Lala,
A-Rod, and everyone else that has done steroids isn’t going to disappear. If you want to watch baseball over the next 9 years, you’re going to have to watch A-Rod hit another 300-400 home runs. You might want to stop watching sports all together if you really get this upset about PEDs. Baseball, football, basketball, swimming, cycling, golf, hockey, tennis, track and field, horse racing, soccer, and pretty much every other major sport are filled with athletes that have used PEDs to get an edge. Maybe Nascar could work for you?
“I don’t believe for a nanosecond that he suddenly stopped using after 2003. Puhleeze.
He said he NEVER took them a year ago, now suddenly after he got caught we’re supposed to believe that as soon as he left Texas he got off of the juice?
He was coming to NY, the toughest place to play sports and suddenly he stopped shooting steroids?
Yeah freaking right he did.”
After MLB started to get serious about roid testing and investigations I suspect he did stop using PED’s. Essentially he was using the steroids when everyone else was doing it then when guys started getting busted and testing became more common he had to stop.
“Some reporters take their jobs very seriously and really want to do a top-notch job of reporting. Not trying to look in peoples’ closets hoping to find skeletons, not publishing information that is sealed by a court of law. To me Selena Roberts is nothing more than a hack journalist.”
It is the job of a journalist to uncover news. She uncovered a huge story about a fraud who is widely considered the best player in baseball. She didn’t leak the story; she did her job and reported the information she discovered.
And if this was a player of another team, say Ortiz, a lot of people here would be praising Selena for exposing him and declaring that Ortiz should be punished.
Canseco’s agent said that he will do only one Arod interview. With whoever pays the most money. I also read (I believe it was in the nypost) today he also said that he is writting a new book. Ofcourse with more info on Arod and other big talent superstars.
If its just a kids game whats the problem?
pat,
Goes back to does it pass the, “Mom” test. If your mom told you that it’s important to keep confidences or not gossip, she did right. If you ignore her advice, you did wrong.
m
February 9th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I’ve cheated. So what does that prove?
————————————
That you’re a disgrace to America and you should work at Denny’s instead of what you do?
pat m-
gabe kapler is different than that other situation
kapler even skipped a whole year playing to manage in the minors right as testing increased dramatically. very suspicious behavior. when he came back with milwaukee his legs had gone back to being skinning again.
there was so much testosterone sweating out of red sox players during 2004 that if none of them is outed, the fix is definitely in.
if after a few years when everything comes out and no one is exposed on that red sox team, selena roberts will really have a story to uncover.
again, sometimes the best place to hide something is in plain sight. george mitchell is an expert on being clever. he’s probably also smart enough to know someone on the red sox needs to be outed. maybe they will pick someone like kapler. or garciaparra. or someone else who has lost favor anyway.
there is still a yankee/red sox overtone to this that is annoying as a yankee fan.
Andrew, have you ever seen “LALA” here before? Before last night that is? Can you spell “plant” or “troll”?
I wouldn’t pay much attention to the flailing monster in the corner. LALAs are best ignored.
Laura, that’s what I was thinking with regard to his not knowing exactly what he took. Who knows? But he said he didn’t ask questions.
“She’s not saying – she’s avoiding the question – I think she’s got the list. (Selena on MLB)”
She is probalby waiting for the right opportunity to benefit from leaking some names, just like she did A-Rod’s to improve sales of her book.
Working at Denny’s is a punishment? Where else can I push the, “Would you like pancakes for the table?”
Roberts should reveal her source. I think we have a right to know it.
Doreen,
That answer’s so suspicious. I would’ve said, “I’d rather not answer that now.”
I don’t know, BBFan. The rest of the names don’t add anything to her book. Her book is about Alex.
It’s probably not worth the trouble she could get into to leak the list.
Yankee Guy -
I said I had problems with two things that are tied for first.
1. Arod used steroids
2. Roberts provided leaked information that was supposed to be court protected.
“It is the job of a journalist to uncover news. She uncovered a huge story about a fraud who is widely considered the best player in baseball. She didn’t leak the story; she did her job and reported the information she discovered.”
