The spinmaster was at his side
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Feb 17, 2009 
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As A-Rod spoke, a young man in a suit jacket and white shirt sat over to his left watching intently and occasionally checking text messages.
It was Ben Porritt, a Republican political operative who started a crisis-management firm in California. So, for now at least, Porritt seems to have become A-Rod’s chief advisor.
Scott Boras was not in the house today.
For what it’s worth, A-Rod was wearing a red string Kabbalah bracelet. That is supposed to ward off the Evil Eye. Good luck with that.
i have some magic beans if he wants to buy them
Can we get back to baseball now? I cant turn on the TV, internet, or radio without hearing about Arod.
RGR this is whats giving Peter and his blog the most views. I think he spoke on that about 3 pages back.
I was waiting to see Richard Gere reprising his role as Billy Flynn in Chicago standing behind Arod today. I was wondering who he kept looking over to.
Pete,
I dont think the camera on fox showed a single yankee player at his side. i DIDNT see it on yes but it was kind of ridiculous that not a single player was in the camera the entire time on fox. For all those viewers know, alex has no teammates support. The choking up part was definitely genuine to me – you cant fake that type of thing without being payed by hollywood.
Baseball?
Arod’s cousin;
http://i214.photobucket.com/al.....eface1.jpg
A-Rod maybe a great baseball player, but he stinks as an Actor. That “emotional moment” he took upon attempting to address his teammates is worthy of the “Ed Wood Stable of B-Movie Actors” Award!
Oh well, time to move on and play some Bezball.
I’m willing to bet there are 40% – 70% of MLB players who have cheated in one form or another – its the culture of sports today.
“RGR this is whats giving Peter and his blog the most views. I think he spoke on that about 3 pages back.”
Exactly. Pete himself is sorta caught between a rock and a hard place. He claims that he wants to talk baseball, but at the same time, knows that A-Rod gives him the most hits so he keeps covering that as well.
If he didn’t have such hate for A-Rod, I’d actually feel sorry for him.
Franceserrrrr is actually making a good point about double standards concerning baseball and the NFL. Baseball is scrutinzed more than football, despite all the criminal activity that goes on in the NFL. Ray Lewis practically killed someone and he’s still playing in the NFL. NFL’s steroids issues also get swept under the rug. Rodney Harrison, anyone?
Melky vs Gardner-who will win?
wow…do you think Pete hates everything about A-Rod. So much for objective reporting at this point. Now the Kabbalah is a target.
“For what it’s worth, A-Rod was wearing a red string Kabbalah bracelet. That is supposed to ward off the *Evil Eye*.”
Cmon Pete – don’t use that “evil eye” cover
just say her name – Ms. Roberts.
“For what it’s worth, A-Rod was wearing a red string Kabbalah bracelet. That is supposed to ward off the Evil Eye. Good luck with that.”
Hey, Madonna wasn’t at the presser, so it must have worked.
If Zillo and the Yankees think that went well, they’re as delusional as Rodriguez.
That was a pathetic display, start to finish. My good senses have been offended.
Bringing Alex Rodriguez to New York (and then re-signing when they had an on easy out) might very well be the biggest mistake in franchise history.
The player absolutely defies logic.
YAWWWNNNNNNN!
SA- Let’s talk baseball. I think Melky wins, I think he’s the more talented player who needs a kick in the pants. He got one. They wouldn’t have given him all that money to watch him play in AAA
A-Rod has not spent his advisory money well at all. He has continued to deviate off message and today, in my opinion, was another example of him not shooting it straight.
Crisis Communication 101 (I work in PR): Respond to your audience with as much HONESTY and TRANSPARENCY as you can. This will mitigate questions down the road. Rodriguez did not do this today. Unless you are buying his use of an “over the counter” injectable medication (really? when is the last time you had to use a needle for something over the counter?) or that he didn’t discuss his use with anyone other than his “cousin”… but wait… wasn’t it the culture in Texas?
Give me a break. What a train wreck.
ARod did a great job. All those still whining about him like the drama queens they are, need to get a life.
