Swing and a miss
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- May
- 8
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As I read A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez by Selena Roberts, I thought back to an introduction to journalism course I took at UMass a long time ago.
The professor one day spoke about the difference between writing a story for a newspaper and a column. A story, he explained, contained only what you could prove. A column was what you thought.
The book is 246 pages of what Roberts thinks about Rodriguez. What she proves isn’t much of anything.
Because Roberts broke the story in February about Rodriguez having tested positive for steroids use, I wrongly assumed the book would include other revelations. Instead it’s page after page of “one teammate” suggesting Rodriguez did something wrong. Or “a player” insinuating that he did something else. “Friends” of Rodriguez paint him in unflattering terms.
In her postscript, Roberts acknowledges the use of 19 anonymous sources. But no explanation is given as to why these sources needed anonymity. It’s also unclear whether the 19 sources were used equally or whether one or two sources provided the bulk of the information. We’re supposed to trust her judgment, apparently.
Even those facts that could be documented are not. Roberts, for instance, reports that notorious Dominican trainer Angel Presinal was signed into major league clubhouses by security officers while attending to Rodriguez. But no dates or places are given.
Throughout the book, Roberts even places herself in Rodriguez’s conscience and writes as though she knows what he was thinking. In her version of his thoughts, Rodriguez is a weak-willed, narcissistic cheater and womanizer willing to do anything to succeed.
Given the completeness of the February story in Sports Illustrated, I expected more in the book, certainly more detail. But the book does not meet the standards of the magazine. It is, in essence, a 246-page column.
This is not to say that Rodriguez deserves the benefit of the doubt. He has admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 and it’s difficult to believe he limited himself to those three years. Roberts is able to prove he associated with suspicious characters and she is a skillful enough writer to lead you believe that Rodriguez probably did use PEDs at other points of his career. There are many layers of hearsay evidence.
But she doesn’t prove anything beyond that he’s not particularly well-liked by his teammates and says a lot of dumb things. That we knew. The rest is unfair to Rodriguez.
Roberts come close. But a good editor would have kicked the manuscript back and told her to come back when she had more.
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on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:00 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Thank you, Pete! This is all the so called staunch A-Rod supporters have wanted all along.
lol. Nice write-up, Pete. I like how you waited to read it to judge it. A lot of people in the biz are panning it. What a professional embarrassment. If she wanted to make money, she should’ve picked another subject to write about. No one cares.
“Rodriguez is a weak-willed, narcissistic cheater and womanizer willing to do anything to succeed.” This may be true, but can she prove it? Apparently not. Good stuff, Pete.
Dammit, Pete…just when I was starting to get really annoyed and think you had gone off the deep end, you come along and make all sorts of sense with your reasoning and your logic.
Also, I read the book, and I said pretty much exactly the same thing. Ms. Roberts seems to get confused between being a columnist and a reporter. It’s the same thing that got her in hot water during the Duke lacrosse deal.
great to hear your thoughts…maybe this will also the team to focus on actually winning a game
thank you for calling the book what it is.
Well….duh…..of course it was all based on flimsy evidence. If she had serious evidence, it would have been leaked ahead of the publication of the book.
Roberts is an agenda journalist. That was proven by her “work” on the Duke Lacrosse fiasco.
There is no reason to believe anything she says that isn’t 100% substantiated.
just as I thought, this book is a pile of crap, but everyone will buy it
Wow. Thanks, Pete. Without having read the book, I can’t say for sure that I think your assessment is correct (though I am inclined to think it is). But, it does appear that you have taken a very reasoned and even-handed approach to your analysis.
Especially considering that you have stood up for Roberts countless times on this blog, it says a lot for your integrity that you raised you concerns with her work in no uncertain terms.
The whole thing seems tacky to me. It seems to me that she sacrificed good journalism for a controversy and profit.
Pete, I applaud the fact you were able to objectively criticize the book given your previous posts about a-rod and roberts. I think a lot of us agree that while a-rod has done many things wrong, and deserves a lot of what he has gotten, this book seems a little over the top from what I heard. Also her track record gives her as little credibility as a-rod.
…And since when did you need to write something truthful to be considered a good journalist now a days? In a day where writers care more about scooping each other and moving forward their own careers than getting a silly thing like facts correct, this book meets the standards of today’s editors. I don’t blame the writers, because if you can write a piece of trash that makes money it will be approved far more easily than if you write a well researched piece of work that doesn’t have all the OOOh’s and Aaaahh’s of TMZ.com.
In the end, it is representative of exactly what can be expected of today’s journalists. Garbage work. Luckily, we’re moving away from paper journalism to internet journalism, where you can write even more garbage, prove none of it, and it’s actually accepted as fact. Editors probably won’t even need a degree in journalism anymore, just a business degree in what story will sell more papers or webhits, accuracy need not apply.
Oh, of course who cares if it ruins someone else’s life right? They make millions and are probably mostly jerks anyway, so tough titty for them, right?
Juggy
I never thought I would read even this minute level of objectivity from our surly blogger. Congratulations on reaching an adolescent level of maturity.
I can’t believe you even read this crap, Pete!
I think Selena screwed the pooch on this one.
As every girl her age should know “why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free”?
By allowing the evidence to leak many months ago it took the starch out of her book and her sales will be pretty dismal.
Everyone heard and read the story on ESPN and in their papers.
Unless she had some true verifiable bombshells in the book, there was no reason to purchase it.
I think there’s a little justice to that. She’s muckraking a clearly flawed guy for profit.
This wasn’t All The President’s Men here. It reads like a gossip column.
“The professor one day spoke about the difference between writing a story for a newspaper and a column. A story, he explained, contained only what you could prove. A column was what you thought.”
FWIW, all the Duke stuff people kill her one was done as a columnist rather than a reporter, which is why I won’t kill her for it. That type of writing doesn’t really play well for a book like this though. Bring facts or write a column for SI with the opinion that Arod is troubled guy and let it go there.
i am glad pete read it, because it allowed him to see the crap in the book and maybe he will stop defending selena.
Thanks Pete! Now I will def not read the book. I wasn’t going to put $10 in Selena’s pocket anyway
…kill her ON
LoHud Yankees Blog….Fair and Balanced!
Voice of Reason and Logic indeed.
This book is nonsensical. Book was created through a bunch of assumptions on A-Rods personal life and obvious the steroid scandal. She caught him, she got her glory now leave him alone and lets play baseball.
Thanks Pete, Good Post.
thanks pete. again I do believe arod is a ackward, clueless, narcissistic, and insecure but those are not crimes.. DO I think he took PED’s other then when he said? Who knows but I know this book is a hit job and hearsay. The highschool PED stuff and other info is not info but conjecture.
Can we just leave the guy alone, he is a baseball player, he gets paid millions to hit and field a ball. He may be a phony and classless but he appears to be a decent tax paying citizen that has been guilty of no crimes to date..
leave the guy alone…..
thanks..
Thanks for the objective write up, Pete. I may disagree with the fact that his teammates don’t like Alex (I will also still assume he didn’t use beyond those years until proof showing otherwise is provided), but overall the thrust of your post is correct. The worst part is how she tries to get into his head – is this fiction? It pleases me to no end that this book has tanked and that even the most strident Alex haters recognize that she’s crossed the line. Unbelievably, the book isn’t even a big deal. We spent months worrying about this and it hasn’t even made a dent. No doubt Roberts is pissed off about the Manny revelation as well since that takes attention from her book……
All Alex needs to do is play hard (which is a given) and give nothing to the media. If he does that, he’ll be fine.
Thanks Pete, I hope this book is just the tempest in a teapot it appears to be and fades from public consciousness quickly. I also hope you got a courtesy copy and didn’t have to spend your hard earned cash on it. BTW, when are you going to write a book; you’re about due?
Wow, Pete. Good on you.
Nice article and review, Pete. I’m sure, in hindsight that selena wishes she had a better editor and publisher with a higher journalistic level of integrity.
It’s really sad that some lessons that you learned in Journalism 101 weren’t followed and adhered to. If that’s the case, I almost think there is a libel suit in there for Alex.
Let’s hope this all blows over soon and that reporters continue to be aggressive in fighting against such journalistic inaccuracies.
what are the roster MOVES today..
Even though the book is poorly written with questionable ethics….Pete will still view it as his Bible and continue to bash A-Rod in the future.
I use to respect him and love this blog…but it has turned into TMZ recently and Pete is totally at fault.
arod can never sue for libel. he is a to public figure and the libel bar he would have to prove is so high they would have to make a enquirer type overreach.. so guys like arod just have to take people saying or writing almost anything they want as long as it is not totally fabricated..
Everyone agreeing with Pete’s review has read the book too…right?
For those who have the book at their fingertips, how many sources does she name? I’m assuming not very many. 25 total sources or so for a 264 page book doesn’t seem like much.
oops didn’t see the new post.. anyways
Moves that should be done TODAY:
– Molina to DL
– Bring A-rod off the DL
– DFA Berroa
– Call up Kevin Cash
– Nady to 60-day DL
– Send Albaladejo down
– Call up Todd Linden or John Rodriguez
Moves that should be done in the FUTURE:
– Bruney off the DL
– Send Ramirez down
– Marte off the DL
– DFA Veras
– Posada off the DL
– Send down Cervelli
– Molina off the DL
– DFA Cash
– Nady off the DL
– DFA Linden/Rodriguez
- Wang off the DL
- Hughes sent down (only one I’m unsure of)
Easy peasy, I should be the GM.
