A. J. arrives
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 12, 2009 
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I’m guessing this was already posted but just in case:
Commissioner Bud Selig said Wednesday that he hasn’t ruled out disciplining Alex Rodriguez for admitting to the use of banned substances from 2001-2003.
“It was against the law, so I would have to think about that,” Selig said. “It’s very hard. I’ve got to think about all that kind of stuff.” Any attempt to discipline Rodriguez will be fought by the Players Association because the penalty phase of the steroids testing policy was not implemented until 2004.
From USA Today
Who does this guy think he is?
Everyone is always kissing his butt that he saved baseball and brought record profits. Well juicing saved baseball and made record profits. People like to see homeruns.
Selig CANNOT suspend A-Rod.
The agreement was for no punishment.
Selig needs to get off his high horse.
Pete – Couple questions.
Do you know how many pitches Hughes is up to throwing and is he throwing all his stuff?
Does Cash remain with the team in Tampa for all of spring training or does he go back to New York for some of it?
Selig can go to hell. He’s a coward.
Sorry to spoil such an awsome thread, but Selig’s just pissing me off.
To punish one, while the other 103 (or 97) get away with it is crazy.
He wants to encourage candor about it or not? No wonder nobody wants to admit anything, Selig will get you anyway.
How A-rod managed to go from poster boy to whipping boy for this man is vile.
You mean to tell me that Selig didn’t know until 2009 who was on that list?
He should be praising Alex for being forthright. Saving the feds millions of dollars for a witchhunt. And telling kids don’t be stupid like he was.
Fire this man and get David Stern on loan for a year. Get someone who’s not only competent, but has some conviction and a spine.
m -
Tough loss for the Lake Show last night. They had their chances due to missed free throws by Utah but just couldn’t capitalize.
Great coverage Pete you are on a Roll this year . I sense you have embraced to the media to a new level and i love it !!!!!
arod used a banned substance in 2003 and has admitted that use. he broke the rules, he is most certainly subject to penalties.
i dont think you should get to bent out of shape here, its likely that if anything, he might be suspended for a week or 10 days as a token, and its just as likely that he gets nothing.
but lets not lose sight of the fact that he used ped’s in 2003 after they were banned.
Welcome AJ
So Radomski says that it was 4 players who told Roberts about A-Rod and not the Feds.
rodg,
I think they would’ve wanted that one back. No excuses (but man, they must be tired).
I don’t know why the officials allow such physical play in Utah. It’s like the wild, wild west. Nothing new, either.
I think it would’ve been better to hit Utah on Tuesday and then play the Thunder at home on Wednesday.
But, the break will be a great time to recharge the batteries.
He can’t do anything.
The deal he cut with the Union was simple. The Union agrees to the provisional testing program and no penalties will be put forth for positive tests.
That was the deal. Its the reason (well, that and anonymity) the Union agreed to testing.
He can’t now decide to suspend somebody for the (illegal) leaking of a positive test, thereby forcing the player (in this case Arod) to admit to testing positive.
Its all noise. If he does it, the players will walk and the he would lose the case when its argued before a judge.
In the meantime, the sport would be shutdown.
He’s not going down that road.
He just wants to “sound” in charge.
It so great to talk about actual baseball instead of roids.
AJ give us 30 starts this year. I actually think he will be our best starter this season.
Ham Fighters,
When it comes to Bud Selig, I can’t do anything but get out of shape.
And it’s the principle of the thing.
He’s not subject to penalties ham. That was not part of the agreement.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement, and any amendments made to it (of which this provisional testing program is one), is the rule of law in labor disputes.
The CBA trumps everything. The only reason why the players agreed to re-open it for this program was for there to be no penalties for positive tests.
He has no power to suspend Arod for a positive test in 2003. None.
He can run his mouth but, he has no power under the terms of the CBA to do anything.
Pat,
My question would be, how would SI be able to varify a positive test if the info just came from the players?
One of the sources has to either have given Roberts the list or a copy of the positive test.
I can’t see it just being players (how would they know?) as the sources in the story.
Pete,
It might be time to invest in a zoom lens! Can’t you use the big money you are making off the traffic to the site to fund the purchase??? Besides that, keep up the good work.
“arod used a banned substance in 2003 and has admitted that use. he broke the rules, he is most certainly subject to penalties.”