Now ARod go help the Yanks get a ring, that’s your only job. Screw all the haters.
They wouldn’t have given him all that money to watch him play in AAA
———————————
Kei Igawa disagrees.
Phil–
The drug was bought in the Dominican. Do you or we know if that drug IS available over the counter in the DR. We could
all go down to Mexico and buy lots of things over the counter that are not available in this country.
A-Rod is a joke. all of you who keep saying “can we get to baseball”, what is A-Rod? Baseball player. A joke! a big reason why many of us are priced out of the new Stadium.
How can you cheer this fraud? just because he wears a Yankee uniform? He knew what he was doing, and he did it before 2001 and he continued to take something after 2003.
Since the Braves signed Griffey, we’re probably not trading either Swisher or Nady now. So we’re gonna have competition in right.
He knew what he was doing, and he did it before 2001 and he continued to take something after 2003.
————————-
Can you please share the drug test results you have with the class?
Maybe a silly question, but…
Does Alex have any recourse against the Players Association or MLB? His name being leaked from the report was a violation of the drug testing “baseline” program being administered in 2003. Why does no one really see how Alex was wronged here? Yes, he cheated using steroids, and nothing will absolve him of that (except maybe time), but shouldn’t he have some recourse as a result of his name being released in an anonymous test. Something along the lines of a violation of doctor/patient confidentiality.
Thoughts?
Can you please share the drug test results you have with the class?
no test for HGH or no tests before 2003 you genius.
Gayle:
No I don’t know specifically. But if it had to be purchased in the D.R. and brought (illegally) to the U.S. (since i highly doubt it would be acceptable to a customs officer), one would think that there is an issue there.
And to say that part of the issue was that he didn’t go to college and have a chance to mature is ridiculous. He was beyond college aged when he got to Texas. Give me a break.
lol, i was wondering what the bracelet was ;P
Does anyone know where I can watch the press conference? I missed it and would like to see it.
Thanks
latham,
Seriously, you didnt think it was legit? I dont think it was some staged thing – i think he just got choked up for a minute and couldnt actually say anything. He looked like he was about to break out crying for a second to me when he cracked that strange smile. Ive seen people have that same akward smile right before they start balling. I dont think many people share your POV that it was all an act. I dont think it gave off the appearance of good or bad acting – it just looked akward when no one stepped in and arod clearly couldnt manage to say a word for a good 30 seconds.
I liked how jason zillo knew everyones name and at one point, arod referred to pete as that gentleman who asked about what steroids did to his performance. Im sure he knows your name pete but it sounded wierd when he said that. I think that was referring to you anyway.
Why would posada leave in the middle of the conference? iM SURE it doesnt mean anything but Did he have somewhere better to be?
And why was hank at this thing and not at pettitte’s? More media for him to address?
I hope the young guys see this as a major reason to never try anything they dont know the name and effect of by consulting a doctor.
I know you would think there is only so many times you can ask a question pete but it seems like some could talk about this for years without anything being added to the story.
“wow…do you think Pete hates everything about A-Rod. So much for objective reporting at this point. Now the Kabbalah is a target.”
ITS A BLOG. ITS A BLOG. ITS A BLOG. GOOD GOD.
Mrs. Kekich
February 17th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Can you please share the drug test results you have with the class?
no test for HGH or no tests before 2003 you genius.
———————–
Oh ok. So that’s your definite proof?
You’re an idiot. That’s a fact because I think it is.
“Does Alex have any recourse against the Players Association or MLB?”
Even if he does, he’d be a fool to pursue it. It would just prolong this nightmare.
“It’s beyond reason that anybody would be “young and stupid” enough to inject themselves with a drug so many times unless it was helping them in some way.”
I know a TON of people who do drugs very frequently. None of them are helped at all by doing it, but nonetheless they do.
Its nice arod called to apologize and work it out with roberts. He is a better man than i AM. If someone destroyed my reputation and was in the process of writing a book to damage it even more i would never call them to apologize no matter how out of line I was and no matter if they were just doing their job. I dont think selena was hired to make arod suffer and Im pretty sure she has it out for him. If i did talk to her, it would probably consist mostly of yelling because no one is forcing her to write this book and profit from arods misery.