“If that’s the case, I almost think there is a libel suit in there for Alex.
Let’s hope this all blows over soon and that reporters continue to be aggressive in fighting against such journalistic inaccuracies.”
Don’t imagine any libel suits here, Rob. I’m not a lawyer, but I believe he’d be subjecting himself to a deposition that he will want no part of. Further, is he going to be able to prove “journalistic innaccuracies” exist? Was it defamation of character or definition of character? Seems to me the smart thing for him to do is just let the book die on the vine under the weight of bad reviews and poor sales. Just not a battle worth fighting.
parts but for free. I will never give any writer who I think writes a book for only personal gain any money.
but I have read chapters from a friend and found it to be absent of facts or an attemp to be factual… I am a huge yankee fan and want arod to succeeed but cringe at his personal interaction so I am bias but not a zealot….
I agree, I really don’t think Alex Rodriguez is as hated as he is made out to be!
His best friends on the team are Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano and EVERYONE on the team (except maybe Brett Gardner) get along with those guys.
“Pete will still view it as his Bible and continue to bash A-Rod in the future.”
You think Pete really needs this book for that? Arod got more than enough substantiated fodder for Pete to work with.
Arod HAS got…
Wow, the book must really be a piece of garbage, because your feelings on A-Rod are well documented.
In the words of Thorton Mellon, I’m not going to read the book. Who has time? I see the movie, I’m in and out in 2 hours.
Selena Roberts is banking her credibility on working at the New York Times…as if that really equals credibility…but for the elite media types, like Selena Roberts, working at the NYT is akin to nirvana.
When she writes a column where she apologizes to the 4 wrongly accused Duke lacrosse players for jumping the gun and shooting her mouth off then I’ll believe anything she writes. Until then I won’t donate a dime to her retirement fund.
Good line from Ken Davidoff today
“In the wake of Manny Ramirez’s suspension, Joe Torre will turn to coaches Larry Bowa and Don Mattingly and say, “We’ve got to improve the other areas of our team, to make up for the drop in offense. Whatever happened to that guy who used to pitch every single day for us with the Yankees?”
Jeremy Guthrie tonight against the 120 pitch 6-inning 4-5 run $160+ million tub of lard
5-0 Orioles with 8-strong from Cy Guthrie… write it down
Alex may not be hated on the team, but don’t fool yourselves into thinking that they love him or that he’s one of the guys.
I trust Pete on anything about the players over any fan, no matter how knowledgable they are.
The team is bruised, battered, and in disarray. CC, AJ, & Swisher are inclusive. Perfect storm for Alex to come back and mesh with the team.
But don’t fool yourselves that Alex is beloved. Pete’s got a pulse on the team, and that’s not the case according to him.
“just as I thought, this book is a pile of crap, but everyone will buy it”
Actually, they aren’t buying it. It’s sales are taking a dump.
As said above, why buy to cow?
She should have taken a note from, gasp, Jose Canseco, and teased details.
“Easy peasy, I should be the GM.”
Posada most likely will be out on the longer end of the injury time frame. I like bringing Cash up but I don’t see any offense Cash/Cervelli. Cashman needs to look at acquiring a catcher. Molina will be out a long time with his quad injury.
Brett Gardner doesn’t get along with Cano and Melky? Where’d that come from? Becasue Melky and Gardner were fighting for the CF job? Have proof on that?
Thanks for the review, Pete. Sounds like the book contributes absolutely nothing to the reader’s understanding of its subject. I think I’ll save my money. Like the cops at an accident scene say to passers by, “OK, nothing to see here. Move along now.”
The interesting thing to me about the book is what impact its poor quality will have upon Roberts’ career. How severely will the poor journalism damage her reputation and credibility?
The need is for a catcher that can actually hit a little. On May 8th, that’s going to be more than a little difficult. Cashman dropped the ball by not claiming Brayan Pena earlier – now anything is going to cost big time.
poll suggestion: who is a more credible reporter at this point? Selena Roberts or Jose Canseco.
Let’s keep in mind that Roberts has had one scandal that she got dead wrong and then refused to cop to it after. Then she wrote 250 pages of heresay using anonymous sources.
Jose basically used himself. I vote for Jose.
“How severely will the poor journalism damage her reputation and credibility?”
‘Bout the same using PED’s will do to Arod’s….I hope.
Actually, I thought Cabrera’s the one that didn’t get along with Gardner.
Nice objective review Pete
“Cashman dropped the ball by not claiming Brayan Pena earlier – now anything is going to cost big time.”
Totally agreed. Pena is a an upgrade over the guys at AAA. I still think JR House can hit in the majors. Now he’s blocked for the Royals by Pena and the guys oin KC. MLB backup catchers are a commodity but minor league vets like House are a bit more affordable.
m
I understand your take but Nick Green’s Q and A in the Boston Herald this week painted a different picture.
ARod should carry around a copy of Pete’s best barbs against him and a copy of this post.
It’s his best possible defense against this book!
I had a feeling this book wasn’t going to pass muster in regards to proving anything new.
“Actually, I thought Cabrera’s the one that didn’t get along with Gardner.”
I heard vice-versa. Fans have a bad impression of Melky but from what I’ve seen, he is actually quite shy.
It will barely crack the top 10 on the bestseller list in the NYTimes next week.
And it’s going to take a HUGE drop the week after.
Harper is already in little panic mode over the initial sales figures — they didn’t expect so few people would care. HAHAHA!!! I love it.
I feel sorry for the trees that were pulped to make this useless book. You’ll see it in stores everywhere remaindered by the end of June.
“In the wake of Manny Ramirez’s suspension, Joe Torre will turn to coaches Larry Bowa and Don Mattingly and say, “We’ve got to improve the other areas of our team, to make up for the drop in offense. Whatever happened to that guy who used to pitch every single day for us with the Yankees?”
___
Proctor? may need TJ Surgery.
I’m not surprised by this at all. This is the same woman who wanted to lock up the Duke lacrosse kids before any evidence came out. She has an agenda and she’s out tell the world about, but they are her opinion, nothing more.
My least favorite stat of the season: Carl Pavano has twice as many wins as CC Sabathia and Chien-Ming Wang added together.
Pete
If this book was the first thing of Roberts that you ever read, would you consider her a journalist or an author?
That’s why your colleagues who were calling her a respected journalist who got the benefit of the doubt without having read the book were ticking off the “apologists” here.
Good review Pete. From the excerpts I read it seemed to be many allegations, non greatly substantiated. While there is a good chance much of the stuff is true, there are far more interesting people in history I would spend my time to read speculations about than A Rod.
Ok, so Pete gives an objective and well written review of the book, and with that matter behind us let’s move on to more pressing matters mainly the fact that the Yankees are in somewhat dire straits now and need to get out of their funk.
PED’s are a tired and overplayed story. Move on.
pat,
LoL. I thought Nick Green was an actual, you know, columnist. So I’m searching in vain at the Herald’s site.
Then I realize that Nicky Green probably spent time with the team and said something about Cabrera & Gardner?
Anyway, couldn’t find it. And why would Green saying anything about them?
All right Pete now that you’ve given us a healthy dose of objectivity, spill those beans !
At least give us pg. numbers or something.
The issue I have is that Selena is she lets her personal veiws effect the her “evidence”. Ie “Duke”. Also, Alex gained 35 lbs in 1 year in High School. So did I my freshman year in college after I discovered the mysterios drug called “Beer”. The pitch tipping just sounds weird. Her evidence is players over heard other players say he did it. (kostos interveiw)Her source is the game telephone. Last the list of 103 players on the list. Are the other names on the list “bigger” than A-Rod. I mean A-Rod is easy to hate.
Has anyone heard anything on the catching situation? Who might be coming up? More color on Mariano?
I just hope Pete borrowed this from a library, instead of purchasing it.
From last thread…
Re: the Rays’ quality roster
“…. and hundreds and hundreds of losses and cellar dwelling to give them the draft picks for established college pitchers and hitters that are easy to fast track.”
Not to mention hitting the jackpot on Dioner Navarro (4th organization) and Carlos Pena (6th organization).
Vince,
I am sure there is a pile of them at the entrance to the press boxes, you know as “professional courtesy” and also to jack up sales of a 250 page tabloid style book
I have a copy of this book. My Sox loving co-worker left it in my mail box at work.
I miss you so much ARod. More than my girlfriend.
Wow … you can call yourself a journalist way ahead of Roberts at this point in time Pete … because you just showed a remarkable amount of objectivity … and we all know that’s not easy because you don’t particularly like A-Rod … and that’s a big virtue for any journalist. Thank you very much for being objective and sharing that information with everyone.
Cash will be up at catcher IMO. But Posada will probably take four to five weeks to get back and Molina is bad. Quad injuries are tougher to come back from. That’s a long team to go with Cervelli and Cash. Cashman needs to beat the bushes and find someone.
Ugh, just realized Laird is in Detroit. Was going to say trade some pitchers for Salty… even if it’s Hughes.
we NEED to make a trade for a catcher at this point. We cant start kevin cash every day or cervelli… I dont know whos out there for a trade this early but I hope cash is on the phone looking at every catcher in baseball. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Posada AND Molina both being on the dl in early May within three days of each other is pretty bad.
Who’s the guest book critic that Pete invited to write this post?
This is what Selena Roberts wrote about Kobe when he was going through the rape case:
“Before long, Bryant had the Madison Avenue smile and GQ style to go with his Cirque du Soleil court skills and championship rings. And, as it turns out, Bryant also channeled Mike as a scoundrel behind the cardboard family image and the ruthless teammate inside the locker room.
