Inital thoughts on ARod

Just a few thoughts after watching the interview of Alex Rodriguez last night - and reading some reactions today....

1. He claims he didn't know what he was taking - and tries to make it sound like he bought it a GNC. As far as I know, the products for which he tested positive aren't available at the corner store - and I believe they are all injectible. Also, Yankee beat reporter Peter Abraham says on his LoHud Blog:

Rodriguez also denied knowing what substances he took. This is the same player who literally brings his own food to the clubhouse every day. So for three years, he injected drugs into his body without knowing what they were?

Interesting point.

2. Alex was confronted by SI writer Selena Roberts on Thursday with the allegations. He declined to comment. By the time the story broke on Saturday, he was "out of the country." Clearly, his agent Scott Boras locked him up somewhere to coach him. There were many times in the interview when he fell back on cliched lines ("the truth will set you free," his worry for "the kids"), to the point that he appeared to be reading cue cards or relying on rote memorization. Most of his responses sounded like they were from a standard public relations text book. Add to that the fact that Peter Gammons was clearly reading from a set of questions, with no follow-ups, and you wonder how much of this was rehearsed.

3. What is Scott Boras' role in all this? Has he encouraged his clients to use?

4. Going after Selena Roberts was a low-class mistake. There is an impulse to shoot the messenger,sure, but Alex alleged several incidents of stalking which resulted in police involvement. Roberts was able to quickly produce documentation to refute his charges. I now read that Roberts is expanding her story to book length - and there are hints on the interwebs that the book will expose Alex's sexual preferences. His attack makes me wonder if she's got some other dirt on him - and he's trying to launch the first attack.

5. Peter Gammons. Kind of a sad performance from "the Commisioner." He had several opportunities to dig deeper, to ask pertinent follow-up questions (like with the rant on Ms Roberts), but Gammo didn't go for the kill. I read today that he admitted to Deadspin that he should have delved deeper on that one. But still, he was pretty soft on Alex.

6. What about the other 103 names on the list? If I were one of those guys, I would be coming clean today - while everyone else is still focused on ARod. It would be pretty easy to hide in all that fallout.

7. On the positive side, this might open up the Hall of Fame to some deserving, clean players. It sure makes Jim Rice's election look even bigger!

8. Finally, I love Sean Casey. I grew fond of him last year when he was the Red Sox, and his debut on the MLB Network yesterday was terrific. Not only did he look very hot in his suit and tie, but he had some great insights as a player who was never a superstar, one who just worked hard every day he played. Harold Reynolds pointed out that Casey could have done PEDs and extended his career a few more years - but stayed clean. I think (hope) that probably 80% of MLB players are also clean - how it must disgust them to see someone with so much talent as ARod (and Bonds and Clemens, for that matter) feel that they had to boost themselves artificially. Wasn't enough for them to be so good? Why did they feel they had to blow everyone else out of the water? They were in a place that millions - I mean, millions - of fans would love to be - playing professional sports, playing a little kid's game and getting paid uber-bucks. They seemed to be living our dream - and now their selfishness, their egos, have brought them down.

Wow...

RS v. Yankees, July 2008

Wow. Yes, I detest Alex Rodriguez (although not with the same fervor that I detest Jeter). Yes, I like to make fun of him, with his Hamburger Helper gloves and purple lip gloss. Yes, I do I think he's a total head case - obsessed with being the center of attention, with extremely low self-esteem, always looking for approval from others. Yes, I think he is a borderline dirty player - think of his swiping the ball out of Arroyo's glove or calling "mine" to throw off an infielder trying to catch a ball. But, yes, I also think he's a really good ball player - albeit one who seems to fail in the pressure cooker of post-season play year after year.

But I never would have guessed him to be a steroid user. As a matter of fact, if I could name a player who I thought needed MORE testosterone, it would be Alex. And yet, in some ways, it makes sense; it fits his psychological profile. He wants to be the best (but so does every other athlete, so no excuses there); he wants to be the center of attention; he wants "respect." So I can imagine him thinking, hey, I'm already a great player, but imagine how GREAT I could be if I used what everyone else is using.

I'm more worried about several other issues in the midst of this great revelation from si.com. First is the whole issue of the confidentiality of the steroid tests. Players were assured these tests were anonymous and that there would be no repercussions if they test positive. MLB was simply trying to figure out if there was indeed widespread use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs. How did ARod's name get out? There are reportedly 103 other names on "the list" - surely, they're not all minor leaguers?! And why did the Players' union retain the results list - it should have been destroyed. Jon Heyman has got a great article now on si.com, lambasting COO Gene Orza for retaining the list, and implies that Orza was messing around with the list, and that's where he ran into trouble.

The feds subpoenaed all the records instead of just the BALCO boys.

All 104 players who tested positive were now at risk.

"He wouldn't give up the BALCO names,'' one baseball person said of Orza, "so instead, [the federal government] got every name.''

Also troubling is Orza's involvement in this. Some seem to imply that he was actually tipping off players as to when their drug testing would take place, which allowed them to clean up their acts, or get other players to switch out urine samples. If this is true, he ought to be tossed out on his butt and sent before Congress to testify.

I'm also worried about those other 103 names. I don't believe ARod is the only name we'll recognize there. I'm not naive enough to think there won't be past or present Red Sox players on there (Gagne, anyone?). Will these names also be leaked? Will this be another Salem Witch Hunt?

I heard one pundit say this morning that he won't cast a vote for any current player for inclusion in the Hall of Fame. He said that there is a cloud of suspicion cast on EVERY player of the past ten years. And that is my greatest worry. What effect will all this have on the Game, on our great and glorious game of baseball? What about those players that didn't heed the siren's call of the needle, who stayed clean and who performed to the best of their natural abilities? Do they deserve to be tainted by the same dirty brush?

My heart is heavy today. Well, maybe not totally. The idea that this revelation will throw the Yankees into a grander state of confusion pleases me! That they will have an additional distraction as Spring Training begins is definitely a pleasant thought!!