It doesnt matter if what he said about selena were mostly lies and fabrications because it should have been expected that arod would eventually lash out at the person that is putting him through this hell for no real reason. I dont think it was right of arod to do and i dont think it was the right forum to do it in but i doubt selena was all that surprised to hear arod was real pissed at her even though she pretended like he was. Selena is far from the innocent standing by in all of this but she is playing the part of the I had to do it because its my job role to the tee.
“Does anyone know where I can watch the press conference? I missed it and would like to see it.”
At some point, I’m sure that Yesnetwork.com will have a link for it.
Sorry PhilFranchise, but do you know something that we don’t????? Do you have knowledge that would refute his claim that his cousin obtained this over the counter? When was the last time you were in a pharmacy in the DR?
What would satisfy you? Apparently, only a version of the story that fits in with your preconceived notion of exactly what MUST have happened.
As someone who works in PR, I am sure you also know that one size does not fit all.
Pete,
Laura is being pretty stiff in her criticism, but I agree that it seems rather obvious you have something against A-Rod.
I’m not criticizing you because I obviously don’t know A-Rod. Maybe he is a clown and there’s good reason for disliking him.
You’re around him a lot more than most of us fans are.
Phil–
I agree with you I just think at this stage we are all parsing words.he said the drug was bought over the counter in the Dr and his cousin brought it here.
So we can parse words and ask if we buy his story about him using over the counter stuff. technically he did as it was bought over the counter. The problem is that it may be over the counter down there but it is ILLEGAL here.
Like I said I agree with much you are saying built we can spend days and days analyzing a words here and a word there and in the end it really doesn’t get us anywhere.
Also by naming his cousin as many have asked what he has done is put him at risk as he is transporting over the lines.The double standard sometimes amazes me.Did Andy P last year mention who gave his dad the HGH that he took?? I don’t think so (I may be wrong and someone can correct me for sure) but Arod HAs to name the cousin.
This whole thing stinks from top to bottom no matter where you turn.There are no winners and we are all losers but what have we gained by looking in the past.I dont think much other than a lot of finger pointing and a sports that is seemingly eating it’s own.
Thanks Laura!
I’ll keep an eye open for it
Lisa is on again!!
My Guess is Posada left after Alex’s comments to get his shoulder looked at- something like that.
I wouldn’t read into it.
I don’t know if you have seen this picture yet. But I think it stands for how many of the Yankee players were there to support Alex. Obviously the bigger names are sitting down, but if you look at the people standing in the back, there is half the team
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ph.....lgp107%3A1
Phil,
Have you ever bought medication over the counter in texas? And insulin is an injectable medications that people can often get very easily and inject themselves. When arod referred to the culture, I think he meant more the culture around baseball – like no one seemed to know or care what anyone else did in terms of PEDs. That is evident when you consider the lack of guidelines for players and the shear number of guys that did this.
pETER,
Your comment defies logic. One, the organization knew nothing about any of this when they signed him or re-signed him so how can you say this was their biggest mistake? Two, alex is the only reason we made it to the playoffs in 07 and has won two mvps in five years – he is still the best in baseball and I am assuming that is without the PEDs. Three, what exactly did you want the yankees and alex to do that would have pleased you? The whole idea that 200 members of the media came out for this which is likely more than the world series is the reason this is a joke. Not anything arod or the yankees have done so far since this came out. Alex was the most honest candid player after he was outed out of anyone in history so far. He answered basically every question. If that was still a travesty to you, it is clear nothing alex or the yankees said or did would do anything to appease you.
Mrs kekich,
How can you boo alex and pretend you are a yankee fan? That is the better question. Who told you he took anything after 2003? Where is the positive test? You have no idea what you are even talking about.