Bryant was exposed; Jordan was not.”
“Where did Bryant go wrong in his imitation of M.J.? It began somewhere in suburbia when Bryant was the boy in the bubble, with his needs indulged by a doting family, with the ball always in his hands.
Bryant got what he wanted from the beginning: a draft-day trade to the Lakers in 1996. He bounded onto the NBA scene as a player celebrated for his maturity, cerebral capacity and poise. It was all a ruse.
Unschooled in reality, too aloof to appreciate O’Neal’s presence, Bryant never learned the NBA code: choose pole dancers over hotel clerks, teammates who make you better and discretion over snitching.
For two years, Bryant has violated all of the above. Instead of abiding by the “keep it real” index of NBA players, Bryant outed himself as a phony. The first sign was triggered when Bryant, a self-professed glowing father and husband, was accused of rape by a townie in Eagle, Colo.
Instead of being humbled by the scandal, Bryant responded with an odd mix of arrogance and insecurity. As if to boost his street cred, Bryant got his first tattoo – which seems like a Cracker Jack press-on when applied to his biceps.
Bryant’s engraved rite of passage didn’t make him one of the fellas, though. Without showing any conscience, he parlayed his free-agent capital into a cudgel to run off coach Phil Jackson and O’Neal.
Still, many gave Bryant a pass on hypocrisy until he was publicly exposed as a rat fink this year. All those seasons of ball hogging, and Bryant chose to dish dirt on his teammates.”
“Whatever occurred between Bryant and a 19-year old woman from Colorado on June 30—whether it was rape or consensual sex—he is the one who put his career, team, family and image on the line by placing his libido ahead of the risk. If Bryant had been savvier, he would have discovered what several NBA veterans have said privately over the years: a professional stripper has no strings attached; a relative stranger is the greater danger. In other words, pay up front, not later.” – Selena Roberts, New York Times
“Was going to say trade some pitchers for Salty… even if it’s Hughes.”
Jon Daniels is tough to deal with. The trade of Teix for Feliz, Andrus, Salty, and Harrison is the perfect example. Hughes might start the conversation but he would expect much more. I don’t see Daniels parting with one of his catchers until closer to the all-star break. He didn’t budge at all with the Sux.
Thanks for a real review Pete.
I’m still interested in the idea that Arod did roids in High School… Im no expert, but I thought for sure that skinny 18 year old on the Mariners was clean. I think thats the accusation I’m most disturbed by in the sense that there is no real evidence. That and the bad tipping of course.
When I’m the CFer for the Yankees I’m going to sleep with hundreds of strippers every night just to piss Selena off lol
Good points billy – then again what would we do with Montero if we get Salty. I see it doesn’t fit. Guess we’ll have to find a stop gap. I hate stop gaps lol
way to be fair and unsensationalistic pete, kudos.
nice find, no. 27.
I said here last year when she was in Miami talking to a bunch of frauds as “sources” for this book, this was going to bomb.
Selena Roberts problem as a columnist is the same as her problem as an investigative reporter. She draws her conclusions PRIOR to obtaining any evidence.
Therefore, her opinions are formed using faulty premises. That’s why, despite the hype, she isn’t a good columnist.
Its also why she screwed the pooch on the Duke story and this book.
Yes, she “got” Arod on the steroid story.
What she really “got” though was a failed drug test that was illegally given to her. That’s what she “got”.
She didn’t “get” him. The person who gave her the document, illegally, “got” him. She just got credit for it.
Steroids in HS? I spent more time around Alex in those days than ANY of her unnamed sources (more on that in a minute) and there is no way he was using in high school.
I’m not 50% certain, 90% certain. I’m 100% certain.
So are Rich Hoffman and Minky, two guys who spent more time around him than I did in HS and whose character and honesty are beyond reproach.
About her “sources”. Well, my sources say she only really has about 5-6 sources for the book. They just talk about a variety of different issues and, as is Selena’s way, she credits them as “individual sources” for the purposes of making it look like she has a lot of sources. When in effect, she has few.
The people who talked to her off the record fell into two catagories:
1. People who despise Alex.
2. People who used to be around him, aren’t anymore, and aren’t happy about that.
Its why the book bombed.
ALL that said, Alex controls this next chapter of his life and how its going to written.
Hopefully, it will have a happy ending.
m,
No, Nick Green spoke about Arod as a teammate, not about Melky/Gardner. Green said Alex was a great teammate and took him under his wing. Alex even had Green live at his Manhattan apartment during the season or something like that.
“Good points billy – then again what would we do with Montero if we get Salty. I see it doesn’t fit. Guess we’ll have to find a stop gap. I hate stop gaps lol”
I don’t want to give up what Daniels would asky for any of his catchers. If I am Cashman, I look around the minors as well. J.R. House was a top prospect and he’s behind Brayan Pena now at Omaha. I would look to a guy along the lines of a House, etc.
Actually don’t have much of a problem with that Kobe Bryant piece she did.
no.27 ,
It’s kind of weird that Roberts has this huge commentary on the inequalities of society when the Duke kids hired a few strippers but in that article she basically advises Kobe to go bang strippers.
Whatever, I don’t really care what she writes. After listening to some interviews and reading some of her columns she strikes me as a very unintelligent person. I couldn’t care less about her book or her future work.
A-Rod will provide the leadership and heart this team needs. He is a winner and a leader. He will show us why he is the best player in baseball and what we missed the past month.
You don’t trade Phil Hughes for a backup catcher. That’s nuts.
You hope your starting pitching lives up to the back of their baseball cards, the lineup hits a little more, and you weather the injury storm.
Thanks for being even handed, Peter. Between your piece and Murray Chass’, it is refreshing to read/hear something other than Selena sycophants.
As to whether A-Rod used steroids other than the time frame he game, I’ll just say that Alex has been more forthcoming about how/when/why he used than anyone else this side of Jose Canseco. Even Andy Pettitte. Whom I really do like.
The sad thing is, there are millions of people who will only remember the headlines from the book, and think of them as facts.
All I can say is Selena Roberts has set herself up for some serious bad karma.
I agree with most of the roster moves that people have suggested in previous threads and this one. Cash, Miranda and one of Rodriguez or Linden should be new additions to this roster today. I think they need to trim a reliever but I don’t think it should be Robertson or Melancon. I think the fascination with Albaladejo needs to end. He has average to a little above average stuff and less than average command yet Girardi keeps running him out there in the 7th or 8th inning. Plus if I remember correctly he still has an option. Send him to Scranton until maybe Nady is healthy enough to come back and you can trim down one of the OFs on the roster.
RussW210
May 8th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Ugh, just realized Laird is in Detroit. Was going to say trade some pitchers for Salty… even if it’s Hughes.
I’m thinking someone like Buck from KC or Miguel Montero from Arizona. It might not cost quite as much if we also take back a bad contract like Jose Guillen from KC or Eric Byrnes from Arizona. Guillen or Byrnes would also add to the Yanks deleted bench.
“Good points billy – then again what would we do with Montero if we get Salty. I see it doesn’t fit. Guess we’ll have to find a stop gap. I hate stop gaps lol”
Well, Montero is only 19. I would assume the best case scenario on him is ML starter no sooner than 2014 (age 25) given the difficulty of the position – mentally moreso than physically. I’d have no problem seeing Cashman going for a 26-27 year old catcher with some potential to help bridge the gap. Posada first came up in ‘95 (23), but didn’t get regular action until ‘98 (26).
SJ,
Your thoughts on the Mariano Rivera and catchers situation please?
Great insight into the book, and good writeup from Pete, but right now I am worried about the Yankees. And worried long term, not just whether they make the playoffs or not.
If I were Arod, I would hire a private investigator to stalk Selena Roberts as much as the law allows.
Then, once there is sufficient dirt, I would hire a writer to write a book about how f***ing crazy she is! LOL
Although, I wish I were crazy enough to make up stories about a celebrity and rake in the cash as she is probably doing…damn conscious of mine is always getting in the way!
M, this is one time that we will have to agree to disagree. I think Alex is liked on the team – it doesn’t mean they don’t get frustrated with his baggage, but you take the bad with the good. I know what Pete says – I’m just choosing not to take his word for it. In fact, I believe SJ more than I do any sportswriter when it comes to Alex.
I would disagree with people who say teammates don’t like Alex.
Its too broad a term.
There have been guys that played for the Yankees that didn’t like Derek Jeter. Quite a few actually. Yet, I think Derek, and rightfully so, is known as an excellent teammate.
The same really holds true for Alex.
You put 25 guys in a room and you will have some that don’t like others. That’s just natural.
In Alex’s case, its not like they don’t like him. They don’t GET him.
As one current teammate, who really likes him, once said to me, “I don’t understand why he puts himself in the positions he does. Can’t he see how much tougher he makes it on himself”/
I think that’s the general feeling of guys on the team.
They like him, they just don’t understand him. Truthfully, not an unfair position to take.
SJ,
Agreed about not trade Phil Hughes (obviously)… but you don’t think Cashman should try to make a move for a catcher? A guy who can take Molina’s role next year as the backup, and help bide enough time until we know what we have with Montero?
Trade Hughes for a catcher? I don’t think so Russ…..I’m really glad you’re not the GM.
We are one bad series away from being in last place. If that happens I’m afraid that Girardi’s job is at risk and possibly Cashman’s. I see Cashman as being much more responsible for this fiasco than Joe but unfortunately Girardi will be fired first and Cashman will probably survive the year.
