Thanks for everything, Alex
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 09, 2009 
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There may be a person who can save the newspaper industry after all:
Alex Rodriguez.
With two hours to go, there have been nearly 2,200 comments made on this blog today and we’re getting close to 70,000 page views. It’s amazing.
This is now the fourth season for this blog and nothing — absolutely nothing — generates more furor than our pal A-Rod. He is such a polarizing figure in so many ways. Fans either love him or hate him but everybody has an opinion.
So keep doing what you’re doing, Alex. In nine more years, you could be the guy who makes on-line journalism and blogging a profitable enterprise. Just don’t ask us for a cut, you make enough already.
Thanks to everybody for reading today.
It’s already profitable for some of us
No wonder you love Selena Roberts so much Pete!
oh yuck…really…
great stuff… An opera, epic, and sports event rolled into one neat tragedy.
BTW – I remain convinced as long as the Yankees employ A-Rod, they will not see the promised land; wilderness is what awaits us.
I haven’t been able to read since 5:30 since I had to go coach my two 12 yr olds in their LL practice. How refreshing.
I told one kid who is a red sox fan when he walked up, if you say anything about Arod youre a dead man lol.
I just watched the hot stove interview with Tom Hicks and I can’t believe that the panel didn’t address all the other Rangers who are to be believed to have done steroids. Hicks talked about feeling like a father figure being betrayed. Nice group of kids he had there. Arod, Gonzalez, Palmeiro, Pudge, Valarde, Conseco and who knows how many others.
Not blaming him but I just thought that those names should have been brought up as well to point to the culture there.
Pete,
I may not always agree with your reports but appreciate the hard work required to balance your life and the blog in this 24 hour news cycle (and in new york city of all places!).
maybe let’s get some optimistic or positive reports in the next few weeks!
Onkel Bob:
I say this with a certain amount of confidence: It is highly unlikely that one player, by himself, can prevent a baseball team from winning a World Series. It becomes,ooh, i dunno, let’s just say…more unlikely…when that one player, roids or no roids, is one of the best players in the history of the game.
So, I think its pretty hard to state for a a fact that the Yankees can’t win a World Series with Alex Rodriguez. I hate to go out on a limb, but hey, its just what I think.
Can we slip this frosted flake a pink slip already?
Like I said this A-Rod stuff will keep newspapers afloat until Opening Day.
Of course, you make sure to keep bringing the people in, Pete, with your, shall we say, opinions of A-Rod?
Cool man, I dig it.
I cant wait till Friday and the beginning of Spring Training. Hopefully the topic of discussions here will go back to being be about baseball.
Looks like Torre getting his punishment for TYY:
“the Dodgers have agreed to terms with Jeff Weaver on a minor league contract.”
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....k-jef.html
Al from BK
February 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Like I said this A-Rod stuff will keep newspapers afloat until Opening Day.
——————-
I don’t know.
Barring any new major developements, I get the sense that most people can’t wait to get beyond this.
Given what A-Rod did today, how much more is there really left to say about it?
Speaking for myself, I’m done with reading all the ridiculous moral outrage comming from the holier than thou media.
Fadedglory – and for some, nothing will save the dinosaurs.
“I cant wait till Friday and the beginning of Spring Training. Hopefully the topic of discussions here will go back to being be about baseball.”
HA!
This is it. This is the story for the entire season. This is all we’re going to hear all year long.
they just showed CC in the crowd at the WWE show on USA network
I was just about to say that Graf.
He better get his fat *** to Florida
Tom- I wonder what Weaver is going to think about what Torre said in the book. Oh thats right Joe doesn’t know any minor league players.
Please, enough already with this guy!
LOL @ RGR. Agreed!!
Bob(The Original)
“Speaking for myself, I’m done with reading all the ridiculous moral outrage comming from the holier than thou media.’
Amen,brother.