Uh really. So you think she went out with her reporters steno pad and asked around and just happened to run into someone who’d talk?
I hope Roberts likes bread and water.
Maybe you don’t believe in the court system. I do. Here’s a clue. It’s bigger than all of us. Sit and wait to see the trophy they give to Roberts for “doing her job”.
SoS
I think the Celtics got away from their ball movement and tried to much one on one. Their strength is forcing the defense to move and they did’nt. I think Doc got some of his coaching ideas from playing for Pop.
“Can this lady be forced to give up her source in order to go after the person that leaked the information that was supposed to be sealed by a court?”
Actually, there are shield laws that protect journalists from disclosure of confidential sources of information. I’m don’t know how they work, but I guess there’s a chance that Selena could keep quiet.
Look at Dave standing by his man like a good little girl. If you think I am crazy then just sit back and watch the media ask the same questions. You may want to get some tissues handy since it is obvious you get so emotional over your precious A-Roid.
“Can this lady be forced to give up her source in order to go after the person that leaked the information that was supposed to be sealed by a court?”
i would put her in solitary confinement and take away her bonbons until she fesses up.
(i’m not being sexist. take way ice cream from me and i’d sing like a canary )
ANSKY, we don’t have the right to know, but the court sure does. And if the trial is public, well hell we’ll find out!
Happy times are a-comin!
Pat M:
For a bit of useless trivia, Kapler went to Taft high school in LA, not Western in Anaheim. The only reason I would know or bother to reply is that I went to Western (class of 72)– home of Andy Messerschmidt, Tiger Woods, and Dana Nafziger (long-snapper for Tampa Bay back in the day). I’m probably forgetting someone.
Kapler did go to Cal-State Fullerton–my alma mater. Kapler was there in the 90’s. I was there in the mid-70’s with Kevin Costner, Tim Wallach, and my current congressman, Ed Royce.
m -
The thing is Alex has a history of not saying things the right way. I don’t know. For a guy who is so careful about what he eats, you’d think he’d want to know. But at the same time, the human psyche is very complex and sometimes we do things with absolutely no logic attached. There’s no way to get into his head way back in 2001.
EvoLuTioN Feb 9, 2009 at 3:30 pm said: “his numbers from texas are completely representative of his ENTIRE career. They are nothing to be crazy about, asides from the homeruns(the ballpark can explain this), he has put better numbers than the ones during 01-03.”
True enough. Rodriguez accumulated most of his numbers as a Mariner in the bandbox Kingdome. The Ballpark in Arlington (Texas) was and still is a hitter’s haven, unfortunately for nearly every pitcher the Rangers have acquired. And, of course, either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium would have suited his hitting style perfectly, as his power to opposite fields is almost as good as when he pulls the ball.
Personally, I don’t believe his convenient confession that he “only” used steroids as a Texas Ranger hitter. That phase of his career is pretty far back in his rear-view mirror now, and I guess he figures he doesn’t owe those fans anything.
What I’m saying is, he must think confessing he was a cheater on the Rangers fans but not as a Yankee will take off the heat he should be feeling from Yankee fans for lying all along.
I’ve been critical of Alex Rodriguez for years, and have been criticized myself because of my skepticism. I’m not exactly happy that I was right all along, that he IS a liar, and that my suspicions about him using steroids are vindicated. It’s not really fun to see a guy take himself down THIS far — and tell the truth, didn’t he just destroy his own reputation as badly as Mark McGwire did?
Honestly, I can scarcely believe that Rodriguez really IS the scuzzbag he’s appeared to be both on the field and off.