I would like a GM who doesn’t try to “buy” a pennant every year. The deals he gave to Mo/Posada were stupid. This isn’t second guessing – most people were aware of the risk in signing aging veterans to long money. The contracts to CC/AJ/TEX were embarrassing and I fear that we will live to regret at least two of them (if not all three).
There are other ways to build a ball club apart from spending money. Look at Tampa. Now maybe Cashman hand his hands tied and couldn’t operate the way he wanted. If that’s the case he should have walked away – he could have landed a GM job with half a dozen other teams who would let him build a team the right way – through player development, trades and the draft – not by delivering buckets of money to players whose best years are behind them.
the 2009 Yankees are a mess as is the New Yankee Stadium, which is a under-statement. Neither will be fixed this year,deal with it all
It speaks volumes when somebody who is so obviously biased AGAINST Rodriguez acknowledges the book is garbage.
It speaks volumes when somebody who is so obviously biased AGAINST Rodriguez acknowledges the book is garbage.
Sweep the Orioles in their park and things start to look much better….Welcome Back, Alex….we need you !
Sam Borden must have done this book review.
m
LOL. The utility infielder, not the noted and respected journalist. The Q and A with Green was about Alex as a teammate.
Green talked about how he lived in Alex’s NY apt. the season he was a Yankee, stayed with his family in the offseason in Miami and considered him a friend.
It said people try to get him to speak bad about Alex but in his experience he was a great teammate and the younger guys appreciated all the help he gave them.
SJ, that sounds about right. When it comes down to it, we all have our oddities and quirks that seem odd to other people – some just hide it better than others.
Derek seems like such a good guy – I know that there is no one in the world who is universally loved by everyone, but to hear that many teammates didn’t like him? Wow….
people stop acting like you werent praising cashman for signing cc/tex/aj. going into the spring, we looked great, and everyone agreed.
and stop whining about the stadium. still get over 40000 a night. they will fix the wall in right center but other than that, its fine.
This losing streak from hell started with CC on Saturday, here’s hoping he gets us started on a winning streak tonight.
Hope he ate his Wheaties this morning, would be nice to see a dominant performance from him.
The catching situation….
If I could get Miguel Montero from the D’backs and not give up Hughes, Brackman, Melancon, Austin Jackson or Montero, I do that deal.
The reason? Its not just about this year, its about next year.
They need a younger catcher here. Posada and Molina are now breaking down every year. The hazzards of the profession.
If you get Montero, you have a guy that can catch at least 75 games next year when they don’t re-sign Molina.
It also builds a bridge between now and when the catchers in A Ball could be ready for the majors. Currently, the Yankees don’t have anybody to fill that hole. Montero would.
If they can’t get him, then I go with Cash and Cervelli and hope for the best.
One thing I DON’T do is overpay for a catcher right now.
If any of the above prospect I named are included in a deal for a catcher, you are overpaying.
Mariano? Simply put, he’s healthy but not strong enough to be used like he used to be used. So, you monitor his innings.
You don’t make a shoulder stronger by not pitching. Conversely, you make it weaker if you overdo it.
So, between his exercises and proper monitoring, he will be fine. They just have to use him intelligently.
Trying to trade for one of the young Texas catchers is folly at this point.
The price will be too high and you’ll end up losing talent that can help you win now or you can trade at the deadline for a better player.
Texas isn’t giving us any of those catchers for Kennedy and Veras. They’re gonna want Hughes, Montero, Melancon and Austin Jackson.
If Cashman were an astute enough talent evaluator and believed one of the young C’s in Texas was worth it, it’d be one thing…but I don’t think he has the confidence in his evaluations to trade one of the 4 above listed players.
That’s actually why we have the roster problem. He’s too scared of losing players who may do well elsewhere to the detriment of the team now.
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but after Posada was gone, Brayan Pena was there to be claimed and Cashman did nothing.
Now look at how foolish it was to pass up a switch hitting catcher who can hit a little and isn’t the worst defensively.
He’s better than any of the catchers we’ll have on the roster tonight and Cashman did nothing to help his team because of fear of another team claiming Veras, Alby or Ramirez and them doing well.
That’s a problem. I’ve always felt he was a poor talent evaluator. It’s easy to pick CC, AJ and Tex. Everyone would want those guys.
Where are the “gets” he made that show some insight? Swisher? That was essentially a salary dump that any team could have made for warm bodies.
I think Cash did a good job this off season addressing the problems with the team, but he needs to do a better job adjusting to the problems of the season.
He seems very obstinate and set in stone and “this is the roster” about it all.
Show some creativity now and impress us.
I like the idea of Montero from Arizona, but he seems to be getting a good deal of playing time since Synder really isn’t hitting.
Cashman really needed to address this in the offseason, not now when teams would know he’s desperate. Such a huge mistake on his part.
“This is not to say that Rodriguez deserves the benefit of the doubt. He has admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 and it’s difficult to believe he limited himself to those three years.”
—————–
Pete, good write up. Also the point above is right on. The guy cheated and it will and should stay with him forever. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be much moral clarity in this discussion about arod, and also the other cheaters, like Manny. I heard Tim Kurkjian on ESPN put the steroid mess “in perpective” last night and one of the many relativist things he said was “everyone cheats in the game” and how these players “will do anything to compete at a high level.” On top of that, Joe Torre said he doesn’t feel that Manny’s test takes anything away from his accomplishments.
What are we doing here? I feel that we have gone off the deep end in terms of excuses for these guys. Buster Olney siad it best in his ESPN collumn yesterday that these guys shoudl be kicked out of the game.
By making excuses of “competitive edge” “it is the nature of the game” and by even saying that these positive tests take nothing from thier accomplishments, like Torre, is the same thing as making a moral judgment that these things are ok. I woudl like to say to those people that take the “i don’t condone what these guys did, but we should realize why they did it, etc…” that by that position you are condoning it.
The last bastion of hope for clear thinking people is to keep these guys from getting a plaque int he HOF. They did the wrong thing competitively and should not be rewarded in this sport for those competitive wrongs.
I wonder how much damage this book has done despite being so woefully researched Pete felt compelled to write a fairly scathing review. A-Rod is the type of guy you don’t mind believing bad things about. I have to admit, I am not a fan, and I don’t know too many people, even Yanks fans, who are. When rumors come out about people like that, they are rarely given the benefit of the doubt. Most people will never read Roberts’ book (who would spend $30 to read about a self-absorbed athlete who isn’t very likeable) but those same people will believe that he used in high school, with the Yanks, and tipped pitches to opponents (to me, the most damning thing mentioned). Never mind it doesn’t seem to pass the smell test, and her “sources” are anonymous rumor mongers. People will feel comfortable believing it because that’s the type of person A-Rod is.
Like I said, I am not a big fan of A-Rod, but I do feel for him. There might be a lot of things in the heap of a book that is just flat out wrong and, for the rest of his career, he will be dogged by those rumors.
It is amazing that Roberts shows once again her willingness to hurt someone’s reputation and image with little or no backing from the facts. I bet the Duke Lacrosse players know a little something about that.
“”"”The people who talked to her off the record fell into two catagories:
1. People who despise Alex.
2. People who used to be around him, aren’t anymore, and aren’t happy about that.”"”"”
Hey know it all? Alex agrees with number 2 for you lololol.
Here is the Nick Green stuff on living with Alex, etc:
http://www.boston.com/sports/b.....me/?page=2
We forgive you Pete.
cashman’s big issue is managing the 40 man roster.
horrible job with that and it needs to be addressed.
The Royals have catching depth and so do the Rangers. The issue is price and where will the Yanks draw the line on prospects.
To me every young arm other than Joba, Hughes and Melancon has to be on the table. Every positional prospect other than Montero, Austin Jackson or Pena too.
Might as well aim high, because the over/under on Jorge starts the next two-plus years is probably about 200… and I’d bet the under.
How exactly are the contracts to CC/Tex/AJ embarrassing? Thanks to George and the Tampa faction, the farm system went neglected for years ..until Cash took control. The Yankees had to improve their team and had to sign at least 2 out of those FAs….LOL if the Yankees hadn’t done that, the same fans would be whining that they didn’t do enough to try and win.
and how did the other two losing streaks start, this will be a season of long losing streaks and short winning streaks
I love the “we are one bad series away from last place” and “nothing will be fixed” posts.
Well, “we” (are “we” playing?) are also one 5 game winning streak from being in first place.
“Nothing will be fixed this year”.
If you really believe that, why are you here? The season is “over” in your mind, move on.
Its May 8 people. The season isn’t “over” and the situation certainly can be “fixed”.
Its just going to take time, good pitching and some timely hitting.
Thankfully, there is over 80% of the season remaining for that to happen.
Nice try. ARoid is AFraud. Face it and deal with it.
The Yankees should just clone Nick Swisher 24 times and have him play every position.
Can you imagine 25 Nick Swishers? I don’t know if that’s terrifying or totally awesome. Probably both.
Vin: The problem with making a move for a catcher is, teams know the Yanks are in great need. They will either only offer bottom barrel talent, or hold an overpriced value (or both). Bottom barrel talent doesn’t help. The Yankees already have that behind the plate now.
The kind of guy you’re talking about is not very common. Most teams want to hang onto their backups for the same situation that the Yankees are in now. Any one that has a shot at being a starter in a few years isn’t going to be moved for cheap, and knowing the Yanks’ situation, it would cost a Phil Hughes-type player, which isn’t worth it.