Now who is going to be our center fielder? What will the Yyanks do if Mariano needs an extended Spring Training before he’s ready to pitch? I know they are boring subjects but I think we’re all ready to get back to real baseball topics.
It was really weird seeing a Yankee at a wrestling event. It doesnt seem like their scene
Thanks for reporting on all this stuff and constantly updating your blog. I may not agree with your opinions on A-rod (and the very obvious bias that shines through in your writing) but I applaud your dedication to the blog. Theres nothing like a good sports argument to keep my attention (especially on a slow work day
)
I still find it shocking that Dunn, Manny, and Abreu are without teams for next season.
I want tp say that we saw Damon at a wrestling event last year. My memory may be fading but i am almost positive that Pete had a picture of him at the event or something like that it certainly wasnt something i saw myself.
HE APOLOGIZED AND FOR ME IT’S OK
“I still find it shocking that Dunn, Manny, and Abreu are without teams for next season.”
Wow some lucky team is gonna get Adam Dunn and Abreu on the CHEAP!
“I still find it shocking that Dunn, Manny, and *Abreu* are without teams for next season.”
Raw is Sabathia!
Derek Jeter(prerecorded) was also featured on the wrestling show tonight. He discussed making WWE Champion John Cena into a Yankee fan but Cena is from MA & currently resides in Tampa Bay, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing “The Champ” in the Bronx anytime soon.
RGR-
Johnny Damon has been seen at various wrestling events over the last few years as well.
Lets Play Ball!!!!
Wasn’t Damon and a few others supposed to wrestle? I thought I remember seeing some video clips on that.
OK I’m cool with an admission and an apology from A-Rod. Pettitte did it and I’m cool with that. Bonds never did it. Canseco did but with a tabloid twist. McGwire’s forever in the Twilight Zone. Palmiero’s busted, Sosa’s eventually going to end up in trubble. There are still hundreds of guys whose names are not even out here who did it.
You fess up, you move on. Continue to test A-Rod to make sure he stays clean.
Time to move on to the next topic:
Was the information obtained illegally or not?
Jim Kaat
I dont blame Alex. I blame MLB and The player association. I would have been first in line to get an edge.
I am paraphrasing. He’s on MLB channel
i find all the outrage about a-rod strange. hes just a baseball player in an era where quite obviously the majority of all players were using. save the outrage for things that actually matter, such as our government, which spies on its citizens violating their civil liberties, violates international law by torturing people and invades countries that pose no threat to us.
Many of my friends have told me over the past couple of nights that if they were in A-Rod’s shoes, there is no way they wouldn’t have done stuff.
Damon and Pierzinski and Eckstein were on TNA a few years back I believe. But idr if Damon was a Yankee yet
“i find all the outrage about a-rod strange. hes just a baseball player in an era where quite obviously the majority of all players were using. save the outrage for things that actually matter, such as our government, which spies on its citizens violating their civil liberties, violates international law by torturing people and invades countries that pose no threat to us.”
====================
yeah. what he said.
Rebecca
Are you surprised by the amount of support Arod seems to have here in Lohudville.
Rebecca, So you think Jeter is doing roids?
He is the captain of the Yankees afterall and that’s alot to live up to.
please.. don’t try and excuse or downplay what Alex did.
I’m not entirely sure how people can justify the use of steroids.
“Jim Kaat
I dont blame Alex. I blame MLB and The player association. I would have been first in line to get an edge.
I am paraphrasing. He’s on MLB channel”
Kaat is the voice of reason. Let’s move on.
Will Kaat do any games next year?
SJ,
Are you around? Just wondering what’s the proper protocol for an interview for the subject of a book. Do you call their agent to set it up? Or do you hunt the person down?
Also, I know in the grand scheme of things you think this is no big deal. But on a more personal level, what if your nephew lost his roster spot to a guy who did steroids? Would that burn you? Would it make you look at the big leaguers doing steroids differently?
Maybe by tomorrow, cashman can get to work on acquiring a real utility infielder. Adam Kennedy was released by St. Louis.