In general, this blog seems significantly ill informed today. The comments in here are ranging from bad to irresponsible to shocking.
i believe arod today i truly did because me being dominican u can get stuff like dat from people in the streets theres alot of things u cant detect my ex girlfriend father told me whe he used to play with some major league players in the dominican republic he used to see them inject a product and he told me is not detectable and he told me they used to get it from all over the world like japan so i truly believe arod when he says his cousin talked to him about it
Pettitte has an awfully stylish shirt on in that link that Katie posted.
Now they are racking Johnny. :angry: As it is Kay gets no Yankees on his show (funny since he is the Yankee broadcaster, you’d think he would) I guess it shows how much they can’t stand him.
Who cares who was by his side? That is his prerogative. if he wants to use a Republican operative, whatever.
If the media keeps on A-Rod like a pack of wolves on this subject, baseball will never get past it.
At least he is admitting it. If the media needs to focus in on people, keep targeting Clemens and Bonds, the ones who consistently lie about their use. If you guy want to keep after A-Rod on this, it should include the other 103 players who were on something too. Why should he face this circus by himself?
he does have a cousin one of his 3 posse if you heard Kay on the radio today.
the negative nancy’s will never believe arod so who cares.
people have so little going on in there lives that they talk about this nonstop and try to evaluate arods sincerity etc.
really who gives a cr-p?????
He is a dumb talented baseball player end the story..
arods cousin hangs with him all the time, maybe arod for once is doing the right thing and does not want his cousin to get in legal trouble…..
I’m just wondering …Pete do edit your posts after dated it. I mean Do you take things out of your posts without making reference to its removal. Or am I crazy….
Plus where can I get one of those bracelets..hahaha
I was going to dissect Bud’s words in his article with Wallace Matthews quote for quote but I couldn’t stomach it. He’s got a lot of nerve.
I expect to see all true Yankee fans wearing red string Kabbalah bracelets when they give ARod a standing ovation at his first at bat since admitting his cousin injected him with something he had no idea were steroids.
I can’t make this stuff up anymore. Nine more years.
People need to get past this.
A-Rod won’t go to the HOF, his awards and numbers are now tainted in the minds of probably everyone who cares at all about baseball. That is his burden to bear, END OF STORY.
As a Yankee fan, all I care about is that he helps us win the World Series and that is all any Yankee fan should concern themselves with. You’re stuck with him for 10 years, embrace it, forgive him, and focus on the season ahead.
Everything else is a waste of time and part of this absurd witch hunt that Selig is ultimately to blame for.
Republican political operatives have been on a long losing streak.
So it looks like we’re keeping both Nady and Swisher to start the season.
dave:
c’mon…legit? Did you ever see an Ed Wood Film? A-Rod’s display doesn’t even equal their worst performances!
Mrs. Kekich….Mrs Peterson the First? or Mrs. Kekich the First? Tell me, Where both of those husbands on hallucogens when you were swapping? Just curious.
i THINK people are taking the young and naive part too literally and as some kind of justification. He wasnt trying to justify his reason for doing it – he was trying to say there was no legit reason and he was just stupid. Young and naive is a translation for stupid without actually saying it. He tried to take the line that it was really a product of the times because no one seemed to care about players using and he tried to say he used to try and live up to expectations and nobody seemed to like that.
So this time he came out and said that the blame should be placed solely on him and not the times or the enivronment or the weighty expectations but the only reason he did it was because he was stupid and ignorant. And again, nobody seems to like that either. So clearly arod cant win with certain people. He says little and people say he didnt say enough. He says everything and people dont like the answers. He will not want to drag it out and people will say he is avoiding responsibility.
He will do well and people will say he is still using or he will do badly and people will say see it was all the roids. He could cure cancer and people will say he neglected the AIDS epidemic. He could start a foundation and people will say he isnt donating money or he could donate money and people will say that isnt enough involvement and he should use his time to form a foundation.
He could do both and people will say he is just trying to conceal the fact that he is a cheater with this display. He can address every single question and people will say he is using too many excuses. If he gave his cousins name, he would be a rat if he didnt, he would be aiding a criminal. Arod just cant win with the people that probably never liked him to begin with.
i missed the press conference and am kinda skimming and catching up on comments here. my guess is that it went well and i’m kind of glad i missed it. i’m ready for baseball.
glad you’re back around, stuart. always kind of enjoyed your posts…
When it comes to superstitions, Wade Boggs takes the cake. He used to make his mistress sit in the stands WITHOUT any panties.