Pete, I didn’t expect anything more from the book than you described. Actually I expected a little less. I wouldn’t have bought it for any reason. I hope you can write of the cost of it if you can’t get a refund.
If enough respected journalist and writers dismiss it, she’ll have no hope of credibility in the future … Duke Lacrosse … A-Rod … but of course she’ll believe to the vacuous center of her hollow core that she’s a crusader who’s spot on.
Pete…. you’ve turned a corner
A POSITIVE A-Rod post!!!!
I never thought I’d see the day…. hahaha
Actually that’s not true Tantron but, thanks for playing. lol, lol
Remember when cashman said a little while ago that he needed to “pull a rabbit out of his hat” and he did absolutely nothing. This time he needs to pull a rabbit out of his hat for real. But if you really think about it, how much worse is kevin cash’s bat going to be than molina’s was before? Losing a player of molina’s caliber is not what concerns me really. The fact that posada is now a constant injury risk and montero is at least two years away if not more from the majors is what concerns me. How long until posada can no longer get behind the plate? I think its closers than some would like to think. And then, what? Have a backup catch for two years as a starter… Not keeping navarro is looking worse and worse these days. Hey, I guess Girardi can always slap on some catcher gear and get behind the plate for a few games as a player/manager position. He is only 44 right?
Can’t control injuries
Will we ever be 100% healthy this year? Probably not. We have to play through it and win.
“If I could get Miguel Montero from the D’backs and not give up Hughes, Brackman, Melancon, Austin Jackson or Montero, I do that deal.”
IPK for Montero?
I seem to recall that when Boston got involved, the D’backs were looking for Bard, which Boston scoffed at, or Bowden.
Yes!! I was just listening to Wil Carrol online on WEEI from Boston – he said that Selena Roberts is now going to begin investigating Ramirez. This will get interesting fast.
“I’m thinking someone like Buck from KC or Miguel Montero from Arizona. It might not cost quite as much if we also take back a bad contract like Jose Guillen from KC or Eric Byrnes from Arizona. Guillen or Byrnes would also add to the Yanks deleted bench.”
Great idea – I would take Guillen in a heartbeat. Not so much Byrnes. Lets hope the organization doesn’t take the “wait around for Jorge” route. Jorge has proven he is our DH next year.
Baltimore has a killer lineup and seem to bat like .500 against us collectively… not expecting the pitching to do much.
The offense is going to have to step up.
I can see trading for a catcher for the future( and play Jorge at DH but not until next year when Damon,Matusi & other leave…they are going to need at least on OFer if not two & a catcher along with RP…they better hope Jeter doesn’t get older quick.
Even if it turns out she’s right about some or most things about A-Rod (and she’s probably right to some degree about some things at least) Selena the Crusader has proven her tactics involve writing a load of what could easily be BS. Too late to back anything up later, even if it’s actual proof. With all the hype for the book, the book was her forum and apparently she left gaping holes in her ‘proof’ there.
Arod had a pretty good week.
The book is a flop for the most part. As Pete put it people already thought most of those things about him to begin with. What question can you ask him on the remaining material? Not tipping someone more than 15%???
Manny gets caught, perfect timing for his return, eats up a lot of the news in the steroid sector.
The Yankees continue to slide. No one on the team can hit with RISP, something people pinned completely on him.
If he comes back and they start picking it up against an Orioles team with awful pitching he will get a decent amount of credit.
And he is replacing Pena (who I do like enough as a reserve) and Ransom who did little of anything offensively or defensively for anyone, even the haters to argue they aren’t much better off with him back.
Great point RussW210….
Absorbing a bad contract might well be the key to getting a decent catcher, and by decent I mean a guy you want for more than a month or two. Might as well look for someone who can play 40-60 percent of the time going forward.
This isn’t the time for spackle… it’s time to rip out a wall and put in a better one.
possible free agent catchers for 2010
Ramon Hernandez – $8.5MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Victor Martinez – $7MM club option with a $250K buyout
Bengie Molina
A few points:
She wrote COLUMNS about Duke. Whether you disagree with her points (and I did), please remember that she was writing opinion, not covering the story as a news reporter.
I have not, as some suggested, defended her countless times. The fact is she was absolutely, 100 percent correct about the positive drug test. I assumed (wrongly) that the book would include more of the same.
SJ44 is wrong to suggest that somebody just gave her the test result and that she was lucky. She has been working on this story for a long time. Many of us have been trying to get those results. That was good, honest work ethic.
Finally, please don’t be naive. The odds are very high that Alex used PEDs beyond 2001-03. His body dramatically changed from 2006 to 2007. Roberts can’t prove it. But there are probably people out there who can and they are either loyal to Alex or have yet to say anything.
And it’s not just Alex. I would wager that 50-60 percent of the players were using something and probably 10 percent still are on something, whether it’s HGH or whatever. The union essentially works with them on avoiding tests or fooling them.
If you think any team and/or player was clean from 1990, I’d be very careful.
I don’t think Jeter did because he is a person of integrity and character and his father would kill him. I don’t think Moose did because he didn’t have to.
Everybody else? I wouldn’t bet a dime against it. Not a dime. All of these “true Yankees” who were mediocre players someplace else and were suddenly stars in New York, you think that was just good fortune?
This happened all around baseball with every team and everybody in the game, from the owners down to the media was complicit.
Now there’s testing and hopefully it cleans the game up.
I guess what I am saying is just because this book doesn’t prove anything doesn’t mean there isn’t anything out there to prove about Alex. And the same is true for 100s of other players.
Do you guys think A-Rod is even ready to face ML pitching right now? I have a feeling it may be a few weeks before he gets his timing down. Meanwhile the pressure will build.
I agree with the sentiment of not overpaying for a catcher but I disagree with the conclusion from a business point of view.
The Yanks may have sold 40,000+ seats per game to the new Stadium for the rest of the year, but they need to do so next year as well and they have to keep moving the premium plans in order to generate the revenue necessary to support a $210MM payroll and debt service on a $1.5B stadium.
In order to do so, they need to make the playoffs this year. Miss the playoffs two years in a row and the Yanks are quite likely to start seeing a downturn in attendance. The secondary market right now is already very soft.
Posada and Molina are likely to be out quite some time. The Yanks would know best, of course, but from what I’ve heard these injuries aren’t quick healing affairs.
Cervelli and Cash, if that’s who they call up, aren’t likely to hit. In the AL, and especially the AL East, IMO you can’t afford to have someone in the line-up every day who hit as poorly as they are likely to hit if you intend to make the playoffs.
Conclusion? The Yanks will be forced to trade one or more of their sexier prospects to get a catcher, and IMO they will. If someone would take Brackman, I’d do that deal today if I were the Yanks.
Halladay vs. Burnett?
Ugh… AJ is going to be so nervous going back to his old stadium, facing his mentor and his former team
I expect him to be so amped up that he might get hit around because he is trying to do too much
Kudos Pete
The Sux were willing to give up Bard or Bowden for Miguel Montero so the Dbacks will ask for a bit more from us IMO. I would look into it. I can’t see Posada back much sooner than four to five weeks and Molina could be a 60-day dler. Ask any athlete and quads are as bad it gets to come back from.
If Slima Roberts starts investigating Manny I have no doubt she will interview the same anonymous sources who she talked to about Alex and the Duke Lacrosse players.
The only things that could make this a better week for Alex would be for the other 103 positive testers to be leaked to the public and a 8-13 weekend with three HR.
“Do you guys think A-Rod is even ready to face ML pitching right now?”
Nope. But the only way to get ready is to get in there and face some. Agree that it will probably be a struggle early on.
I agree with Pete, the only person that would truly shock me is Jeter.
I can’t decide. Who sucks the most:
1. Lonn Trost
2. Selena Roberts
3. Brian Cashman
Has there been any update on Molina?
“The Sux were willing to give up Bard or Bowden for Miguel Montero so the Dbacks will ask for a bit more from us IMO.”
They weren’t willing. That’s what the Snakes asked for and Boston said no.
I love the people who think that this team is “going to be in first place” in 5 games. RIIIIIIIIGHT. Take off the rose-colored glasses and be honest with yourself. Is this a first-place team ? Is this a playoff team ? Cashman has really screwed the pooch here despite all of the resources in the world. It is embarrasing.
The injuries are just excuses. Every team gets them. The bullpen and lack of depth in the organization are truly embarrasing.
I’ve been a Yankee fan since 1971 and I don’t need to be lectured by “self-declared, self-important” experts who don’t really understand the game. Yup I’m looking at you, SJ.
“They will either only offer bottom barrel talent, or hold an overpriced value (or both). Bottom barrel talent doesn’t help. The Yankees already have that behind the plate now. ”
Such is life when you (Cashman) go into a season with two old catchers, and your fingers crossed. I know you’re right that teams will pounce on the fact that the yanks are in a tight situation, but I have to think that the combination of quality minor league arms and the ability to absorb bad major league contracts can get SOMETHING done. I’m not talking about top-tier young talent, nor am I thinking Kevin Cash-types. I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Hopefully Cash can find a dancing partner.
question….would a trade for catcher such as Napoli ( they like Mathis) cost the Yankees to much…Yankees are going to have to start thinking about the future at C & Jorge a 2010 DH
Pete saw the light.
You know who might be an interesting target for Cashman is that Clement kid in Seattle. His defense isn’t great, but he has tremendous upside at the plate and Seattle really doesn’t seem all that interested in giving him a shot with Johjima locked up to that ridiculous contract.
