A-Rod PED Press Conference Liveblog
BySo today’s the day everyone in the New York media has been waiting for. At 1:30 this afternoon Alex Rodriguez will sit down in Tampa and face the media music about his PED use. The Yanks have set up fifteen additional chairs (according to ESPN) for teammates to come out and support him, with Joe Girardi, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira expected to be there. Buster Olney and PeteAbe have already chimed in with what they think should go down today, and to save you the time of reading their posts, they boil down to “tell the media everything we want to know.”
Me? I honestly don’t care. He revealed more in his interview with Gammons than any PED user we’ve seen, yet that’s not enough. The details of his PED use is inconsequential to me, and I think that most fans feel the same way. No matter what A-Rod says today, it’ll never be enough. Anything short of revealing exact reasons why, exact dates, exact substances, exact cycling schedules, and exact sources while strapped to a lie detector with the dude from Lie to Me staring him down won’t be enough. I just want some baseball.
ESPN will be broadcasting the presser live, as will YES, MLB Network and SNY. MLB.com will also be providing coverage, but I’m not sure if it’s video or just audio. Either way, I got your back if you’re stuck in the office. Hopefully this is the last time I have to do one of these things.
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“Hopefully this is the last time I have to do one of these things.”
It won’t be.
Arod is in the building
I thought they kept 53 un-used? I just saw someone wearing it.
No word yet on whether or not arod will be holding a large ostrich egg throughout the press conference.
thank god for closed tv in house espn stream. i honestly do not know what to think as i am watching this……as an arod hater, i am possibly being swayed to hsi side….crazy..i know….but the jury is still out
francessa goes back to ripping arod
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he’s right. The bigger question is why they all hold A-Rod to a higher standard. Maybe someone should ask Francesa why he’s such a terrible talk show host.
right about what? Francessa is basically saying the cousin story is a lie, and that its impossible to get stuff like that into this country, which is lie because if it was impossible there wouldnt be a drug problem.
Francesa is misreresenting the facts himself. A-Rod ADMITTED that he thought the substance was supposed to give him energy. But Francesa goes on and on about how A-Rod is lying that he didn’t know what he took.
He said what he took and what he thought it did!!! And if the police wrote up Selena Roberts… what’s he lying about? If they wrote her up they wrote her up.
Francessa has misinterpreted facts since this thing started
“Francesa has misinterpreted facts since
this thing startedbirth.Fixed.
petition to have the RAB blue authors replace francessa?
Francessa is now showing his bad side and the reason why I don’t listen to him anymore. He picks a side to an issue and he won’t see the other side no matter what.
No matter what A-Rod said Francessa wasn’t going to be happy.
Exactly. There’s no other side to it in his mind now. But he gets to voice his opinion for the next 4 hours. We don’t.
Some callers will and he will crush them and laugh it off.
To Francessa he is the voice of sport talk and thats exactly the problem.
and every guest on their will just agree with him (sweeney murti)
Bingo.
The sad part is I remember when Mike and the Mad dog was actually good.
How is it possible that not one reporter asked him this: A-Rod said he stopped after the “neck injury” in spring training of ’03, yet said he used for 6 months during the 03 season. So when was this neck injury? Am I missing something here?
i thought that too…
Honestly, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter. But I thought about this the other day even before this presser and was shocked no one had brought it up yet. Isn’t that pretty much a straight lie, somewhere in his own scripted answers?
maybe we are missing something, b/c if it was this obvious, he’d have been called out on it already. it’s not like people aren’t going through everything he said with a fine toothed comb.
I was thinking that as well. But what can we be missing? We’re just taking A-Rod’s own words and seeing that they don’t match up with each other. Are we mixing up context or timeframe or something?
You know that the solar year lasts longer than the baseball season, right?
Usually, after baseball season ends, there are two months before the solar year ends.
Alex played 161 games in ’03, so it might be safe to assume this injury didn’t happen during the season.