Where have you been for the last two years?!?! NONE of the guys from the Mitchell Report who didn’t flatly deny the charges and remained active players last year got suspended–Giambi played all season, Brian Roberts, Eric Gagne (Brewers fans regret that he didn’t get suspended, most likely), Pettitte, NO ONE was disciplined by Selig or the league. Tejada played a full season last year while he was basically being accused of perjury–isn’t having a federal case for perjuring yourself when asked about steroids enough proof for good ole’ Bud to suspend someone? No, turns out it wasn’t. If he is reacting because he loved A-Rod as the face of baseball so much and now he’s sad that he used steroids, tough cookies–doesn’t mean he can re-write his position on dealing with players who admitted using the juice. If he tries, he will be done as Commissioner–Bud trying to suspend A-Rod would be akin to Custer trying to win at Little Big Horn.
it has nothing to do with the tests. he admitted using ped’s himself and not just in 2003, the year of the survey testing, but in parts of the 2 previous years.
certainly he deserves some break for ‘coming clean’ (ill hold my fire there) but he is definitly subject to suspension
lets just hope he gets a slap for his admittence.
Ugh I hate the lines. I’m such a fan of the –, I can’t help myself.
Ham,
His admitting it has nothing to do with anything.
There were no penalties laid out for positive tests under the terms of the program.
It doesn’t matter whether he admitted it or not. He’s not subject to punishment under the rules of the CBA for that period of time.
Its not an interpretative issue. Its not allowed under the terms of the 2003 addendum to the CBA.
“he admitted using ped’s himself and not just in 2003, the year of the survey testing, but in parts of the 2 previous years.”
Jason Giambi, Eric Gagne, Gary Matthews Jr., Troy Glaus, Paul Byrd, Rick Ankiel. Where are their suspensions, Ham Fighters?!?!?!?
Can someone enlighten me about the on-line meaning of crossing out text?
It doesn’t seem to be used as it is in other contexts and its used seems to be growing here, so I’d appreciate a clue as to how to interpret it.
Thanks in advance to anybody who takes the time to educate me on this!
Selig is trying to seem active when he corroborated with the cover-up and acceptance of PED use in the era. Nothing more, nothing less.
And with the minor outrage that saw him earn about as much as his Brewers’ payroll when he was running them, he needs to look like he is doing something.
It is funny that a Yankee Fan? (HAM) is advocating a suspension of one of our best players. Do you want to win this year? Then support our team, let mlb deal with the mess they created. Alex isn’t subject to suspension so drop it.
Bud did not suspend Giambi or Pettitte for admitting PED use. He did, however, suspend Guillen and Gibbons 15 games for their PED use.
He’s really inconsistent and inept…
Joey’s – it is an error in formatting. No one actually means to strike through their text.
I think people use it for the sight gag, where they write something, cross it out and correct it with the correct word next to it–usually for comedic effect. Unfortunately, for those of us who love our em-dashes a little too much it screws up the posts here when you use them and don’t space them out properly, or just use them back to back.
SJ, I believe the source of the leak is someone in the Justice Department. Same with the Bonds case, same state I think? After the tests, the subpoenaed the results. Someone over there is leaking the reports purposefully so that they can bring guys in for questioning to help their investigations.
Don’t forget Andy Pettitte.
Punishing a player for admitting PED use during a time when there were no penalties for PED use creates a perverse incentive. We want players to come clean about doping, not lie and deny.
Players screwed up by doping, but MLB and the Union screwed up by creating an environment where players were free to dope without fear of detection or punishment. There were no punishments for doping and no tests until 2003, for crying out loud. As a result, through 2003 we are flying blind when it comes to figuring out the extent of PED use in baseball. We need to encourage honesty from the players as much as possible, because otherwise we have next to nothing.
Besides, what’s the point? If Selig gives ARod a slap on the wrist (such as a 1-game suspension) it will just look pathetic.
Fair enough, Andrew – I was talking directly to your post above
suspend Guillen and Gibbons 15 games for their PED use
Didnt they test positive after 2003?
Ham -
Banned with no penalty in place. None. Don’t you understand that?
Also, don’t you understand the only reason the union agreed to the testing was with the provision in their agreement there would be no penalties levied for a positive test. Now Selig wants to break that agreement? And your in favor of him breaking that agreement. Unbelievable.
If Baseball had a real commissioner, the steroid era wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did. Instead, we’ve had a used car salesman selling us lemons for 15 years or however long his reign of error has been. He’s able to get paid 17M a year because of roids.
Pete we love pictures but that could be the ghost of babe ruth for all we know.. get closer man!
Andrew -
if you like to use the hyphen – make sure you put a space before and after it – and then you won’t get the crossed out text after it.
Guillen and Gibbons got suspended because they were both linked to HGH after 2004 through receipts and what not. There is a substantial list of active players who have never been suspended for admitting that they used steroids, some even admitting or being fingered for use in or after ’04 (Rick Ankiel and Paul Byrd admitted, Matthews Jr. denied but still met with Bud).