I’m not the least bit surprised, quite frankly.
Jason Whitlock, in an article for MSN earlier this week, already questioned Roberts’ integrity, motives, and history of contorting facts and shoddy journalism.
Whitlock’s actually cites one the bloggers on Pete’s blog role who exposes the persistent denigration to which Roberts’ columns and news articles subjected A-Rod during her tenure at The New York Times.
http://theyankeesrepublic.blog.....berts.html
In the interest of fair disclosure, I went to Duke, so I admired his analysis of Roberts’ work that reason alone.
(Roberts constant attacks on the entire Duke University campus, community, and alumni because of the Lacrosse team’s behavior still incenses me.)
The irony is I found out she went to Auburn, hardly a bastion of feminism or racial diversity.
She must be some piece of work. Good luck to her publisher. I hope they have able lawyers.
Thanks Pete
“They weren’t willing. That’s what the Snakes asked for and Boston said no.”
I stand corrected. I know Arizona asked for them.
SJ is back with some great posts today.
I am not a dreamer look at CC with a 4.85 ERA..
AJ and Wangs ERA’s.. they will turn it around.
jesus Montero will be up before 2014 or he will never make it. a more reasonable timeframe is 2011 or 2012… he looks like a hitter we will see about the rest.
on the catcher front do not overpay. the lineup got better today, francisco cerevelli or not….. they have 1 black hole #9 hitter that is it. jorge is a great hitting cathcer but he would probably be a below avg hitting 1B or 3B.. there are so few good hitting catchers so that he looks better then he actually is.. he is a 280, 20, 85 rbi a yr guy. that does not get it done at 1B or LF etc..
molina is overweight i can care less unless he gets hurt alot which he appears to do.. he cannot be resigned or counted on.. he should lose20 ponds less strain on his legs etc…not the right thing to do.
i especially like SJ comments on arod. arod is not a bad guy just kinda clueless..trying to be appreciated etc.. again these are not crimes…
The hitting with RISP continues to be horrific. Leadoff doubles that I used to consider were guaranteed runs are now guaranteed frustration. It goes beyond hits with RISP as well, there is no sure run when there is a man of third with less than two outs. Every team has this happen once in a while, but for 2 1/2 years? Something has to change.
Does anybody else root for a wild pitch when a man is on third because that is the only way you feel he will score? Or root for two wild pitches when a runner is on second? I never used to think that way, but this is an epidemic with this team. I know I can’t be alone in this!
The fact that the book is a piece of garbage doesn’t make me feel any better about A-Rod being outed as a steroid user. To me, that is the ultimate disappointment. If this alleged reporter has other things that are right or wrong, nothing will make me get over the disappointment in A-Rod. I can’t conasider him an all-time great because if he was so great, why juice with a banned trainer?
Bashign Roberts seems to make the rest of you feel better but she will be forgotten in a few months but A-Rod’s steroid stain won’t go away.
And some take joy in Manny being brought down. Every Red Sox player could be named but that doesn’t make me feel better about the Yankee cheaters. Sorry, the “everybody was doing it” claim doesn’t cut it for me.
“I guess what I am saying is just because this book doesn’t prove anything doesn’t mean there isn’t anything out there to prove about Alex. And the same is true for 100s of other players.”
That’s what most of us are saying too. Let’s deal with facts and not hypotheticals. Nothing would surprise me about anyone any more, especially Alex; BUT speculation being called fact is dangerous.
In the same way that Alex’s PED use is not fair to make all players suspect; its not fair that Robert’s book makes all journalists suspect. Not fair but it’s happening.
In a strange way Alex is as healthy for baseball as Selena is for journalism.
Pete,
I’d love to post your link to my Facebook page but the strip club ads prevent me from doing so because I’d be embarrassed to link to a story that had that stuff up there. Please talk to LoHud about finding a different class of advertiser.
Pete,
I agree with you about most of the players in the game. No question about it.
Here is where we differ….
Yes, she has been working on an Alex and steroid story for months. However, without obtaining that positive test, she had nothing but heresay evidence.
The test brought it over the top. Whomever gave her that info, committed a crime.
If she had more concrete evidence of PED use from Alex before or after the time period he said he used, it would have been in the book.
She didn’t and has never had such evidence.
As far as her columns, I agree, that’s opinion.
However, if you base opinions on faulty evidence, which she has done numerous times in her career, you produce faulty opinions. Which she has produced numerous times in her career.
You produce enough of them, you lose credibility.
Its not about what people write. I happen to think Jason Whitlock is the best sports columnist in America.
I don’t agree with everything Jason writes. I do however see, he doesn’t base opinions on faulty premises. Selena does.
She did it with the Duke kids, MJ, Kobe, and to a large degree with Alex.
I don’t think a good columnist can continue to do that and maintain any credibility with their readers.
Its why many of her “big stories” fall short of memorable status.
For example, if you go into a column believing so and so is a bad guy, you really aren’t going to move off that stance, despite whatever research you find to the contrary.
Yes, its an opinion piece. However, Selena promotes herself as having more than opinions on her subjects.
She believes she has INSIGHTS. She told Bob Costas as much in her interview re: Alex.
My belief is, she doesn’t have insights because her opinions are so clouded going into these things, they hurt her having clear insight on the subjects.
She ought to thank her lucky stars somebody violated the law to give her those test results. Without them, her rep would be taking an even greater hit than it is right now.
i think miguel olivo may actually be a better all around catcher than jose molina – much better offensively not quite as good defensively – then again molina hasn’t been as good defensively this year than he was last year…can the yankees get him for a few bullpen arms? at this point i may take farnsworth back as well if they want to give him up too..he can’t be as bad as veras and gang..
SJ those crazy panic posts the other day were they you or a imposter?
you posts today are great and reasonable so
i was wondering
Hey, don’t blame Lonn Trost for the obscene ticket prices or the Stadium’s susceptibility to homers.
The first is the Steinbrenner’s doing. Only they could have approved a $1.3 billion Stadium. Only they could have approved that idiotic, vintage scoreboard in RF which moved the fence in.
And the Yankeee hired engineers or physicists (which of the two I can’t recall) who measures the wind velocity in the new Stadium and concluded the openings would have no effect.
I don’t know who is accountable for the shorter walls, but according to the expert on waswatching, the reduction in height is small and the effect is minimal.
The real cause is the wind flow (and to a lesser extent, the walls’s shorter distance from the plate.)
SJ-
Just out of curiosity, were you or any of your colleagues or friends approached by Roberts for the book on A Rod?
It’s something that me, the guy who calls for the manager’s ouster, is embarassed by the negative attitudes I’m reading on here and, yup, I’m looking at you, Adriane Newberg.
This team can turn it around. This team SHOULD turn it around. It’s that they haven’t, and the reasons why, that I’m frustrated. I can’t wait for these 25 guys, and the guys managing them, to figure it out. I can’t wait for the lightbulb to go on. I just wish it didn’t take this long every year.
Someone mentioned declining attendance. Let’s not confuse blog posters for the actual fanbase. The fanbase will be there, win or lose.
Then Adriane, go home and call it a season. Its over.
See you next year.
This is not the time to start trading young talent that has a high ceiling – Hughes, Jackson, Montero, Melancon, Brackman, Betances – to fill holes on injury plagued and aging major league roster.
There isn’t much flexibility on this roster right now.
Jeter, Posada and Rivera, each have one or two more years on their deals. A-Rod is tied into a albatross of a contract and its simply unmoveable.
Tex has an 8-year deal, Sabbathia 7 years, and Burnett 5 years.
It’s an old team where the stars are all in a decline phase, and the young players – Cano, Melky, Gardner – aren’t really that good.
If the team continues its losing streak pretty soon they will be 7 or 8 games back in the division. Boston and Tampa are both clearly better teams at this point. Having Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Cash as your starting catchers coupled with an atrociuous bullpen and inconsistent starting pitching isn’t going to help cut into that lead.
If the Yankees haven’t made up ground by June, the team needs to start looking to trade some of its expiring contracts – namely Damon, Matsui and Pettitte – and get young position players or bullpen arms in return.
Damon and Matsui have value right now because they are hitting well. Think some team couldn’t use a veteran outfielder like Damon in a corner spot. Someone that gets on base at about a .380 clip and hits 20 HRs?
Think some AL squad that needs a veteran DH wouldn’t like a veteran stick like Matsui? Minnesota? Seattle? Anaheim?
Pettitte? How about the Phillies? Cubs? There are endless possibilities for him.
The return may not be GREAT, but the farm system is completely bereft of position players. It needs to be replenished.
Another trade possibility? Melky Cabrera. He’s a fourth outfielder who is hitting like a star right now. His value will never be higher. This would the proverbial striking while the iron is hot.
Austin Jackson is the future at CF for the Yankees. He needs to stay at AAA to continue his development – gain power, improve plate discipline.
Hughes and Chamberlain need to continue to gain major league experience and innings and develop into true frontline starters. Melancon needs to become a dominant late-inning force.
Hope Montero continues to rake in the minors. Hope the young pitchers Brackman, Betances, McAllister etc. can continue to develop.
That’s the only way the Yankees are ever going to climb out of this hole. And it is a hole.
Because right now the team resembles the 2000-2004 Baltimore Orioles.
Good job Peter. It’s funny how the left wingnuts (borrowed from the marxist Randy) will dispute you to the bloody end for any suggested innuendo that Aroid’s body dramatically changed possibly due to roids. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck……
There’s no excuse with over 210 million spent. lol.