Christina
There are million$ of reasons.
Kaat is traveling in his RV. He’s long gone from baseball
Good statement from the Yankees – Alex has his team’s support and the organizations. He really put them in a tough spot, so now he’s got to come through for them…on and off the field. The Yankees need to have one question and answer session where the media can take all the hacks they want……and then, that will be it. This team has more important things to worry about then the crisis du jour.
I’m ready for baseball, seriously. I wish MLB network would stop with this Alex loop and air Prime 9, lol. I want to talk about pitchers and catchers…….anything other than steroids. I may not listen to sports radio tomorrow; I can’t digest any more of this stuff.
Good statement from the Yankees – Alex has his team’s support and the organizations. He really put them in a tough spot, so now he’s got to come through for them…on and off the field. The Yankees need to have one question and answer session where the media can take all the hacks they want……and then, that will be it. This team has more important things to worry about then the crisis du jour.
I’m ready for baseball, seriously. I wish MLB network would stop with this Alex loop and air Prime 9, lol. I want to talk about pitchers and catchers…….anything other than steroids. I may not listen to sports radio tomorrow; I can’t digest any more of this stuff.
Perhaps we’ll see a few more player accept Yankee ST invites this week. That’s what Cash said he was focusing on last week.
It’s time for another DT letter.
I went for a job interview last week. During the interview the employer asked me if I ever did anything dishonest. Of course I said no.
The employer said, look this info will never go further than this room. We want employees who will be honest. If you have ever made a mistake, just say so. We value integrity here. You have never cheated or lied at anything?
I said – Well, back in college one time I got drunk one night and didn’t have time to submit a paper. I used a report from a guy who took the course previously.
That’s it, said the employer?
Well – ok, 6 years ago I did throw a couple of extra charities on my tax return. And there was this one bachelor party once after I was married – my wife probably wouldn’t want to know about that.
The employee praised me for my honesty and thanked me for my time.
I got home and my wife had my bags packed outside. The IRS had an audit letter waiting for me. My college called and said they were stripping me of my degree.
I told my friends what had happened and they said – well what did you think would happen? – You are a cheat. You’ll get audited every year now. Your wife will have on a leash.
Have fun going back to your college reunion.
Yes, but what about that interview! That information wasn’t supposed to be shared! How did that info get out?
My friend said, well you did have a bad break-up with a journalist once….
ps: I didn’t get the job.
Ok, name me one. And please, spare me the “well everyone else was doing it too” schpeal.
wow, if anyone just saw tom verducci on mlb, he is seething mad.
he can’t stand that a-rod is managing to get even a smidgen of a pat on the back for coming clean.
i think its about time someone visited that “bastion of journalistic higher learning” at Penn State to see if Verducci ever plagiarized any of his work. I’m sure one would be able to find at least one instance where he didn’t conform to proper citation practices.
oh well…
So.. i pulled up an old article by this selena roberts.. and apparently she has something for arod because she has done several reports about him,, unfortunately they are all negative reports…
Selena Roberts, who’s about to peddle her wares at SI, tells of A-Rod’s housing complexes in the Tampa area as cheap, glorified slums.
A-Rod isn’t exactly a slumlord — some renters interviewed at his other properties had milder complaints — but he has become a landlord caricature among dwellers who hold him accountable for, say, the stack of molding mattresses by the dumpster at Newport Villas on MacDill Avenue.
A-Rod is the face on their leaky faucets, and yet his name isn’t in the welcome kit. Rodriguez’s brother-in-law, Constantine Scurtis, is the company manager — the one whose signature is on nearly $50 million in mortgages for properties in Tampa, according to records — but some of the cashiers and cooks who live at places like Newport Riverside know who holds their house keys.
To them, he isn’t A-Rod, a regular-season crackerjack on the verge of a Yankees deal potentially worth $300 million. To them, he is Tight-Rod, an apartment tycoon, who, renters say, has jacked late fees to $100 from $50 on units that run around $600 a month.