The Commissioner has not suspended anyone admitting to using before 2004. Period. So, if he tries to suspend A-Rod by justifying that he admitted using a “banned substance”, he will have to suspend a whole boatload of other guys too.
Selig will do nothing but issue a stern statement about ARod disappointing us all.
Welcome, AJ!
What I want to know is, where were the hard-hitting questions for Selig during this interview. Why didn’t the reporter ask Selig how he planned on breaking the CBA to suspend ARod? Why didn’t the reporter dig deeper and ask how he planned to ‘amend the record books’ when Hank Aaron admitted to using greenies during his playing career. An admission every bit akin to ARod’s admission.
Dear AJ,
I’m a big fan of yours. I’ve had your back on one of the bestest Yankee blogs.
Please stay healthy and have a good year. Otherwise, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Aloha,
mel
Just stopped by to say “YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” about AJ. He was the one free agent I really wanted. I have already promised that he is going to have a lights-out season for us and help us back to the promised land.
Let me say that I never thought it was the feds who leaked the information. Having said that, what players would be privvy to the information? I don’t get that.
Anyway, I agree with SJ and others that there is not anything Selig can really do. If he wants to punish Alex, he would probably also have to punish Andy since Andy was also using an illegal substance without a prescription.
It’s craziness.
I’m out.
GO YANKEES!
Selig can’t do anything to A-Rod. Not happening. He’s just blowing smoke.
On to important matters. Great to see AJ out there working out. Baseball is just around the corner.
Where’s CC?
Agreed: A-Rod cannot be suspended or punished for his 2001-2003 PED admission. However it does pose an interesting hypothesis on who would play 3B if A-Rod were not in the lineup for an extended period of time.
Teixeira came up as a 3B and played about 15 games at 3B in 2003 (as well as 15 games at corner OF for Texas)before switching to 1B. I would guess that Teixeira would play 3B with Swisher manning 1B.
This is likely not to happen, but it might make for an interesting discussion about “what if”. What’s your take on this scenario?
SoCalYankeeFan
lot’s of sanity coming out of Boston these days:
http://www.boston.com/sports/t.....n_the.html
talk the steroid talk in a different thread. this is aboot AJ
Pete -
One of the iPhone’s biggest shortcomings is its camera, no? Wish it had zoom. You get 3G at the Yankees complex??
rodg12,
Don’t you know that greenies are good PEDs and steroids are bad PEDs? After all, players took greenies back in the good old days, when no one cheated and baseball was pure. Therefore, greenies must be ok.
Now we live in the bad days, where players lie and cheat and only care about money. Anything they take to get an advantage is bad.
For those Fantasy Baseball Players here on the blog…….
ESPN just rolled out their draft kit. Pretty good stuff there usually.
http://games.espn.go.com/frontpage/flbdraftkit
does Bud Selig have any accomplishments as commissioner?
I’m trying to think about what he has contributed if anything. All I can think of are negatives. I don’t attribute the game’s popularity to him at all. The game has succeeded in spite of him.
sj44-
i agree with you that selig is huffing and puffing, but won’t blow the house down.
the one i worry about is novitzky. simply based on arod saying what he did with gammons, novitzky could meet with him and ask him questions that would be a perjury trap if arod didn’t answer truthfully to all questions asked.
novitzky basically has let go of players who act contrite, are knocked off their pedestal, and pay their pound of flesh. pettitte and giambi did this.
arod didn’t totally when he went off on the selena roberts tangent. i think this hurt him because he showed some fight in him still. that’s exactly what novitzky doesn’t want to see.
i agree it wouldn’t be right for novitzky to further go after arod, but i think novitzky still doesn’t feel he’s gotten his pound of flesh from arod . until he does, this isn’t over because novitzky doesn’t exactly play fair.
he’s about knocking the player who used down, and it’s become a cliche that if you go the pettitte route, it all goes away. that alone may not continue to work because it’s become an obvious get out of jail card. the added problem is that arod bashed selena roberts who you know novitzky supports.
…and it’s entirely possible that novitzky is robert’s source.
arod said he was naive before. i think he’s being naive now thinking he can go after roberts and still accomplish his goal of acting contrite.
“Pete – One of the iPhone’s biggest shortcomings is its camera, no? Wish it had zoom. ”
I love the iPhone camera. IMO the quality is great. You can’t expect a high end digital camera from a phone.
Oh yeah, this is an AJ thread.