Raymag,
He cannot lie at this point because within a year or so, it will become obvious when his game falls out from under him. If he didnt stop in 2003, then when did he stop? 2005, 2007, still doing them now? The longer he uses, the more ravaged his body will get by the steroids. After years of abuse, his body would just start to fall apart as did every other admitted or suspected user. If he did it for less than 3 years and at that age, it would be reason to think that there would be no severe long-lasting effects but if he did it for ten years, he will certainly head down a steep cliff around this age. There is no way he could lie about doing roids his entire career. There would just be no way of hiding it. And there was no precipitous jump up in his stats either – his best seasons were 1996 and 2007.
His first year in baseball and only a season ago with very little down years in between. That illustrated that over 13 years, he has managed to remain one of the games best performers, that he has been largely consistent over that time period and that 11 years went by in between huge years. Those are all reasons to think he did not use for very long. lOOK AT careers like bonds and mcgwire. Their numbers skyrocketed, they were inconsistent in different categories across their career and they were injury prone. They also had dramatic changes in their body type. Arod doesnt really fall into any of these obvious warning signs.
m
Naw, *A~roid is crazy, to ruin his reputation,STUPID.*
Trisha – what are they going to charge her with? Besides, SI wouldn’t let any of their reporters publish a story that could result in legal troubles. I didn’t say she just happen to run into the story. She did her job as a journalist to research a story and she found four reliable sources. If Arod was to blame someone for leaking his test results, would he point to those sources or Selena?
Trisha — That’s sort of what I was thinking. Somebody decided that this A-Rod information had to come out and gave it to her, she then checked it with 3 other people and away we went. Her prowess for finding the truth not withstanding.
I for one hope that three hots and a cot stimulate her creative process.
randy
Do you remember Kapler in that fight with the Yankees? I think it took two players to bring him down.
Trisha,
Sorry, but Roberts will not spend a day in jail. No court is going to compel her to hand over sources who said ARod flunked a roid test.
Reporters print stories based on leaked, confidential information all the time. It’s extraordinarily rare for any of them to face a contempt charge.
ARod is not an undercover CIA operative. There will be no hunt for the people who leaked his name, and thus no court order.
“I disagree. If A-Rod had a handler, his own version of Brian McNamee, he could very well not know exactly what it was that he was taking. The guy could have told him what he wanted to hear – “it will make you hit the ball longer, you’ll play for more years”. From Alex’s perspective, who cares what it’s called. All he knew was that it was a PED. So when he says that he doesn’t know what it was that he took, he could be telling the truth.”
Agreed. Plus if a McNamee type guy comes forward and admits that Alex was kept deliberately in the dark, Alex can claim innocence and that it was in blind faith. Not responsible of him but it gets him off the hook.
“Actually, there are shield laws that protect journalists from disclosure of confidential sources of information. I’m don’t know how they work, but I guess there’s a chance that Selena could keep quiet.”
Yes and this is a California court that ordered the information sealed. Why don’t you tell us how much good the shield laws did for the two reporters in SF who leaked grand jury information! I find it really hard to imagine that a court will uphold a journalist who leaked court-protected information.
Shield laws are state laws and work when reporters don’t want to give up their sources in the process of writing news stories. They are not meant to shield reporters from contempt when someone has violated a court order.
Mikey,
You went from a steroids expert to a five year old kid within a few posts. Nice transition. No one is dumb enough to ask those questions to arod – what do you think they are going to ask them? If he still feels like he has an edge seven years after he took roids? Umm, I dont think any one outside of you is dumb enough to ask a question like that. You have the intelligence level of a toddler.
Ok I did some more research on shield laws and I’m pretty sure that Selena cannot be forced to name her sources. She’s not going to jail for this story.
What was the quid pro quo to get her source to commit a crime and give up the information from the sealed court documents? Did she pay for the info? Did she give a cut from her new book, which just happens to be about ARod? Are we to believe that the source sought Roberts out and freely gave her the info for nothing and for no apparent reason?
If she was a willing participant to committing the crime, then why shouldn’t she be open to prosecution?
“That you’re a disgrace to America and you should work at Denny’s instead of what you do?”
I have noticed the servers there look a little bigger than IHOP. I didnt realize they were Roid users. Ill tell you this, iv always been scared to ask what the rooty tooty fresh and frooty was.