Now, if you want to assume everything Alex says is a lie, then there’s nothing I can do to stop that.
“Alex played 161 games in ‘03, so it might be safe to assume this injury didn’t happen during the season.”
You’re right, it didn’t happen during the baseball season. From the Gammons interview:
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: “It wasn’t until 2003. I was laying in my bed in Surprise, Arizona. We were doing a team conditioning down by the pool in Arizona. And I suffered a very serious neck injury that went all the way down to my spine. I missed about 2½ weeks of spring training, and I was scared I was going to miss time.”
Today, he said him and his cousin “decided” to administer the drug twice a month, for six months, during the ’01, ’02, and ’03 seasons. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, not being a solar calendar expert like yourself, but I believe March, when spring training takes place, is the third month of the year. If he says he was taking roids for 6 months in ’03, no matter what 6 months he took them, that means he took them after his self-admitted neck injury. I don’t see any reason why you had to be a dick about your response, especially considering you didn’t know what you were talking about.
What a disaster. His PR guy should be fired. He NEVER should have brought someone else into it (his cousin).
Just say, I did it. Here’s what I did. Here’s how I did it. Here’s where I got it from. Here’s what I thought it does or doesn’t do. I wasn’t sure if it was right or wrong… but it obviously was. I’m so sorry. End of story. Ask all the questions you want…. they can all be answered with the above statements. This is the truth.
Now this is going to be an even bigger circus than before.
but everyone wanted to know how, when and with who he di them with
Exactly. But there has to be a cutoff point. And the cutoff point should be with him. Don’t bring someone else into it… that’s a whole different circus. The Witch Hunt has to stop.
its a lose-lose…arod says that he did it himself noone believes him
They’d believe him! And, like he said today, “you believe me or you don’t, that’s out of my control.” But it starts and ends with him. That’s the way it should be.
Stick to your guns. That’s all it takes.
If it comes out later that he got it from his cousin… then all you have to say is, “listen, I didn’t want to get my family involved. I’m the one at fault.” People would have to respect that.
People would have to respect that.
If history has taught us anything, it’s taught us that no, they won’t.
But he can’t say “Here’s what I did. Here’s how I did it. Here’s where I got it from.” without including his cousin, if his cousin was his drug mule. If he lies and says that he went to DR himself to get more stuff for three years, they’re going to start digging through records (like plane ticket purchases) and find out he’s lying.
To me, you don’t have to get into SO MUCH specifics. If I’m A-Rod, keep it with me.
Tell them, “Here’s what I did. Here’s how I did it. Here’s where I got it from.”
I did Primo, injected it, got it from the Dominican. Don’t go into any other specifics than that. If that’s not good enough, too bad. You can’t go line by line with semantics. Because then you create more than you put behind you.
And again…if the cousin does happen to be found out. Alex has a pretty good damn excuse. “What does he matter? I’m the one who did it.”
You just said that you wanted Alex to admit drug smuggling. i don’t thik that would be the wisest of ideas. How about you?
I’m not an A-Rod hater, but God knows I’m not fond of him yet I must agree with jsbrendog. I totally believe the guy is being as straight up as he can be.
Today I have a whole new respect for A-Rod he didn’t come off like a fake bitch.
I can’t believe it I actually felt bad for him.
yeah dude. wtf. im shocked.
I’m more then shocked to be honest I never thought I would feel like this about A-Rod. Maybe now he can become the player on the field that we all want him to be.
We all know that he has the talent for it.
You seem to be in the minority then. If you’re watching Francesa you would think A-Rod did more harm than good. I really want to call him and take him to task.
Good God….. I mean, A-Rod told the truth I believe. But he can’t throw his family members under the bus. There are just certain things he can’t and shouldn’t go into. And if the media doesn’t like it, TOO BAD!! There has to be a cutoff point.
if Mustang came away with more respect for A-Rod, then I am willing to bet that the reaction will be much more positive than the one from Francessa, who is basically braindead at this point.
