Click Here (sportsillustrated.cnn.com) for the story. The short version is four different sources have told CNNSI that in 2003, A-Rod tested positive for two anabolic steroids (back when there was no punishment for a positive test, apparently).
Certainly would be interesting to see the fallout from this.
(edited by El Nastio on 7.2.09 1127) You know, I really don't know what to put here. Close your eyes and thank of something funny!
Its not like anybody really LIKES A-rod, so it shouldn't effect him that much. He's respected, but not liked. As a Yankees fan, perhaps they can use it to void his contract and sign some middle relief pitching (I know, wishful thinking).
I would like to agree with Shane, but who knows anymore. Is anyone really above suspicion anymore? I love Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn as much as anyone, but if a report came out tomorrow that said they used performance enhancers would we be shocked?
Originally posted by The King of KeithI would like to agree with Shane, but who knows anymore. Is anyone really above suspicion anymore? I love Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn as much as anyone, but if a report came out tomorrow that said they used performance enhancers would we be shocked?
Agreed. The SI article even mentions that A-Rod was one of 100 names found on a list, so while he's likely the biggest fish on it, he was far from being alone.
Skinner: Well, I was wrong. The lizards are a godsend.
Lisa: But isn't that a bit short-sighted? What happens when we're overrun by lizards?
Skinner: No problem. We simply release wave after wave of Chinese needle snakes. They'll wipe out the lizards.
Lisa: But aren't the snakes even worse?
Skinner: Yes, but we're prepared for that. We've lined up a fabulous type of gorilla that thrives on snake meat.
Lisa: But then we're stuck with gorillas!
Skinner: No, that's the beautiful part. When wintertime rolls around, the gorillas simply freeze to death!
"Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help." - Isaiah 58:7 (New Living Translation)
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... And the anti-doping mafia reel in another big fish.
Wake me up when they're really interested in cleaning up sports as it is now, rather than chasing publicity by using any means necessary (in this case, breaching the CBA by leaking a test that was never supposed to see the light of day) to nail superstar athletes. And I say this not to defend A-Rod at all - I'm a Yankee fan, but I've always been indifferent towards him. The farce that was the Floyd Landis case exposed the war on steroids for what it really is and has left me sick of the whole thing. Simply put: When serial murderers receive a fairer path of due process than steroid users do, something is fvcked up.
Going back to my metaphorical slumber now. I expect I'll be sleeping as long as Rip Van Winkle did (if, in fact, I am ever woken up). *rolleyes*
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
We already knew we had to question pretty much every "great" player these days, as even the ones we thought were clean may end up dirty. Gammons and a few other ESPN types have made a point before of saying A-Rod has never been connected to any steroid scandals, but now he most certainly is.
I think the bigger story is the way this is going to discredit the players union. The league already made a pretty big power play a while back, telling Congress they wanted to do more testing, have more penalties, but the players union was standing in the way. Now it looks like blatant interference by the union with drug testing.
The question I found myself asking was why this, why now.
I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I'd be willing to bet the long term plan of the league (ie, the owners) is to remove the bargaining power of the union to get the MLB to be more like the NFL with regard to owner/player relations. Players have a ton of power in the MLB thanks to guaranteed contracts, much like the NBA. In a down economy, it becomes even more important for the owners to be able to rewrite contracts to maximize their profit margins. The union stands in the way of doing that.
Tony Gwynn would be the one name that would shock me, unless they put a steroid in Ho Ho's. The only reason the A-Rod connection is of any importance at this point is due to the contractual incentives in his contract upon reaching certain plateau's under the belief that it would be marketable for the Yankees to have a 'clean' player trying to 'redeem' the home run record. Of course, the media always cares about steroids, which is why NBC wouldn't put a person suspended for HGH on the Super Bowl pre-game show. Oh wait, Rodney Harrison did appear on that show. To be fair though, they actually thought Matt Millen speaking about football would do something other than have people point and laugh at 0-16, so their judgement might not be the best. Hopefully A-Rod will use the 'Someone spiked my lip gloss' excuse.