“Sorry, but Roberts will not spend a day in jail. No court is going to compel her to hand over sources who said ARod flunked a roid test.
Reporters print stories based on leaked, confidential information all the time. It’s extraordinarily rare for any of them to face a contempt charge.”
Jeremy, see Fainaru-Wada, and Williams, Lance.
And oh yeah – the contempt charge was for publishing confidential information about steroid use.
“I’ve cheated. So what does that prove?”
lying or cheating is a relative thing. there are gray areas.
in baseball i used to sometimes tick a batter’s back swing with my catcher’s mitt when i didn’t like him. if you do it right, the umpire doesn’t pick it up, but it totally throws the hitter off.
in golf, i’ve called a penalty on myself when i’ve been over a putt and the balls moves and no one else sees it.
alex wasn’t in a gray area. he cheated. he got caught. i also still think he cheated himself because i think steroids do something funky to you that isn’t conducive to handling pressure.
having too much testosterone going though your body doesn’t exactly enhance thinking.
OK, can we put this to bed now? he admitted using, more than most people can do. I admire him for it and Ill give him a hall pass. This was the culture back then, and if hesnot using now, lets give him a break.
Yeah, but the difference between McGuire and Arod is that Arod has 9 years to repair his image.
“Why don’t you tell us how much good the shield laws did for the two reporters in SF who leaked grand jury information! I find it really hard to imagine that a court will uphold a journalist who leaked court-protected information.”
I’m not sure what case you are talking about; if you want to give me their names, I’ll look up some information on it so I can argue a point. If they were on the grand jury, the shield law doesn’t apply.
“Shield laws are state laws and work when reporters don’t want to give up their sources in the process of writing news stories. They are not meant to shield reporters from contempt when someone has violated a court order.”
Yes they are meant to shield reporters. Here is the definition: laws which protect journalists from being forced to disclose confidential information in legal proceedings. These laws protect the rights of a journalist from revealing confidential sources, notes, or other unpublished information and may be applied in both criminal and civil hearings.
“Ok I did some more research on shield laws and I’m pretty sure that Selena cannot be forced to name her sources. She’s not going to jail for this story.”
Yankee Guy, next do some research on shield laws and how they protected Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams.
No disrespect, but you don’t know what you’re talking about. If the California federal court decides they want to prosecute someone for leaking court-sealed information, Roberts is the one who will either reveal the sources or not reveal. If she chooses not to reveal, she will spend time in prison.
It really isn’t a new concept we’re talking about.
Otherwise courts would decide there was no need to have anything sealed anymore because if it gets leaked, well heck then it will be reported anyway. So let’s just abandon the sealing process!
i don’t think so.
Dave please print out this string for when the questions get thrown at A-Roid and for when the facts on how these steroids work come out. Of course you wouldnt see this in your med books because this is a purely illegal usage and these effects are known only to cheaters, like A-Roid. My point is that particular steroid he took allows one to retain a high % of the bulk and that in itself gives A-roid an advantage longer than 2003. Pride and the pinstripes indeed.
Yankee Guy – Shield Laws were not meant to protect journalists when court-sealed documents have been leaked! That’s the difference.
Rob NY – it will all boil down to whether or not the federal court in California decides it is unhappy that the information has been leaked. The point is that Roberts could easily be held in contempt. What remains to be seen is whether or not they take it that far.
The reason I think they will is because this has also embarrassed MLB and MLB now wants to get to the bottom of how the information got out since now everyone wants to know who the other 103 are!
It was not supposed to get to this.
We’ll see what happens.
I will live no matter what!
I always like examing the legalities in things.
Who here really thinks he didnt know what he was putting in his body? Whoever does then I know of a Nigerian Prince who needs your financial help.
“Do you remember Kapler in that fight with the Yankees? I think it took two players to bring him down.”
maine yankee-
i though the batboy and ballboy did a good job
i don’t remember kapler, but i remember that it took three red sox players to take tanyon sturtz down in one of those fights.