Your funny. But can you believe that shit maybe I’m just being naive or A-Rod is a hell of an actor.
Or maybe it’s just that 90% of the mainstream media and sports commentators are such insufferable, stuck-up, self righteous, bombastic, egocentric, idiotic, uncritical, unthinking moronic assholes that they make EVERYONE look more sympathetic in comparison.
ARod did steroids. He admitted it. Your reaction was “Oh my god, that’s horrible, I’ve lost some respect for him and he’s tarnished the game and my Yankee pride a bit. That’s bad.”
Then, Francesa and Sherman and Lupica and Harper and the greek chorus weighed in and basically said “ARod is an evil baby raper; he has shit all over the Constitution and personally punched your mother in the stomach, Mustang. Not only should he be thrown out of baseball forever, he should have his penis chopped off and thrown to the wolves and then he should be dismembered alive and shot into space. ARod taking steroids is easily the worst act in the history of humanity, worse than anything Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, or Idi Amin ever did. Oh, and while we’re on the topic, the Yankees should trade for Nate McLouth because he’s awesome, and they should also sign Jim Edmonds because he’s gritty. My wisdom and rightness knows no bounds, and you’re welcome, Mustang, it’s my pleasure to give you your opinion for you so you don’t have to bother thinking of one for yourself.”
When you hear their histrionics, it makes you adjust your own scale of outrage simply to distance yourself from their mind-numbing stupidity. ARod looks less like a bad guy who made a bad choice and more like a sad victim of massive forces of hypocritical stupidity and ridiculous judgmentalism
you cAN QUOTE ME, I HAVE HATED AROD SINCE DAY 1 AND MADE THAT CLEAR ON THIS BAORD FROM DAY 1. IF I CAN BE SWAYED SOMEWHAT BY HIS PRESS CONFERENCE THEN MOST PEOPLE WILL…
DONT GET ME WRONG, THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN I YELLED AT MY MONITOR, TO THE OCNFUSION OF MY COWORKERS, ABOUT STUPID SHIT HE SAID OR DUMB THINGS HE INFEREED, ETC. BUT OVERALL, THE FAKEST GUY IVE SEEN SEEMED TO COME OFF AS NOT SO FAKE…..
goddammit, i swear i didnt mean for the caps thing, but i am nt going back and retyping this. sorry. my bad. just pretend im not “yelling” cause such was not my intent
Yea, you pretty much yelled it.
AFTERNOON DELIGHT!
I don’t know about all that frankly today saw a man who seem truly sorry for his actions.
A man that turn to his teammates and thank them for being there and seem to truly mean it.
For once it seem to be more about A-Rod the person then A-Rod the “lighting rod”
All I want him to be is a better baseball player and think this is a step in the right direction.
But how can he become a better player without STEROIDS!
well said
I think you are underestimating how orchestrated this event was for Alex. There was a conscious decision to name the cousin, it didn’t just pop into hi head at random. Said cousin is probably now lounging somewhere in the Carib enjoying the fruits of his labor.
That’s why I have actual discussions with you pertaining to ARod. Most ARod haters have it set in stone that anything he does is bad; period. They don’t leave anything up for debate.
To be to quick about things. A-Rod will struck out with the base loaded and piss me off again. LOL
But seriously he really change my opinion today and thats very hard to do.
Don’t be….
sorry
The only time I have been truly angry at A-Rod is when he grounded into a double play this past year against Masterson in that Boston series at the end of the year. On the first freaking pitch, bases loaded! Ugh.
I’m in a good place with A-Rod right now don’t fuck it up.
A-Rod doesn’t think he’s bigger than baseball.
You know who does….. the media.
shhh dont let the media hear you
2 times a month for six months during the 2003, 2004 and 2005 seasons is inconsistent and when (I think) Joel Sherman asked him about it he agreed it was 36 times over 3 years when it would have been 72 times if twice a month.
you might want to double check that math…
Who cares. This whole thing has turned into a true Witch Hunt. People will go ape shit over the slightest inaccuracy.
i don’t really care.
just thought it was funny.