So wait
Is this the first day of the rest of Alex’s Life/Career?
again Pete I do not have much disagreement with your selena roberts arod blurb my one question is why can’t we get those other 103 names.. If we got the other 103 names then it would be a jawdropper…
selena roberts is a opinion writer she does not like arod maybe for good reason but her book lacks eveidence and should not be viewed as anything other then a opinion piece.
Clay, the reason you are having such a tough time aswering the “who sucks most” question is because it is actually secret and hidden answer #4 – Joe Girardi.
Melky Cabrera was #7 in the not top 10 for the week with his play last week against the Angels
Teixiera and Sabathia are on the decline?
Okay……
Simply because she was a columnist writing an opinion doesn’t mean she is free from criticism. We get criticized for our OPINIONS all the time.
So, really its not a defense of what was written in them Pete.
This book isn’t even on the top 100 bestsellers list on Amazon. Not even a week after publication. Roberts should have saved the great ammo for the book!
leftwingnuts.. are we discussing politics???
body change dramatically.. show me some evidence??/
barry bonds body changed significantly, ivan rodriguez did, arod.. i don’t see it…
/
“If you think any team and/or player was clean from 1990, I’d be very careful.”
Couldn’t agree more, Pete. Since McGwire was caught with a bottle of andro in his locker back when it was something that could be bought at GNC, I’ve believed with certainty that every team had at least a juicer or two in that time frame. And that some teams probably had more than just a couple. And it wouldn’t surprise me (especially now) if at least half the game juiced back then but we’ll never know.
I also believe there are some guys who are still doing something (though significantly fewer and probably not in every clubhouse anymore) and getting away with it because they’re being ’smart’ about it.
But since I have no actual proof, I won’t be writing a book about it anytime soon.
Agree with Patrick. We need to get another bat up here.
DFA Berroa, bring up another catcher.
dl Jose- Alex
Send alby down bring up a bat.
so are the Yankee brass finally going to seriously discuss what to do w/ this new ballpark? maybe putting see through glass around the open councourses will control the wacky wind patterns
concourses
“Roberts should have saved the great ammo for the book!” ???
Roberts should have USED the great ammo in the book.
This is the third review I have read Pete, and probably the best one yet. All the reviews have said is that the sources are all unnamed and have generally panned this book( large Column)
But Selena will mostly use the “you don’t know how hard it is to be a woman in a man’s world” defense to generate public sympathy and more book sales. Because she like her career, is just that pathetic.
Well said Pete it was everything we told you it would be last week, but thanks for reading it so now none of us will have to even spend a dime to go and get it for ourseleves….LOL!
P.S. I cant beleive how many posters are on this site from the Yes Message boards..Lets hope that they dont ruin this blog as they did those message boards with their lack of actual baseball knowledge.
I disagree with the idea that Cervelli and another stop-gap guy can be adequate for the catching situation. They simply must acquire someone who can really play. If that means giving up some young talent or taking on a butt-ugly contract then do it.
It amazes when people write “injuries are no excuse”. Really? So this team should have the samew W/L record without Alex, Xavier, Jorge, Wang and Bruney? that’s just flat out absurd.
However, Cashman does not get a hall pass for inept management of the 40-man roster which has complicated their ability to react to the injuries as they have occurred. Keeping 18 RHP on the 40-man defies logic, especially when 7 or 8 of them are essentially the same guy. It’s time to choose the four you can afford to do without and see what you can get for them, even if its lower level prospects.
Jason Stark having a chat:
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/.....t_id=26337
As is Keith Law:
http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/.....t_id=26327
In case anyone wants to check em out
I don’t know Ariane since, you are so far up mine, I can’t tell.
Rooting for a team you have declared “dead” on May 8.
Interesting concept.
Its 1 pm, time for your meds again.
“body change dramatically.. show me some evidence??/”
I know it’s so far fetched to think Aroid continued taking enhancers after 03′? Just because he ballooned up doesnt mean anything lolololol.
Sigh. Any news on how the team will address the catching situation?
No matter what this book says, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that Alex Rodriguez cheated the game of baseball.
“Teixiera and Sabathia are on the decline?
Okay……”
Didn’t say that, if you are talking about my post.
Just read that Dom DiMaggio died … 92 years old I think.
the yansk situation is not as dire as ssome portray it. sabathia is 28, tex just turned 29, aj is 32, joba is 32, hughes is 22, evean wang is 28, …
it is true jorge, derek, and mo on getting old. arod is 32,is a workout fiend steroids or not and has at least 4 more good years in him.. they lose matsui, damon, nady after this year.. swisher a good player is 28…
you act like the sux are a bunch of 22 yr old studs… youkilis is 30, pedroia is about the same age as cano, lugo is 33, lowell is older then arod..
the yanks are 13 and 15 mainly because there starting pitching has been horrific.. not mediocore but horrible.. 4.85 for CC, pettitte very avg., AJ over 5 ERA and walking to many guys, wang with a 30 + ERA, the guy won 19 twice and he jsut turned 28… again a hitting cather is a oxymoron, how does boston win with a cather who in his present state is a 220 to 240 hitter with occasional power???
tampa is profoundly better then the yanks now and therefore they have a 1/2 a game better record. Pena is on pace for 72 homers, think that is going to happen? they have neimman and sonnastine in the rotation and presently price is 1 nad 4 at AAA….you act like these other teams are the 98 yankees, they are not………
Stuart and Buddy,
My posts keep getting eaten by the filter.
Stuart: Imposter. I don’t post in the game threads once the games start. Too many psychos and imposters for my tastes.
Buddy,
Myself and a couple of folks who work for me were approached by a third party re: the book. We declined. Its not our thing.
If we didn’t contribute, we would not have done so anonymously. Which means, we probably wouldn’t have made the final manuscript.
I wouldn’t trade any young arms but if the deal is there you have to consider Brackman in my opinion. He hasn’t put it it together at all and Charleston is a long way from the majors. The announcers made a point about how few pitchers there are 6-9 and above. Too many moving parts.
Has anyone heard the seriousness of Jose’s injury.
Ha now Longoria is the best player in the AL. Couple of weeks ago it was Youkilis.
sean seritella arod did cheat absolutely. all i am saying is why not release the other 103 names on the list? we should know all the cheaters names, why not?
Arod is not a guy people root for but let’s be honest he has been unfairly treated in thsi leak and destroy campaign…
“No matter what this book says, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that Alex Rodriguez cheated the game of baseball.”
All any of these Aroid supporters do is focus on the illegally obtained steroid test rather than the fact Arod illegally used drugs, broke the rules, destroyed the game of basebal. He should in the same cell with Manny, Rush and other celebrities that have “pristine and morally centered” lawyers preventing them from having to serve time.
“No matter what this book says, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that Alex Rodriguez cheated the game of baseball.”
All any of these Aroid supporters do is focus on the illegally obtained steroid test rather than the fact Arod illegally used drugs, broke the rules, destroyed the game of basebal. He should in the same cell with Manny, Rush and other celebrities that have “pristine and morally centered” lawyers preventing them from having to serve time.
Of course he cheated. Who has disputed that?
tanton when you get older you gain weight. again maybe i am blind i do not see a significant change in arods body from one period to another but i am open to changing my mind.. but you know without a doubt that he has for many years….
I saw Alex up close in high school and while he was with Seattle and he most certainly was not “blown up”.
I then saw him after a two year gap at a Ceveland/Texas game in 2002 and was stunned at how big he was. Thus the revelation he used steroids in those years was not at all surprising. If you saw him this spring he is clearly smaller than he was in 2003. That’s the best evidence I’ve seen… and I’ve literally seen it.
“Ha now Longoria is the best player in the AL. Couple of weeks ago it was Youkilis.”
In truth, even when Fat Mikey said it was Youkilis, it was Longoria.
is the topic of discussion arod and what he has/has not done or the book written about him?
He cheated, we all know that
The book is also garbage
tanton get a grip.sorry to confuese you with some facts. arod’s positive test was when there was no penalty for taking steroids.. you may think this is a legal mumbo jumbo issue but it is not.
manny was found positive now when there are penalties.
also since you are such a law and order guy and so am i you should be upset that someone broke the rules or laws to release arods info when it should not have been.
hate all you want just be fair……….
Longoria is clearly the best player in the NL. He is fun to watch.
Pete i have to disagree with 2 points. First, yes it was a column not a news article, but I think that as an employee of a newspaper when you write anything in that paper about something like rape you should have your facts first. This was not her opinion on who should get elected or some other issue on which there can be varying opinions. This was an issue of rape. When someone has that stigma attached to their name, it does not go away. By writing her opinion in the Times the idea that there was credence to these charges was reinforced. Did something happen that night to those women, I don’t know. But writing an piece such as this only helps to damage more lives. Journalists should hold themselves to a higher standard than the average person who writes a letter to the editor. What they write, be it a news piece or a column, is accepted as fact by many of the readers.
The second issue is when you refer to the way the test records were obtained “good, honest work ethic”. I’ll grant you good and hard but the acquisition of sealed documents is not honest.
*AL
“leftwingnuts.. are we discussing politics???”
stuart-
tantrom willoughby is trying to continue his silly political rhetoric .
i’m still waiting for him to say anything about baseball that’s worth responding to.
new post…
all people fill out from 18 to 28.. name one ballplayer besides eric davis that never added some lbs over time?/
?
look at griffey, look at them all, the yall get bigger over time.. look in the mirror if you are middle aged…
your eyes are the arbirter of whom has taken performance enhancing drugs….
jeez…..