Karen,
It doesnt even seem to matter that arod took steroids to you or not or how long he took them. People who didnt like arod from the start were probably never going to really genuinely change their opinion of him. If this whole thing, rationalized your original feelings with the fusion of perception and reality, I am glad you are finally at peace with it all. But frankly, you along with many others are making this roids use out to be far, far greater than it actually is. Arod is not the worst person in baseball for this. He is not a horrible person. hE IS JUST one of thousands of users in baseball who did the stuff to get an edge and make more money or retain more confidence. He is one of thousands maybe even more than that.
The fact is that he is being used by baseball as another scapegoat to try and help shield all the massive problems that selig has created for the sport. Why should players be the ones to blame when the stuff was not even banned and running rampant throughout the clubhouses. Why would anyone think such scrutiny as this would befall them 6 years after the fact when every single player around them was juicing just as much if not more than them. Maybe arod is not the victim here – he certainly is not the victim I would say but he isnt the reason for all of baseballs problems. And he certainly didnt destroy people in his wake. He was going to be just as good without the drugs and most people could see that just looking at his numbers.
And if he in fact, took them up into his yankee years when did he stop? Because there is not one single solitary sign of a decline or an inconsistent mark in arods illustrious career. He has consistently over a 13 year period been the best in the game with his two best seasons coming 11 years apart and neither of which came in texas. So when did he stop? We cant just assume that he has just done this for 12 years and continues to do it based on one test in 2003. That is lunacy.
randy
I thought Kapler was part of that. You know what age does to memory.
As always, I respect everyone (except LALA, whoever that is because the “person” is entirely disrespectful) and everyone’s opinions. Whatever happens with this that and the other will unfold in time.
Everything here is opinion anyway.
Meantime, I want to make sure I get home in time to see the 6:00 unveiling!
GO YANKEES!
” baseball i used to sometimes tick a batter’s back swing with my catcher’s mitt when i didn’t like him.”
Randy,
What is that exactly? I caught in little league but never heard of that term before. Did you mean tip? How did you get away with it?
Trish – hopefully this will be my last comment on this. I think that if this ever reaches court, it is going to be a giant mess. One side of me looks at the case you mentioned and believes that Selena will have to name her sources. Another side argues that neither her nor SI would release a report w/ chances of legal trouble. Also, I haven’t heard anyone discuss the legality of her actions.
Anyway, lets move on to something else. Spring training, anyone?
I’m glad he came out and told the truth. I just wish people would stop directing their anger/disappointment at him specifically, and rather at the game itself, for that is where the integrity has been lost. Nowhere in any of Alex’s exorbitant contracts has there been a clause about being on a higher moral ground than all of the other players; we assumed his innocence in this scandal, and then glorified him as someone who would never touch the stuff. But when somebody who has already been villainized for signing the largest contract in sports history, who has a tendency to be very insecure, goes to a ballclub where about 70% of players at the time used steroids, at the impressionable age of 25, no less, we shouldn’t react to it as though it’s the biggest deal ever. Especially since steroids and HGH have been rampant in baseball and other sports since the sixties, when there was no testing whatsoever. As a previously linked-to article shows, Hank Aaron’s numbers (more specifically HR% in reference to age) are much more consistent with those of PED users than those of non-users (not to mention the corresponding spike years of Aaron’s teammates). Obviously it would be ridiculous to implicate Hank Aaron based on pure speculation, but remember, there was no evidence whatsoever back then. Given what we know about the history of steroids in the game, should we really totally assume complete innocence in the case of the former king? I don’t think we should. What’s more, I also don’t think that any repercussive action should be taken based on events in the past that were consistent with their era. It is and should always have been the responsibility of MLB and the MLBPA to control all forms of substance and PED use/abuse, and when it comes to HOF eligibility, all players during the steroid era (1960-2005ish) should be judged by their dominance over their peers, not their media-percieved character.