2 x 6 x 3 = 36. not 72.
Remember, you’re talking about Joel Sherman here. Math isn’t his strong suit: he thinks Joba should be in the bullpen.
Joel Sherman thinks 60 shots of Patrón gets you drunker than 30 bottles of Patrón.
It wasn’t three years! It was three seasons. He said he started in the middle of 2001 and stopped in Spring 2003. That is less than two years. Why can’t people do simple math?
Used the “Reply” button. If this is you, +1.
The guy just admitted to shooting up something with his cousin.
A-Rod honest yes
A-Rod scholar no
No, that was Sheramn who said it was “simple math” and came off as a condescending douchebag. It’s funny because he was wrong. He’s not only a douchebag, but a stupid, little man.
My bag.
The question that Davidoff asked made A-Rod stutter a bit, I thought it was that one but now I forget which one it is.
Heh, you don’t double-check your posts, do you?
Sheramn
Hehe, do you?
Heh, I got owned.
http://i25.photobucket.com/alb.....ned_87.jpg
don’t care don’t care don’t care don’t care
wouldn’t care if it was david ortiz
in ten years, unborn children will be genetically programmed to have denser muscles. will that be cheating? one thing’s for sure: commissioner-for-life bud selig is just the man to lead baseball into this brave new world!
Yeah I love how Selig gets a free pass.
“A-Rod stained the game.” Ummmm… what?
If i could pick one man to have a free shot at…..Selig would get my best right hook.
And then I’d slap Francesa with the left. He gets an open hand. That’s what he deserves.
the game would be immeasurably better off with him gone. unfortunately, since he has the job security of hugo chavez, that will mean his death
selig, not francesa. on second thought, both
wow, aldous huxley reference. bravo.
yet, bud selig doesn’t hold a candle to mustapha mond.
Not sure if it was answered yet, but someone asked what the Foundation A-Rod was donating to was called. It’s the Taylor Booton foundation I believe. There’s a big feature on it in that Bigger, Stronger, Faster documentary.
Not Booton…Hooten. My bad
Joel Sherman is tearing into Arod right now on 1050.
Of course they are. He can’t win. He really should’ve just gone up to the mic, whipped out his c*ck and said, “Y’all can suck this. Peace out mothaf*ckas.” Then burned dollar bills on his way out the door.
It was a great game, both teams played hard, my man.
Haha, burned dollar bills on his way out. More like hundos.
where was the investigatory press in 1998 when sammy sosa’s head was the size of a beach ball?
On vacation.
Where was the investigatory press when Ty Cobb stabbed a guy?
Or when he beat up a mentally retarded guy in a wheelchair?
Or when he climbed into the stands to beat the shit out of a heckler, Ron Artest-style, for said heckler basically calling Cobb “half black”?
Ty Cobb killed a guy with a Trident.
ty cobb loved lamp
I just had water come out my nose.
covering the teapot dome scandal?
where is the investigatory press today asking senators how many of them actually read a 1078 page bill that was posted at 10 pm last night and voted on this morning that will cost taxpayers 800 billion dollars? Wait what? A-rod got a needle in his ass? Get on it.
Best analysis I’ve seen in a while.
Not really. The investigatory press is asking those questions of those senators. We just don’t hear it because we are sports fans; we watch ESPN and not C-Span.
The whole “There’s other problems in the world you should be focusing on besides this sports story!!!!!1!!11!!!” concept doesn’t hold water. The reporters covering this and obsessing about this are sportswriters; they’re wholly separated from political journalists. It’s a red herring.
I’m sure that’ll be the cover of the Daily News tomorrow. Or what they’ll use in every blurb advertising the nightly news tonight.
Yes it might be a red herring, but i think it should offer some perspective on today’s events for anyone getting all fired up about this.