Go AJ.
my mobile has a 5 mp camera with flash/zoom – the bb storm has a great camera too…but obviously you have to make trade-offs though.
novitzky is a scumbag.
could he legally require Alex to speak to him (under oath) or would it be optional?
I mean could novitzky alone require Alex to answer questions?
I know technically Alex admitted to a crime but would Novitzky need to get some sort of government approval before opening a case on ARod?
Boston Dave -
I’ll give you that with the pictures it can take, the quality is great. However, taking pictures of anything farther than 15 feet away renders the camera pretty much useless. It and the lack of picture messaging are my only two beefs with the iPhone. And, they’re really pretty small beefs on the grand scheme of things. I’m on record with all my friends saying that the iPhone is the coolest/best thing I’ve ever purchased in my life outside of my car and house. Other than that, the iPhone trumps all.
Here is an EXCELLENT article on the public’s infatuation with A-Rod. He even gives Pete a shout out!
Lohud is really coming into its own as the go to Yankee source.
http://www.sportsagentblog.com.....ome-a-rod/
Thanks for clearing that up. I thought they were suspended for prior use-mitchell report.
I still thing Bud inept.
sj44-
we also here about all these PR people and advisors that arod has. what were they thinking letting him even mention selena roberts ?
as an attorney you know that a client should never go off topic when testifying and should not volunteer stuff that isn’t asked. bashing roberts was off topic.
in alex’s case once he confessed he had done what he needed to do. this is clearly a less in more situation. i think he probably should suck it up, come out and apologize to roberts for getting his facts wrong about the police reports.
i think it would diffuse the backlash that is starting to form against him led by the print media who are rallying around their bashed brethren selena roberts.
Randy, I don’t want to get political, but, it does seem relevant to the media relations topic. The people giving A-rod advice work mostly with the republican party. What’s the republican M.O. whenever something negative about them is printed in the press? They shoot the messenger.
Thanks Rishi and Andrew for clearing that up!
I thought maybe it was some ‘in’ thing that I was just too clueless to get…
Bud Selig is keeping his head in the sand. He is puffing out his chest about ARod when he knew 104 players failed the ’03 test. If he really wants to do something he should: 1) Give us every name that failed any test at any time. 2) Sit down with the players to come up with a reasonable estimate of how many players where cheating (and publish that) 3) Come up with a comprehensive policy on how to handle these bloated stats for HOF and records. Either NOBODY gets credit or create a reasonable guideline. Don’t leave this up to a bunch of writers who don’t even follow the game closely.
We all know that steriod usage was much more than the 104 players, Bud has to embrase the horror before we can all move on.
How can you even think that Selig will do ANYTHING to Arod?
Pettitte admitted to using…not suspended.
Giambi? …. not suspended.
If Selig were to suspend Arod, he would have to suspend all 104 players on that list PLUS all the players that were guilty from years past that are still playing. And I heard there are some pretty hefty names in the 104. So does he really wanna lose money just to use Arod as an example?
So Selig finally comes out from under a rock and makes a goof of himself. No surprise. He’s powerless and overpaid.
Holy windy day in the NY metro area. Thank goodness Edwar isn’t here, he might get blown away to Canada or something.
World Series Champions in 2009 !
selig appears to be copying my routine – ‘looking busy while at work’…
Brad -
You forgot inept.
Lohud should raffle off something to get a little photography budget going for Pete’s sojourns.
Pete:
Are you absolutely sure AJ is not injured yet? Can you give us your word?
Jorge
shhh. Pete might blame Arod for injuring AJ. (Randy will say it was Cashman’s fault of course). And WWW III will start. j/k
Personally, I think the American public is tired of the entire issue…The A-Rod revelation I believe satisfied everyone’s appitite…Had it not been A-Rod, then maybe it’d still be a topic..Howvere when the # 1 playerin the world admits to PEDS, then there really is no where to go but down from there….Move on…
Speaking of FANTASY BASEBALL
Are we going to do another Lohoud fantasy league this year.Anyone interested?? The CBS format I thought was great last year better than Yahoo??
Thoughts for those that did it last year??
I’m just happy to see pictures of spring. I agree, time for a new lens.
gayle -
I’m in for a lohud fantasy baseball league.
i missed out on the league last year. i’d like to play.
i’m used to the yahoo leagues, but i’m sure i could figure out the cbs one… i go to the cbs site for player notes now, as it is…
Wow, can you take his picture any farther
I’d be in for fantasy baseball
Keep up these great shots Pete, I love seeing “candid” shots instead of the official press release photos of spring training that all the suits always release.
Keep em up! Wish we had a gallery for em…..