Oh and to the people pissed off about his lying to Katie Kouric: who the hell would ever want to create a firestorm like this if he didn’t have to? The results of that test in ‘03 were supposed to be anonymous. Admitting to steroid abuse when everybody assumed he was innocent would have created a massive and unnecessary distraction to his team. If there were ever to have been a time when it would have been even slightly reasonable to expect him to come clean about this when it wasn’t even percieved as an issue, it would be post-retirement.
“You know what age does to memory”
maine yankee-
aging does kind of suck at times, but the alternative is way worse.
You can talk about nothing can be done abot Roberts and her sources, but, Federal Judge Susan Illston will most likely be filing comtempt charges.
———————————————————-
“SAN FRANCISCO – The judge in the Barry Bonds perjury case could find BALCO prosecutors, investigators or officials in contempt if evidence connects them to the leak of formerly anonymous 2003 Major League baseball drug tests that resulted in allegations that Alex Rodriguez took steroids.
A source familiar with the proceedings between the government and MLB players union said, “It is not possible this was leaked without there being a violation of the law.”
Two former prosecutors said it was likely that Judge Susan Illston, who is presiding over the Bonds case, would order contempt hearings. The Rodriguez disclosure is especially serious because Illston and other federal judges had ruled that this was “information [the government] wasn’t entitled to,” said Charles La Bella, a former U.S. Attorney who practices criminal defense in San Diego. “It’s unfair to tarnish an individual based on that illegally seized information.””
“Government and defense leaks have defined the BALCO case. The longest prison sentence in the seven-year steroids investigation has not been for athletes lying to Novitzky or to a grand jury about banned substances but for violating an Illston order.
Illston referred the December 2004 leaks of BALCO grand jury transcripts for prosecution. A grand jury was convened in Los Angeles. FBI agents investigated prosecutors and investigators, as well as reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle, defense attorneys and BALCO mastermind Victor Conte. On Feb. 14, 2007, Conte’s former attorney Troy Ellerman pleaded guilty to disclosing the transcripts and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison.
Because nearly a hundred other MLB players remain at risk of having their test results illegally leaked, experts said Illston or other judges involved in the case would probably act swiftly.
Incarceration is not out of the question.
“She can order that the matter be referred for prosecution,” said La Bella. “And when a judge refers something, the government better take a look.”
Since the San Francisco’s U.S. attorney’s office prosecutors, staff and investigators could be potential targets of an investigation, another agency would be enlisted to conduct a probe. As in the BALCO leak investigation, a grand jury would be convened.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns
Illston is not a happy camper.
I stand corrected! Good for the judge.
Could Ms. Roberts be prosecuted for contempt? Sure, assuming someone in the legal process feels a significant issue has been raised. But since the court proceeding this stems from has nothing to do with A-Rod, who’s going to want to pursue it? Is the US District Court going to want to, in concern for their internal security? Probably not.
Do all the indignant here have the same sense of indignance about Game Of Shadows and Barry Bonds, which was also heavily based on leaked sealed information?
The fact is Roberts may not have a supposed “list” of names along with A-Rod. Her leak may have been very specific. And the fact is many of the names on the “list” might be of little interest – as were many of those in the Mitchell Report. It’s the big names that get the play.
What strikes me as particularly odd in all this was that there are names at all.
MLB and the Players Union agreed to confidential testing to measure the depth of the problem, with the proviso that if testing showed usage exceeding 5% of players, formal testing and penelaties would follow. Why were any names collected then? There was no need for names, just numbers.
Frankly, I’m thinking the leak is coming from MLB. They had access to the test info, and have seemed to want to keep the pressure on the players on this issue, and not just for some “purity of the game” point. It seems to me to be about the hearts and minds of the fan, the salary structure of the game, and the next round of the CBA, where the owners seem to be spoiling for gains. It may sound conspiratorial, but let’s remember we’ve had multiple recent cases of settled collusion complaints, and a business with an antitrust exemption that allows them to play a bit more fast and loose.