To make this clear: Alex Rodriguez is jacking up late fees on apartments he owns. Though to be fair, he has to give 5 percent of that to Scott Boras. Still.
The examples are too numerous to count: there is zero correlation betwen talent and character. Greedy owners, prima donna players, obnoxious reporters, intrusive government, and (more recently) self-centered unions and agents have all damaged the sport.
But the game itself stays above all this: Play Ball.
I don’t condone Alex’s use at all. But I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he was the only one outed. It bothers me the more I think about it.
And I’m unclear on the Orza dealio. Did he or didn’t he tell Alex?
The union said they sent a memo to the players. What does that mean? Did they send out 104 memos saying, “We sorry, but you FAIL!”? Or did they send it out to the whole union saying that 104 player who shall remain anonymous tested postitive for banned substances?
And what’s the timeline for Roberts’ whereabouts? Did she go to Alex’s house first? And then found him at the University later?
“Pete,
I may not always agree with your reports but appreciate the hard work required to balance your life and the blog in this 24 hour news cycle”
—————-
Don’t give Pete too much credit. Like he said… it’s his job. nothing more. nothing less.
That said, Pete is pretty good at that job.
Christina:
But Kaat lost his partner last year. Could he be bored? It would be great to have him back.
Christina
if you are responding to me I gave you one(million$), Money.
I really don’t like Tom Verducci…the fact that he wrote the SI article a few years back about A-Rod and the Torre book…how can he be taken seriously, nevermind the fact that he also thinks Selena Roberts is a good reporter.
The fact that he has a vote for the HOF makes me sick.
The three MLB players on the panel look like they wanted to strangle him when they said A-Rod was one of the greatest players and he was like-but he has a stain on him…what a dank.
Oh, gotcha Tarheel , im a blonde (well not really in essence), and I missed that! haha
Bob, what do you mean he lost his partner? Did his wife die?
“how can he be taken seriously, nevermind the fact that he also thinks Selena Roberts is a good reporter.”
point taken. but how can A-Rod be taken seriously when he has denied taking ped’s for years, including on 60 minutes?
For anyone that didn’t hear Kaat on the Hot Stove, he said he’d have probably used steroids too when their wasn’t a penalty. Then he outed whitey and elston for scuffing the ball (as well as himself for using pine tar to get better break on his sinker).
Anyone know when the “survey” tests took place in ’03? I wonder how long those 2 steroids would stay in his system if he stopped in spring training ’03.
Christina
But Alex doesn’t have that excuse. A so so ballplayer who thinks he can get a big dollar contract, might justify the use.
I wonder if thats why so many ballplayers seem to have good “walk years”.
I wouldnt blame some poor kid in the DR either.
Kaat didn’t “out” Ford and Howard. Ford and Mantle did that years ago in a book called “Slick And Mick”. It was hardly a well kept secret.
At least A-Rod knocked the Torre/Verducci book off the radar. No more J-Fraud cashing in on breaking the clubhouse code.
I think scuffing a ball is a little different than steroids.. I mean to me, these are illegal drugs, or substances, whetever you want to call them. Im pretty sure these are things that have been banned in OUR COUNTRY? I dont care if it wasnt banned by MLB, it was against the law. Which whatever, apparently nobody follows the law, so who cares. But still. this is not merely a matter of pine tar, spit, vasoline, etc. And you know what, people using drugs because its the “culture” “my friends do it” is just as lame. While this is not singling out Arod, its singling out everyone who went to gain and edge. If I was a clena player id be pissed off hearing these names, culture or not.
“Anyone know when the “survey” tests took place in ‘03? I wonder how long those 2 steroids would stay in his system if he stopped in spring training ‘03.”
****************************
The tests started late June and went through early September. Per Will Carroll injected Primobolan has like a six month detectable period, so his claim to have stopped in spring training would still result in a failed test all season.