Dave -
“The choking up part was definitely genuine to me – you cant fake that type of thing without being payed by hollywood.”
Yeah you can. Trust me, as someone who works in the film industry, crying is the easiest part of acting. (Laughing convincingly however, takes talent and practice). And actually he IS paid by Hollywood. He has a theatrical agent, and is a member of SAG.
I guarantee you that crisis management firm has had him holed up somewhere for days with voice coaches, acting coaches, psychologists, speech writers and marketing people drilling him over and over and over and over until he got his performance straight.
As to calling Selena Roberts. That doesn’t prove he’s a man, it proves he’s smarter than he looks. You’ve obviously not many dealings with the press. If you’ve done wrong or have something to hide, they always win. Apologizing was the only smart move to make, especially when he accused her falsely, and hysterically.
“Plus where can I get one of those bracelets..hahaha”
there are plenty of places online. i’m just waiting for the arod signature model to be released…
http://www.yourholylandstore.c.....tAod8DRxbA
It’s a day of freedom on here, because now, it’s open season of religious. So now, talk of religion, calling people idiots, nitwits and morons are now acceptable behavior.
I bet by the end of the day someone in the press will have “found” the cousin. And more hi-jinxs will ensue.
Hman:
You’re missing the bigger point. It’s not a matter the over the counter drug being purchased. It’s the deviation from message. With Gammons it was “I had no idea what I was taking.” Today it was “I got it from an over the counter place in the DR and on the street it’s referred to a Boule.” It’s the changing story that hurts his credibility. If he stayed on point and was completely straight forward throughout then his story appear far more sincere.
I don’t have a preconceived notion of what must have happened. All I am saying is that the message must remain consistent and transparent and in the eyes of the media, there are still too many holes in his story. Holes equal a perpetuation of the news cycle. If he came clean and was even 85% honest, there would be as many speculative of investigative stories written.
Again, maybe he was 85% honest today. But the deviation from message taints his credibility.
Just out of curiosity, why is it that baseball players are under such a microscope and football players seem not under question regarding steroids. No one questions whether a football player should be in the hall of fame because of PED’s. Really would like to hear folks’ take on this. No one goes into hysterics when a football player does roids, he may be penalized but then comes back. Just seems weird to me.
“WayneTolleson
February 17th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
wow…do you think Pete hates everything about A-Rod. So much for objective reporting at this point. Now the Kabbalah is a target.”
Wayne – Objectivity left the day he posted the Texas number vs the career numbers and without a single morsel of park adjusting or road statistics…..he declared steroids do work. At that point, credibility and objectivity exited stage left.
I believe A-Rod’s cousin story and I think it was respectable that he didn’t name him. It was noble of A-Rod not to drag someone else, let alone a family member, into this mess. Naming him is like pinning it on him. Now A-Rod is taking full blame, respectably, and just giving out the details. Good move by #13.
Phil – did it ever dawn on you that the deviation from the Gammons interview may have stemmed from him being able to take the time, get legal advise, and make sure he was going to stay out of future trouble? Secondly, he didnt “deviate”, he more or less elaborated on what he told gammons once he was able to discern what if anything he could say that wouldnt create an even bigger problem for him or implicate other people and get them in trouble.
I don’t think anyone has changed their opinion on A-Rod based on the interview with Gammons or his press conference today.
Here are the reasons I’ve heard for not liking A-Rod:
1, He cheated on his wife.
Lots of people cheat on their spouses. It’s obviously not a good thing, but no one knows the situation of the marriage, and I really don’t think it’s any of my business.
2, He left his wife soon after she gave birth.
She left him after the media reported he cheated on her.
3, He doesn’t perform in the clutch/he only performs when the team is doing well.
The idea that he only plays well when the team is already doing well is flat out not true. People who argue this are not smart. He has struggled in the clutch, but it’s not like he doesn’t want to do well. It has been reported that he puts more work in than anyone on the team, so it’s not like he’s doing everything he can to succeed.