Tons of media outlets, I bet you’ll get a higher percentage of drug users under that tent than baseball uncovered in their 2003 investigation. Hypocrites.
Kat O Brien is a slut!
J/k
My God, Howard Bryant is on ESPN saying that A-Rod didn’t tell us how he took it. Does he need a fucking play by play on how to inject something? I mean, come on. This level of detail these idiots want is fucking retarded.
And I would appreciate if these MSM types would stop saying “well the fans want this…” Shut the fuck up, you have no fucking clue what I/we to hear. All you know is what you want to make the best story.
Angriest comment by you, I have ever seen.
Girardi’s on now.
Left or right cheek is important mike!
The funniest reporter was the one who asked him did injection hurt.
I mean already.
That was classic. Did it hurt? Did you put a band-aid on it afterwards? The regular skin toned Johnson & Johnson kind, or was it Spongebob?
I believe A-Rod was most likely given a choice between Spongebob and Ninja Turtle band-aids, and then given a lollipop for being such a brave boy.
“ARod, after the injection, did your cousin rub Vaseline all over your heinie and tell you that it’s special and different from everyone else’s?”
“A-Rod, nice shirt. I didn’t know the Salvation Army was having a sale.
To honest the dumber the question the stronger I felt about A-Rod. It just made the media look like they were reaching.
Anyone thinks this thing ends by the All Star Break.
No.
But I think your going to get your wish.
I think with this of his chest A-Rod is going to have a monster season.
It doesn’t matter what A-Rod says. The media has it out for him. This was true largely before the steroid stuff and is even more true now.
So Pete Abe really really hates A-Rod, doesn’t he?
Apparently, A-Rod is not donating any money.
My favorite comment on his blog so far: “Report the box scores. Every time you opine you just diminish your credibility.”
HAHA.
Peter Abraham is a Red Sox fan on the down low so whatever.
I have a problem with francessa basically saying anyone who believes this is an idiot…
coming from the guy who said trade joba and wang for mclouth
I hate how he used the Texas stats. Saying that when you look at those stats, it is obvious that whatever A-Rod took was helping him out.
Saying that when you look at those stats, it is obvious that whatever A-Rod took was helping him out.
Yes, Mike, it’s obvious to you, because you’re in-fucking-capable of critical thought.
Like, perhaps, taking 90 seconds out of your life to think about the concept of “park effects”.
Or perhaps that he was in his mid-to-late 20′s?
Coming into his prime, maybe? Na, that has nothing to do with it.
I guess I’m an idiot.
Francessa is great example of someone who not only refuses to see the other side, but needs to destroy it.
Call into his show right now with anything, but fully support for his views is consider a act of lunacy in his eyes.
Yet he is so critical of the bolgs who in my eyes have a more open forum for different opinions.
So, does this mean that if you are a player from the DR you likely took steroids since it was available at the local GNC next to the Cinnabon? If so, what is Melky’s problem? Did he get distracted by the Cinnabon?
You do need to workout to get the benefits of steroids. Does it look like Melky works out?
It looks like Melky lifts too much free weights. He seemed too bulky last season and it probably got him thinking he was a homerun hitter.
Too many reggaeton videos.
Him, Cano, and Reyes.
Olney was very fair in his analysis on this.
Yeah he was, Michael Kay on the other hand is a moron, he jumped from braggingly claiming “I bet you it was in the script for him to cry and he couldent do it” to “IT WAS in the scrip for him to cry!” 30 seconds later to some caller. **** that hack Brobot Kay.
Can Michael Kay say that?
I really used to like Kay until this a-rod steroid mess started. I just cannot understand why Kay has to act like the rest of the media on this, except being louder and more obnoxious. Michael Kay you could have been different, but you just proved you are just like the rest of the drive-by media.