“In truth, even when Fat Mikey said it was Youkilis, it was Longoria”
I guess it’s whoever owns the Yankees that week. After this weekend it will be Nick Markakis.
look at jeter now and look at a picture from 97, huge difference in appearance.. he got older and gained some weight what a concept…..
It all comes down to what you call “cheating” folks. Scuffing the ball could be considered cheating. Using lubricants to make the ball dance could be considered cheating. Corking your bat could be viewed as cheating. Pretending you caught a ball you didn’t might be cheating. Popping uppers or ingesting ephedra or nicotine to get a buzz before/during a game may well be cheating.
We each decide where we draw the line, but there is no absolute on this one. Tantron and Laura08’s sanctimony notwithstanding.
“I guess what I am saying is just because this book doesn’t prove anything doesn’t mean there isn’t anything out there to prove about Alex. And the same is true for 100s of other players.”
Pete, that is exactly what many of us had been saying when stuff about her sourcing in the book started leaking out, and you accused us of mindlessly defending A-Rod. I hope you now realize that disbelieving Roberts does not equate to believing Alex.
Stuart, just because there wasn’t a penalty doesn’t make it right (that’s from Humanity 101 Chapter One Common Sense). Law, penalties, lack of penalties does not equate to being right. It’s a joke to suggest that laws/penalties are morally right.
No SJ it’s time for you to head back in for your group session.
Besides the residency contract of your group home states you are only to use the web for looking for a job or emailing your probation officer.
“tantrom willoughby is trying to continue his silly political rhetoric .
i’m still waiting for him to say anything about baseball that’s worth responding to.”
Hey Stuart, I think what I am experiencing is harrassment. Please end your man crush.
BTW, Arod, broke moral rules of competition by cheating whether there were pentalities or not. A truly sad state.
Pete -
Whatever made you come to this conclusion, all I can say it that I have the upmost respect for what you have written about this.
Arod is fortunate that Roberts’ book hasn’t been widely accepted and that Manny’s problem erupted when it did. While it won’t keep the wolves away from his door entirely, it will at least possibly limit their hunger. Or something.
Sorry I meant Randy not Stuart.
Who says arod isnt a good teammate?!?
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/i.....rod600.jpg
They love him!
Tantron — Just for grins what is your definition of cheating in sports? Andro wasn’t illegal or against the rules. Was McGuire cheating? Was Gaylor Perry a cheat? Whitey Ford? Sosa? Nettles? All 103 who tested positive in 2003? Were the majority of MLB players who took “greenies” cheaters? What about guys who continue to use nicotine to get a buzz to this very day?
And what would you as judge jury and executioner do about it?
Thanks for the review, Pete.
Pete,
“I don’t think Moose did because he didn’t have to.”
That argument doesn’t hold water because so many of these guys, Bonds, A-Rod, Clemens for example, didn’t have to use steroids but did so anyway. I also think that Moose probably didn’t use, but it had more to do with how he approached the game that makes me think he was clean. What do you think?
Tantron Willoughby
“All any of these Aroid supporters do is focus on the illegally obtained steroid test rather than the fact Arod illegally used drugs, broke the rules, destroyed the game of basebal. He should in the same cell with Manny, Rush and other celebrities that have “pristine and morally centered” lawyers preventing them from having to serve time.”
Assuming that you’re going to be on the outside, you’re going to be very lonely. Even the President is going to be in that cell with the rest of us. Just let me know where the line separating good and evil is so I can make sure that I cross it.
Bad journalism has reached a low water mark courtesy of Selena Roberts.
I wouldn’t ask her to find evidence with a parking ticket.
Roberts is going on the media offensive today. And she’s still defending herself in the Duke “rape” case which is only making herself and her credibility look worse.
Posada and Mo liked him enough to plead with Cashman to bring him back in 2008.
Well at least you admit the book has no substance. Looked on Amazon at it’s not even in the top 200 in book sales anymore and the book hasn’t been out that long.
“Everyone agreeing with Pete’s review has read the book too…right?”
Your logic is completely off-base. You don’t need to go out and buy this piece of garbage to have an opinion it. Hell, Pete obviously had some opinions on the book when the excerpts were first released.
It is my stance that regardless of what you think of Arod, you can’t expect people to accept what you say as a “journalist” by merely citing unnamed sources and adding your opinion. If you can cite some actual FACTS in the book to backup ANY of Roberts claims, then we can talk.
“He should in the same cell with Manny, Rush and other celebrities that have “pristine and morally centered” lawyers preventing them from having to serve time.”
Boy am I glad this person is not in charge of our justice system! So quick to judge, so quick to throw people in jail. It’s not the lawyers stopping this, it’s our constitution and basic human freedoms, nitwit.
“Selena Roberts is banking her credibility on working at the New York Times…as if that really equals credibility…but for the elite media types, like Selena Roberts, working at the NYT is akin to nirvana.
When she writes a column where she apologizes to the 4 wrongly accused Duke lacrosse players for jumping the gun and shooting her mouth off then I’ll believe anything she writes. Until then I won’t donate a dime to her retirement fund.”
Well said, that garbage book isn’t even worth the paper it’s printed on.
I can’t speak for the Sports sections, but the New York Slimes is anything but objective!
What costs less now: Buying a share of New York Slimes stock or the paper itself??
Pretty soon, we’ll be bailing them out too.
Is there any bigger windbag than Mike Francesa? Why do I even listen? lol
Go Yankees 2009 !!!
Has Roberts opened herself up to a defimation suit? The implication, which was assumed by many, is that Roberts learned additional information from the investigation of A-Rod for her SI story and that this book was the tell all of that information.
However, since it sounds like it is all just heresay, in the context of her being a “respected” journalist and with the timing 3 mos after her SI story, the implication is that this book is factual based and maybe she and her editor are open to be sued by A-rod.
Pete any insight as a journalist?
Google “New York Times v. Sullivan” for some insight on how difficult it is to win a defamation suit.
Pete Abe,
I would say the only guys I’m sure that never took PED’s are Jeter AND MO.
Both are stand up, high integrity guys.
Other than that, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear anyone else’s name mentioned.
Also, the problem many of us had, was that you gave Roberts the benefit of the doubt at first without even mentioned the Duke Lacrosse thing. I don’t care if she did it as a columnist, she still went way out of line to attack innocent kids without basing any of it an actual facts.
Finally, I still don’t understand how it’s good work to get the Arod positive test. So she worked so hard on it by constantly trying to dig up dirt on someone she despises in a lame attempt to advance her own career? The bottom line is that the positive test was ILLEGALLY leaked and she just happened to be the obsessive tabloid digging through the garbage at the time.
A-Rod better not see this as an opportunity to lie about what solid proof can show, because there’s a 50/50 chance she really is out to “destroy his career” (the term she’s denied) and could back something up later on, that for whatever reason she did not want included in the book. Even if she isn’t out to do that, digging through someone’s trash isn’t much higher on the morality scale.
Unless there’s a very good reason, anonymity is unnecessary and detracts from the credibility of the piece.
Good post, Peter.
I think it is interesting to remember that Selena Roberts used her column in The Times to publicly deface those Duke lacrosse players accused of a rape that in the end didn’t happen. She never issued a retraction for that. So, in my opinion, and the same as this article’s (http://www.kansascity.com/spor.....75681.html) it makes her A-Rod claims not worth a grain of salt in the world of journalism.
Arod’s return couldn’t be better timing….his team is no good and in light of his return from injury/steroid use, he could be the one that saves the Yankees…that’s his opportunity to make good with Yanks fans…and that’s the only one he’s got! I’m sure, I hope, he’s smart enough to realize that!
btw, saw Damon in Baltimore earlier:)
Thank you Pete, for sharing an objective criticism to Roberts´book. Unfortunately, most of sports literature today is a bunch of greedy, commercial, opportunistic crap like this.
Congratulations to you for being a true professional of baseball writing.
Pete– kudos to you for dissecting the book. I’m not an A-rod apologist by any means, but Selena Roberts should be ashamed to call herself a journalist, and SI even more embarrassed to call her THEIR investigative reporter. Not many of your contemporaries have stepped up to the plate on this, but you have and it’s appreciated.
Two words regarding Selena Roberts…Duke lacrosse…
She has zero credibility…
Credibility?
If Selena Roberts had an ounce of humility she would have published a new “opinion” a mea culpa column…if you will…in the NY Times, SI or somehere noteworthy interweb media outlet.
Nah it’s not Selena’s problem…it’s the editors fault.
Perhaps deep down Selena just wants to be loved for her potential as a writer…she wants to be the best “opinonist” in the media! I mean she has a lot of pressure to produce noteworthy “opinions” in a male dominated field!
She still has a chance to turn it around…she’s so misunderstood…
Perhaps we will get an opportunity to read a tell all book about an elite “opinionist” and her struggles to reach the top of her profession while overcoming irritating personal flaws that infuriate open-minded readers.
There may be even be a number of sources from an elite university in Durham NC that would like to talk about the both the “opinionist” and a law enforcement official from the very same town!
Selena Roberts should be asked why she keeps on defending her reportage in the Duke rape case and why she doesnt admit making a mistake that had disastrous consequences to the innocent students that took the hit. Maybe people will be a little more tolerant to ARod and a little more careful before they rush to judgment on the stuff that is in the book. If governments and general motors can admit their mistakes then maybe Selena Roberts should step up and do the same. Dan Alterman NYC
I didn’t know you went to UMASS, Pete…go Minutemen!