4, He’s an attention whore.
He’s the best and highest paid player in baseball and he plays in NY. He would get attention from the media no matter what he did. No matter what topic Pete posts, it turns into a discussion on A-Rod. It’s obvious that the audience that the media is targeting WANTS to hear about A-Rod. Is this his fault?
Obviously he’s awkward with the media, but it’s just as obvious that that isn’t his goal. What would he have to do to not be considered a media whore?
5, He’s not a good teammate.
What teammates have said this? Besides that 1 problem when Teixeira was a rookie, where else has this been reported? I’ve read that he sets a great example by being the hardest worker on the team despite having the most talent. He’s never said anything bad about any of his teammates. He gets ribbed by everyone in the clubhouse and supposedly takes it like a champ. Where’s the beef?
6, He took PEDs.
Yea, he did. It was against the rules, and it was wrong. At the same time, baseball did absolutely nothing to stop people from taking PEDs when he took them. Supposedly he stopped after testing was implemented. If testing was in place when it should have been, he never would have taken them.
All you ever wanted to know about Primobolan, below. Heard the scripted replay when I got home. Thought he also took testosterone to build muscle mass more quickly? that was not asked.
Taking this injectible form of what probably was primobolan, since he tested positive, and stating he didn’t know exactly what he was injecting because he was “young and stupid,” just doesn’t fly with me.
He’s no dummy and I’m sure he went on the internet to research what he was taking, before relying on the advice of his Dominican cousin, who is what?-bodybuilder? nutritionist? doctor?
However I forgive him, and hope he and the Yankees can move on. I’d like him to request the Yankees not to give him the bonus money for reaching homerun milestones, as I believe that interferes with his overall approach at the plate. On top of that I’d like to see him donate part of his wealth to a worthwhile charity plus paying to put kids in the seats at the new stadium.
http://www.infoinazip.com/arti.....ic-steroid
Jeremy, if anything he just now threw his cousin under the bus. Why do you think he has spared him by not naming him? The press is going to have a field day and they will eventually find this cousin unless he has gone into hiding in the DR. Using the word “friend” would probably have help this cousin out more. Its not too hard to track someones relative, a lot harder to track a specific friend.
I’m really sick of the whole A-Roid thing. As I mentioned before, there are plenty more MLB players who have cheated to gain advantage in one form or another. There are 103 other names out there. But since ARod sells, he is the main focus of attention right now. Whose to say how many used HgH during the same period – for which no testing is currently conducted?
ARod, despite his emotional flaws, is a terrific baseball player. He is competing against others that have used (actually more pitchers cheated than position players) and he still has put up HOF numbers.
Mark the whole Era down with an asterisk and induct those who are deserving. Unfortunately, the only losers are those that played the Game honestly and may have lost out on a HOF nomination or a MLB roster spot or something similar. But, again, who nows for sure who cheated?
Maybe his cousin said go ahead and say it. And if he didnt say where he got it people would just add that to the list.
I would at least like for some people to admit no matter what he said they would not be okay with it.
For me, he didn’t make it worse and that’s a positive.
new post
Phil -
I disagree that he deviated. Gammons asked about the specific substance that he took. A-Rod responded that he was not sure what substance triggered the positive test. Gammons did not follow up with anything on this point. He didn’t ask if it was a pill an injection or anything. Today, A-Rod discussed the specifics of the method he used to deliver whatever substance it was into his body. Where he got it. How. When. If anything, he elaborated.
The red string bracelet is very common in all of Latin America. It’s not necessarily a Kabbalah thing.
Republican political operative ?
Really ? That’s the best you could come up with ? Was he not available for followup questions, or what ?
Man, I do LOVE me some objectivity. Maybe someone around here could look up the word and try it on for size.
If you want to call the man what he IS, here’s a try:
VP of PR Firm Outside Eyes.
He is in PR. That he happens to have worked for Republicans in the past, well, I fail to see how that is even REMOTELY relevant.