Alex Rodriguez's saving grace, at least to me as a Yankees fan, is that he worked his ass off. All this time, even though he comes across like a total friggin bitch, you could point to the guy's insane work ethic. We put up with the Jeter/Alex crap, all the stuff when Torre dropped him way down in the batting order, and the Madonna insanity.
I refuse to believe that A-Rod is the one superawesome player to be on roids, HGH, or whatever sundry.
To me, he is like... Usain Bolt is probably on 5 different kinds of horse steroids, but so is 2nd through 6th. Bolt (A-Rod) is still probably pretty great, clean or dirty.
If the full results are released, and we do not see someone of the caliber of Manny, Papi, or Pujols, I will be surprised.
(edited by hansen9j on 8.2.09 0229) It is the policy of the documentary crew to remain true observers and not interfere with its subjects.
If you wanna reach the Co-op, boy, you gotta get by me.
Originally posted by The King of KeithI would like to agree with Shane, but who knows anymore. Is anyone really above suspicion anymore? I love Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn as much as anyone, but if a report came out tomorrow that said they used performance enhancers would we be shocked?
I would for Cal because isn't one of the side-effects of steroid abuse is being injury prone? Like, the muscles can rip and tear easier? If so, it's hard to start all those games in a row and be juiced up,
Getting back to A-Rod, I'm not surprised. Not because I thought he was juicing, but because it seems that it seems all the big names that are denying it, are being found to be doing it. That, or apologizing at press conferences for letting people down for no reason they want to get into.
-- 2006 Time magazine Person of the Year --
"I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." — George W. Bush - June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.
It's strange to watch games from that era now. Yesterday on the MLB channel they had M's vs A's, the game Randy Johnson struck out 19 and McGwire hit a moon shot off of him. There was a guy on the A's I'd never heard of then or now. The guy was all muscle and the announcers were talking about his offseason workout routine that reduced his bodyfat from 15% to 5%.
People were really buying into the fact that these guys were just honest workout freaks.
Also, I guess it's clear now that Griffey was the best player of that era ... unless he is one of the 103 names, nah he never healed fast enough
Even stranger was doing an in-between inning discussion about what an awesome display of power by McGuire without even nodding towards the required steroid discussion. It was as if Hazel Mae and Whoever were living in an alternate universe where no one had ever considered such a thing. Kinda jarring to see that on Sunday after all of the (mostly well done) ARod discussion on Saturday.
(The classic games would be better if they didn't work so hard to spoil me on what I might've forgot - I didn't need to see a 'Wood struck out 5 of his last 6 batters to reach 20' in the 7th inning.)
"Back then, [baseball] was a different culture," Rodriguez said. "It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.
"I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful."
Oh yeah, I'm sure he's "sorry".
So if he had it to do over, he wouldn't do it again? And potentially miss out on his lucrative Yankee contract, endorsement deals, and the chance to be one of the faces of the biggest baseball empire on the planet (not to mention get the hell out of the AL West cellar)? I don't believe that for one second.
He's not sorry, he's sorry he got caught. Screw him.
EDIT: He does get points, though, for coming right out and admitting it. That puts him above Bonds and Clemens. Of course, it's the same way a slap to the face is put above a kick to the gonads, but it's something.
EDIT 2: So we've established Griffey as the best player of last decade. Does that mean MANNY RAMIREZ is the best player of this decade? My head is spinning.
(edited by It's False on 9.2.09 1355)
"It's worth remembering that sometimes popular things are popular for a reason. Because they're GOOD or because Will Smith is in it."
He gave an interview with Gammons where he admits that between 2001 and 2003 he took the steroids, but can't remember which (yeah right).
Either way, he's taking the Andy Pettitte route which appears to be the safer route. Fans have left Pettitte and Giambi alone, albeit A-Rod's the first mega star to come clean.
I genuinely hope this is the last we hear about it, I'm sick to death of steroids.