My thoughts exactly, I used to like him and defend him but he has acted like an ***hole throught all this. Then theres this moron on ESPN saying A-Rod should have cried and sounded more sorry. Get off the high horse people. The media wants A-Rod to curl up into a ball and slobber all over himself saying hes so sorry so sorry and tell that fat Abraham that he will give up all his money to young Dominican kids playing stick ball. Give me a break.
I AM A BRO-BOT!!!
Wow…If Kay said that I have no words.
This McLoooth kid, he’s a steal!!!!
how did mclouth win a gold glove, isnt he awful in CF
The same way palmeiro did as a DH.
Gold Gloves = Grammys
Amen to that…on both ends.
Wait, am I supposed to believe that a world-class athlete with a freshly-minted record breaking contract gets all of his training advice from his cousin, who “probably doesn’t even know how to use it right?”
Am I to believe that this cousin risked customs to bring the stuff in because they just wanted to try it, even though they didn’t know what it did?
The only thing I can figure is that when they ran the focus groups, the “it was a loosey-goosey time” angle didn’t score well, and this cousin story did.
This story is totally devoid of reality, and it doesn’t even match the facts. Rodriguez tested positive for Primo AND Testosterone. When taken together, they form a very effective combination to add lean muscle and strength. You don’t do this by accident, and Rodriguez’s story doesn’t explain the Testosterone.
I wish he would’ve stayed with the loosey-goosey story. I wish he would’ve said, something like, “When you’re me, there are lots of guys that want to make money off of you. They promise you these ridiculous things. I got caught up in it, and I started listening to the wrong people. I won’t tell you who those people are. I won’t tell you precisely what I did. But I will tell you that it was too easy to do–too easy to get away with, too easy to get access to–and things are different now. Baseball has changed, and we can all move forward.”
no, you’re to believe that he decided that “my cousin” was a polite way of stating that he was not going to throw anybody else under the bus, and rightly so. The loosey-goosey story was not intended to, but did, implicate the texas rangers, so a-rod clarified. What I don’t get is how people don’t understand that he can’t tell the whole truth without throwing others under the bus, which he doesn’t want to do. I.E. stop asking questions he can’t answer, and be freakin thankful that somebody finally came out and admitted to habitual steroid use.
If he tells everything this thing will become too big to handle. It will be non-stop shove down your throats. A-rod answered more truthfully and more informatively than anyone else involved in this mess ever did and maybe ever will. For that, I applaud him and I still respect him as a person and a player.
To all the hall of fame voters out there, will you actually be thinking about this when you can actually vote for Alex in at least 14 years if not more? 14 years is a very long time. Does anyone think this “taint” will carry that long?. Hell I’ll be 36 by the earliest time Alex is eligible for the hall of fame. Many people, perhaps even myself, may not even remember this by then.
so basically, you’re just like every other nobody with a soapbox: you have a script you wanted to hear, and since you didn’t hear it said just so, you give the big thumbs down like some obnoxious judge on a reality tv show. come on.
This story is totally devoid of reality…
is that so? and how would you know this? he didn’t say he got all his training advice from his cousin, he said his cousin bought some stuff at GNC in the DR and gave it to him. and he said he used rip fuel. the fact that a coven of media whores stood around to ask everything down to “what was it like the first time you took it?”, all with bated breath for the stories they can sell all week, makes a sad joke of our national culture. that stuff is just prurience — cheap thrills for sale on the back page. that you pile on by parroting their righteous indignation only shows that you fall for it, hook line and sinker.
you want reality? the reality is that 104 guys tested positive out of about 1,200, that the union never should’ve let that list out, but now one guy is up there on all of their behalves for about an hour of voluntary national media confessionals in the past week. anyone clamoring for more is simply self-righteous.
I parroted no one’s indignation. I am as tolerant of steroid use as anyone alive. I am not upset that Rodriguez used AT ALL. You read my post with a pre-disposition that was exactly contrary to my stance. My guess is if you re-read it now, you will have a different opinion of the post.