I think at some point we’ll see the HoF vote taken away from “the writers” and given to more sabr savvy people. Either, that, or Baseball Prospectus or some other sabr organizatio will set up their own awards and go back through history correcting all the MVP, CY Young and HoF mistakes the writers made over the years.
Kaat said something like pine tar was ok because it wasn’t a foreign substance. It was made in North Carolina.
clearly this thing needs a spell check. Pete, lets get on that. and= an and clena= clean.
Thanks, DWatoski.
Selena on MLB now
I think scuffing a ball is a little different than steroids.. I mean to me, these are illegal drugs, or substances, whetever you want to call them. Im pretty sure these are things that have been banned in OUR COUNTRY? I dont care if it wasnt banned by MLB, it was against the law.
****************************
Christina, while I certainly agree that their is a difference between taking steroids and scuffing the ball, the point Jim was trying to make is that they were both prohibited under the rules of baseball. Even ignoring the scuffing though, the rampant amphetamine abuses of the 70′s and 80′s was also a violation of federal law (use of a controlled medication without prescription and all that) yet nobody batted an eye at the greenies in the clubhouse. Every generation has attempted to find a way to gain an advantage in baseball be it through chemicals in the body or on the ball. The one common theme throughout the history of baseball is an attempt to get ahead of your peers by any means necessary.
Prediction: Jorge Posada will be next prominent Yankee linked to PEDs. Just a hunch.
“HoF mistakes the writers made over the years.”
I’d say 99% of HoF mistakes came from Veterans Committee. Who is in by the writers that doesn’t belong. everyone here didn’t like Rice, so who else from the WRITERS was wrong?
True…Celerino Sanchez, but for some reason even if Alex takes a test every week from here on out until the end of his playing days and puts up similar numbers guys like Verducci and other gotcha type reports will still think he is not telling the truth.
“point taken. but how can A-Rod be taken seriously when he has denied taking ped’s for years, including on 60 minutes?”
because he got caught. obviously he wouldnt have come clean if he didn’t. Nobody knows if he is telling the truth now but some people forgive mistakes and some people don’t. I guess you are one of the latter. If he is found lying again, well that’s another story.
DW, I completely agree with you 100%. I have shifted my stance on this whole thing many times, but i laugh when I see people trying to justify using steroids. He (and many others) took responsibility for their mistakes, but as fans, we should not be thinking of reasons to justify steroids as being “ok” espeically when their motives are purely based on the greed of an athlete (for the most part)
C’mon – comparing scuffing the ball and greenies to steroids? then how come there wasn’t guys hitting 50 and 60 homers every year in the 50s and 60s and 70s? That comparison is worse than Pete’s A-Rod stats a few posts back.
Celerino, I’d have to look at a list, though Jim Rice was enough as far as I’m concerned.
Vader, there is no test for HGH. Ankiel and Paul Byrd etc. were only outed because the bogus doctors and pharmacies giving them illegal prescriptions got busted. People like George Mitchell had nothing if authorities didn’t wanna give it to them.
Sorry, I will have my doubts about Alex and others. Bonds and Clemens … to me their arrogance and greed wiped out what they did earlier in their careers. Hall of Fame wasn’t good enough. They had to be No. 1 of all time. sad.
A-Rod will win the MVP this year. Through great adversity comes triumph. At least that’s my pipe dream
That Selena Roberts sounds like a real winner. Great journalists now-a-days try to break into players’ apartments? Loser.
Greenies helped bat speed and game day energy, and scuffing and other doctoring sure helped pitchers. How much steroids helped or didn’t has yet been determined. The primobolan ARod took was not a very effective choice.
“People either love him or hate him.”
The hate part makes perfect sense, even to those who don’t share the emotion. But who “loves” this phoney, back-stabbing, frosty-haired, me-first, newborn-abandoning, sea hag-lovin’, ascot-wearing, Scientology-dabbling, race card-playing, quiver-lipped choke artist? (Who’s also a traitor to our country, by the way.)
