As a fan of Major League Baseball, the topic of steroids is a troublesome one for me. The whole thing frankly gets on my nerves when it takes precedence over the games, but the issues performance-enhancing drugs bring up cannot be ignored. The biggest, in my opinion, are how much the drugs actually help a player and legitimacy of records.
There’s no bigger example of why PEDs are such a hot topic as when the news Alex Rodriguez used PEDs from 2001-03 broke on Sports Illustrated’s Web site. I winced as I read the article because it was another blow to baseball and another blow to me personally. Like millions of fans of A-Rod, the news came as a surprise because he was touted as a clean ball player who was going to be the savior of baseball, and take down Barry Bonds’ “tainted” home run records. For me, it was a let down because he has been my favorite player since he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1993.
During those first 24 hours, I waited for Rodriguez to confront the accusations and confirm or deny them. Either had significant repercussions. If he denied it all, he would be just as bad as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. But if he sat down, and put forward the best face and manned up to it, he would start setting things right, and Rodriguez would be able to start earning trust back.
But that’s the number one question: Can we trust Alex Rodriguez anymore? Can we trust him when he says he only took PEDs while he was with the Texas Rangers, and he’s been clean ever since?
Well, no. The trust is gone. Baseball’s white knight is now just as dirty as the rest of them. However, just like any other circumstance where someone is caught lying or cheating, the best thing one can do is admit it. It may hurt at first, but the damage done from lying is 1,000 times worse. It’s hard to believe what my parents told me was true, but it is. The consequences from facing the world truthfully are much less severe in the long run.
I do agree with the man when he says he still has nine years left to repair his legacy, and although this is a major bomb, he has time to mend fences. Bonds and Clemens are screwed because they were at the end of their careers, but Rodriguez can still prove he can be the best without drugs, and I hope he does because he’s a great talent.
But after watching the full 30-minute interview with Peter Gammons, there are still questions to be asked. Rodriguez gets an A+ for deflecting questions and kind of answering them, and he also gets high marks in presentation. However, he doesn’t do so well in interview substance.
First of all, he never actually used the word “steroids.” Rodriguez says he didn’t even know what he took, and he was “na’ve for not asking where things were coming from.” He admits right away he took a banned substance, but later says he didn’t know what they were. So how did he know it was illegal?
For A-Rod’s sake, there were no rules against testing positive for steroids in 2003. So, technically, he should be off the hook. But MLB has had a rule about the illegality of steroids since 1991. That means what Rodriguez did was still illegal, there just wasn’t any time for the crime at that point.
I think this is a classic case of being sorry that you got caught. No one will ever know the full truth, but I think Rodriguez is trying to make the best out of a very bad situation. Rodriguez says that since he took them he’s suspected they might have been steroids, but he never knew 100 percent that he tested positive until Selena Roberts of Sports Illustrated told him last week. Whatever the truth, he made a conscious decision to quit using whatever it was, and go clean. Which means he knew at the time he was doing some shady things.
It’s seriously a mess. Rodriguez contradicted himself a few times, but he also made some very good points. I’m going to let time decide. It’s always the best judge. There are plenty of seasons left for him to right the ship and move on.
I just hope for his sake – and baseball’s – that we can end this soon. Release the other 103 names that tested positive and let them share the blame equally. Don’t put it all on A-Rod. I’m sure there are a lot of names that will surprise us all.
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