However, I am annoyed that the MSM and baseball fans continually miss the point. It WAS a loosey-goosey era in which everyone looked away. It WAS NOT cheating. It was damn near a job requirement in 2001-2003, and I am waiting for the day that someone comes out and says so.
I am disappointed Rodriguez backed off this initial approach he had with Gammons. I want someone to lay down the truth–baseball allowed this to happen, and they players were too easily sucked into it for no other reason than they are human.
If I am going to be indignant about anything, it is going to be baseball’s role in this mess. You’ve got me totally wrong.
sorry if i missed your premise. now i disagree with you even more. “it WAS NOT cheating” is utter bullshit. it was most definitely cheating. my gripe is in all the high handed second guessing everyone is offering about what a-rod should’ve said, should’ve done, shouldn’t have done before the bright lights of the press. the bottom line is that nobody will be OK with his apology if they’ve already damned him for his actions, so the questions are a disingenuous subterfuge. it’s all media orgy bullshit.
but i must underscore that i completely reject your lack of morals. taking steroids, a federally controlled substance, is flat out cheating. it really can’t be any more clear than that. the argument that “everyone does it, it can’t be wrong” might work for jaywalking, but not when you’re trying to get an advantage in high stakes competition using illegal substances. but i wouldn’t be surprised if you think tax evasion is cool, too, cuz — ya know — everybody’s doing it.
I hate it when people put words in my mouth. First I was indignant. Now I am quoted as writing “everyone does it, it can’t be wrong.”
Your interpretation of cheating is different than mine. IMO, yours lacks perspective. Steroids is crossing a line. Amphetamines have been part of the game for decades. Pain killers are perfectly legal. Supplements are available over the counter. Players use all these things in an effort to improve their performance. Steroids is a perfectly predictable escalation of these habits.
Anything perfectly predictable is not cheating. Cheating is doing something that is entirely outside of the rules. Things like Andro, and the drug that killed the Orioles pitcher–these were things mired in grey area. Steroids did not become cheating until 2004, when the grey area was removed.
I don’t really know what you want.
He didn’t lie more like Clemens or Bonds. He was as straight up as he could be with the public. I was surprise that he was that open he really didn’t have to say what he said.
People aren’t happy unless he give up both pairs of balls or something.
I don’t want him to make up an unrealistic story. I want whatever little he tells to be truth. Steroids was rampant…I got caught up in it…I won’t give you any names.
He didn’t get it from his cousin. Guys with $250M contracts don’t turn to their no-nothing cousin for narcotics advice, and his story does not account for the testosterone.
I liked the first story he told Gammons a whole lot better. But then ESPN writes a story titled “Experts Say A-Rod Must’ve Known,” and he changes the story completely.
I believe what the told Gammons. I believe he had a personal trainer/drug dealer that gave him stuff to take. He did a little research on the trainer, but did not research the drugs to any significant extent. Once he trusted the trainer, he simply followed the plan, and the drugs also probably kept changing. I think there is no harm in saying this–in fact, I think a lot of good could come out of simply saying the truth. Instead, he invented this cousin story so that no one will hound him for names.
But the cousin story perpetrates the myth that steroids was a series of isolated decisions. It wasn’t. Steroids was a culture that permeated throughout the sport. Stories like “My cousin got it for me, we really didn’t even know how to do it right” does a disservice to all the players.
The players are way more innocent in this whole sorry episode than the media and baseball fans will allow. Until a few players have the guts to talk about just how badly MLB and the union turned their back on this issue, players will continue to be unmercifully smeared for essentially making a reasonably predictable human mistake.
[...] of mistakes over an indeterminate length of time; he’s apologized. That’s that. In the comments to our liveblog, RAB readers are debating this until they are blue in the fingers, but it’s done. The [...]
The NYPost is reporting that Travis the chimpanzee was a Yankee fan (he had rooted for the Mets but switched allegiances when Valentine left). Maybe he was upset about ARod.