I mean I understand the hardcore type who says “my team right or wrong.” There are worse things than blind loyalty (like no loyalty, for instance) and I respect the stubborn good soldier approach (like those who stll mindlessly insist that Clemens hasn’t been proven guilty of anything.)
But who are the inmate-marrying mental defectives who consider themselves “Arod Fans”? Are there really people who emotionally connect with this fake, grinning half-wit? Or are his defenders all just Boras operatives, furiously flooding the internet with imaginery love.
Personally I can’t think of a less likable, more transparent phoney to ever play in this town, in any sport, and I firmly beleive that the day we brought him here will live in infamy through the annals of Yankee history.
And anyone who thinks today’s sickening facade of phoney contrition and awkward half-truths is going to do anything but fan the flames around this jagoff is living in a fantasy world. Get ready for 9 more months of new details trickling out, followed by half-hearted denials, “No Comments”, and amended apologies.
Should be a fun year.
Phil,
as a fan in the 70s, I thought Rice was a superstar. I guess his career numbers never measured up. But I am not always a big career numbers guy. If Eddie Murray had retired 5 years earlier, he was automatic, even without 3,000 hits etc.
sabr guys are just based on numbers and numbers for 15 years, who knows how long, are skewered by roids – some players did it, some didn’t. Maybe Mussina wins 300 if no hitters are juiced.
Remember, people only admit things when they get caught. If he cared about setting the air free and being honest, he wouldnt have lied to everyone in 2007 in that interview for 60 minutes. Sure we all make mistakes, but paying for our mistakes is sometimes a consequence. Arod will survive this, and he will be living the life in luxury til the day he dies.
“Sorry, I will have my doubts about Alex and others.”
Celerino, fair enough and righftully so.
But don’t single out Alex when it comes to HGH. Anybody could be using it. The only solution I can think of is to take blood samples and store them. If a test ever comes out, you can test. The players who care about their legacy will at least have that to think about.
Also, I don’t know what type of impact HGH really has, if any. There seems to be some differing opinions there.
Selena Roberts on MLB Network saying that she “stumbled across” this information about ARod. Wow, that’s pretty damn coincidental seeing how she has a book coming out about ARod. Amazing that a person willing to commit a crime, by leaking this information, happened to find Selena and tell her all about it.
Verducci is defending Roberts, saying that she has an impeccable reputation. Ask the innocent members of the Duke lacrosse team, that she slandered, how impeccable her reputation is.
I can’t wait for Roberts to be sentenced for either: her complicity in leaking sealed court documents or contempt of court for not telling where she received that sealed information from.
“Greenies helped bat speed and game day energy, and scuffing and other doctoring sure helped pitchers. How much steroids helped or didn’t has yet been determined. The primobolan ARod took was not a very effective choice.”
HGH recovers injuries. Maybe Pettitte retires 5 years ago with elbow trouble.
Roids and HGH – you are stronger. More grounders get past the shortstop. More warnng track flies are homers or off the wall. The numbers are absurdly different. Giambi bats .340 on it, .250 off it.
Russel, where have you seen that she broke into his apartment? Don’t use A-Rod’s interview as your “evidence.” Remember, this clearly is a man who has developed into a well-rehearsed liar. I will believe a break-in when I see proof (I cant believe I am sticking up for this lady, whom I cant stand myself).
“Remember, people only admit things when they get caught.”
Christina,
Exactly… which makes the horrendous MLB testing policy even more of an issue.
If you knew there were no cops, would you drive the speed limit. Even when people get pulled over they claim “I had no idea I was speeding” and hope they’re not on radar.
“I can’t wait for Roberts to be sentenced for either: her complicity in leaking sealed court documents or contempt of court for not telling where she received that sealed information from.”
If the Balco reporters from San Francisco aren’t in jail for printing grand jury testimony, there is no hope of Roberts going to jail for this.
Celerino.