Either that or Bud is doing everything in his power to keep his buddy Hank Aaron – no discredit to Hank – at the top of the non-asterisk pyramid. Okay, that was a joke.
“What is that exactly? I caught in little league but never heard of that term before. Did you mean tip? How did you get away with it?”
s.o.s.-
some hitter’s have very low back swings and you can slowly move your mitt in closer and closer while he’s hitting until you just barley touch the bat with the glove. i got pretty good at it.
you had better be ready for a fight when you do it though. i have a strange sense of humor sometimes and i would do it when someone was wound a little too tight or a little too full of themselves.
the funny part is acting like you don’t know what the irate hitter is yelling at the umpire about. playing dumb is an essential part of this skill
“Rodriguez has lied repeatedly about his drug usage in recent years. He hit 156 home runs while using performance enhancers, 28 percent of his career total.”
How is the view from that high horse, Pete?
OC Yankee thanks for the heads up…I know he lives in Newport Beach…So he was a Titan….I was bs’ing with him one day outside of Fenway in September 03 the night Clememns shut them down….I was stunned to see the transformation of his body….Are you in the Newport area ?????
Pete:
You are absolutely right to call out the people who have said disgusting and reprehensible things about Selena Roberts. That’s uncalled for and you should speak out against that. To quote my favorite president “We can disagree without being disagreeable.”
That said, I think it would be nice if you responded to a few other comments in this thread. It’s been a pretty lively one, filled with a wide range of thoughtful points from all sides of the spectrum. I think those comments deserve a response to, not just the mean spirited ones.
Second, and I can’t believe I am saying this, but Jose Canseco is absolutely right. The absolute real story here is Selig, the other MLB leadersip, the Owners, and the Player’s Association. 104 players tested positive in this single test. Does anyone here believe that those 104 players were the only ones who used PED’s during the era? Most importantly, does anyone believe that the MLB leadership was completely clueless about this?
It feels like the big name users are like shiny little objects that have distracted the media like as if they were dim-witted kittens. Not just the media, but also the Congress. What did we get from the Mitchell Report? Roger Clemens and….? I try to remain even keeled in these things, but are you kidding me????? How in the name of all that is right and good did that report not focus on the powers that be in baseball rather than scandal-monegeing? Why is the media doing the exact same thing again?????
104, One hundred and four,…let me say that again for emphasis…104 players failed ONE test for PED’s. How is that not the HUGEST of HUGE stories? How is the focus NOT on the people who were charged with being the stewards of the game and allowed this to happen on their watch?
Yes A-Roid (I got love for him, am glad he admitted it, but if the shoe fits…), Raging Roger, and Balco Barry all let us down. Let their reps take the deserved hits.
BUT let’s hold the hottest fire under the feet of the people who deserve it the most: Selig, the Player’s Union heads, and the rest of the Powers that Be.
Let’s prove that we’re at least a little bit harder to distract than a domesticated pet.
I believe that when A-Rod said he did not know what he was injecting, that he meant that he was unaware of the exact name of the stuff he was using. I have no doubt that he knew it was some sort of steroid, but he may not have known which one. I don’t think he lied in saying that, but I think he should have made it clear that the stuff he was taking was some sort of steroid. He DID say that he knew he was taking banned substances. That leads me to believe that he knew he was on the juice.
I think he took the right path in admitting his use. Those commenters here who say he is probably still using don’t know anything about the MLB testing program. I find it hard to believe that he could have been using for the last five years and not fail a single test in all that time. I believe he’s been clean since he joined the Yankees. I believe he’s clean now. And I believe that if he can get his head straight, he can have another MVP season.
The only reason A-Rod came out now is b/c of the leaked test results. He lied to Katie Couric in the Dec. 2007 interview. It’s not as much as using roids as much as not being trustworthy and a liar. So how do we know he’s telling the whole truth now?
And one more thing that struck me…we’re supposed to believe he only took the stuff because of the immense pressure and guilt of his contract in Texas, but suddenly stopped when he came to the pressure cooker of New York? Seems odd.