I remember Rice from his rookie year on. I always thought that Reggie, George Brett, Ken Singleton, Eddie Murray, Fred Lynn, Dave Winfield, Dave Parker and a few others were better than Rice when they were all playing. Strangely enough, Phil Rizzuto said something about On Base Percentage back in 1976 that got me looking at that for all players.
Well I’m sure the sun will rise tomorrow and this will all become old news some day soon, with the way we live in a 24 hour news cycle world…so with that said I’m done for the night.
I think you people on this blog sound about as insane as Alex did in that interview. He’s a big fat liar. And it is nothing less than psychotic to begin attacking Selena Roberts, making stuff up about her breaking into his home, etc.
good night crazies.
“The primobolan ARod took was not a very effective choice”
In Kirk Radomski’s book, he says Primobolan was drug of choice circa 2001. It builds muscle slowly so it looks like natural growth.
Slick and Mick….Real good and funny ass book GB…The story about Pepi when they gave him an address in Brookyln to meet them for dinner…The stret was in some old abandon building in the old shipyards if my memory is right….The Yogi stories are priceless…It’s been many years since I read it….Funny clubhouse stories they shared…..
I’m trying to think of a scenario where Selena Roberts would stumble upon confidential information that the Feds have in their possession which is currently involved in court proceedings.
Selena Roberts also admitted that she stalked ARod at his home, going up to his home and property looking for him. And when he wasn’t there, she went to the U of Miami to stalk him in the University weight room.
Has she ever heard of a phone? Or maybe she wanted to ambush him in order to get a reaction from him?
i laugh when I see people trying to justify using steroids. He (and many others) took responsibility for their mistakes, but as fans, we should not be thinking of reasons to justify steroids as being “ok” espeically when their motives are purely based on the greed of an athlete (for the most part)
****************************
I agree. I’m not attempting to justify the use of PEDs in professional sports (and it is ALL professional sports not just baseball), I’ve just come to accept them. Alex felt he needed to use them (for whatever reason), and it was against the rules of baseball. Shame on him, but he wasn’t alone and I won’t condemn the man for something that was obviously quite prevalent at the time he did it and isn’t really so far removed from the sins of the past when put into perspective. I think at this point the only person I’d be shocked used PEDs would be Maddux. I would be shocked simply because his fastball got slower as his career continued, and that’s not at all what I’d expect.
Can we get over this??? Lets go win a champion this year, thats what i care about.
Randyhater returns with a big splash…Where have you been ???? First Torre’s book and now A-Rod..Your comments are always eventful………
The thing that I dont really understand about this all is that he is just supposedly taking all these steroids, names of which he apparently cant recall, and going at it for 3 years. TO me, he seems like the type of person who researches everything that goes into his body. These are players who have their own personal nutritionists and all that.
Al least I know my boy Al Leiter played mediocre the honest way.
Its Over,
Championships should be won fair and square. When players cheat it questions the integrity of that. We have certainly beaten this topic to death but for those of us that care about the game, it’s something worth discussing. Discussion is what can lead to positive change.
The best to get beyond this IMO is to change the system (and that prob means new MLB management) including a state of the art testing program.
“I agree. I’m not attempting to justify the use of PEDs in professional sports (and it is ALL professional sports not just baseball), I’ve just come to accept them. ”
I see this point of view but then he should no longer be referred to as the best player in the game. sorry to be so negative on this guy but … having defended him to fans both here and elsewhere since 2004 I just feel like I’ve been ripped off.
randyhater,
You sure you don’t want to go with arodhater?
It’s not either/or. For me it’s neither/nor. I don’t love (like adore) him and I don’t hate him. As much as I write about him, I usually don’t think about him.
I do pay attention to his at-bats and I do enjoy it when he has a spectacular play in the field.
I’m watching the video now (espn.com), but I think it needs an injection because it’s lagging.
But from what I can tell so far, he’s believable and most of what he’s saying is somewhat plausible.
He’s painting it like the 60′s, though. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll. Total experimentation, anything and everything. Not really what a high-performance athlete should’ve been doing for 3 years, but eh, whatever gets him to sleep well for the next 9 years.
Christina,
I’m guessing Alex knew what he took. What I took away from that statement is that:
a) he took a bunch of things
b) he wanted to make sure he was careful about what he claimed he took since that info is in court proceedings
c) it doesn’t matter what he took. he cheated and listing the 10 PEDs he’s took makes no difference
“I see this point of view but then he should no longer be referred to as the best player in the game.”
Celerino,
I don’t see anything wrong with that. Of course, you’d have to assume that Pujols is clean, Manny is clean, etc. and that ARod is still using or has a remaining advantage from his use 6 years ago.
ITS OVER
February 9th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
“Can we get over this??? Lets go win a champion this year, thats what i care about.”
I say this more as a baseball observer than a red sox fan.
If anyone thinks this story will simply go away they are sadly mistaken.
Arod’s latest contract was partly justified because he would be going after the home run record. There will be endless discussion until he retires whether he deserves the home run record etc.
Does anyone think we will hear the “A-Bomb from A-Rod” call anymore?
See I took a different thing from the interview. What I took was that he was just taking what people were telling him to take. That he was claiming he did not know what it was and did not do research on it. I will have to go back and listen to the interview. I guess I took that from the fact he kept avoiding the question and the different comments he was making about following the crowd and appearing quite clueless.
*AROD your not a true Yankee and you never will be.*
*You play for the Yankees,only!*
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/.....CJ0SK1.DTL
Steroids also showed up in the 60′s
And early 70′s at least (a congressional report from 1973 denoted that ““drug use exists … in all sports and levels of competition … In some instances, the degree of improper drug use — primarily amphetamines and anabolic steroids — can only be described as alarming.””)
Celerino, the reviews I read today and got from the trainers at the gym were that it would not add more than working out hard and not doing it at all did. His #’s in context are pretty indistinguishable and the roid years were not his 3 best.
randyhater…perfectly said.
PAT M.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Slick and Mick….Real good and funny ass book GB…The story about Pepi when they gave him an address in Brookyln to meet them for dinner…The stret was in some old abandon building in the old shipyards if my memory is right….The Yogi stories are priceless…It’s been many years since I read it….Funny clubhouse stories they shared…..
————————————————————
Those two together have filled a lot of books with their stories. There was another one about telling Pepitone to meet them at a place called “The Blue Lamp” or Blue Light Nightclub in the black section of Detroit in the mid-60s. Pepitone comes in and is encircled. He waits a couple of hours and no Mantle/Ford. Pepitone leaves and Mantle and Ford are behind a curtain laughing at Pepitone and drinking with the owner. Pepitone has to walk back to the hotel because no cab would come out to that section of Detroit. They had a car and passed Pepitone. Wqhen Joe Pep finally drags in, they ask Pepitone how things went and he said that he couldn’t make it. Mantle/Ford started laughing and told Joe Pep that they were sitting in back drinking and laughing at him.
http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=816
Representative Waxman’s statements in the 2005 congressional hearings
AROD=SUPERSTAR CHEAT!
Very funny, randyhater. Thank goodness you’re not directing your energies towards Joba in the bullpen anymore.
Its impossible to make a correlation to whether or not the steroids benefited him; way too many variables that would need to be considered. However, if steroids did not help AR-od, then he wouldnt have stayed on them for 3 years. People dont take steroids for the heck of it.
I’ll volunteer to take some of A-Rod’s money.
Maybe some of that traffic would like to make a pit stop at my new blog, I just wrote an original article on Alex and the steroid issue. Check it out and tell me what you think!!!
http://foamfingers.blogspot.com
2200 posts is nothing…
just wait until Selena Roberts discusses A-Rod’s odd sexuality when her book comes out May 19, 2009 called Hit and Run: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez. That will be another hot topic to say the least by the media in the future.
All of this will never go away.