Holy Cow. With all of the people who have gotten caught, and all of the stories that they have cooked up, I will give A-Rod his due. I am truly shocked he came out with the most honest statement of any busted player. A-Fraud maybe. A-Liar or A-Con-Artist, no.
Giambi said he was guilty of something he couldn’t mentioned. Petite said it took HGH once and then called his Dad because it didn’t seem right. Not Alex Rodriguez. He admits to taking banned substances between 2001 and 2003 during his time with the Texas Rangers, as told to Peter Gammons in this video clip from espn.com
Yeah, he certainly seems very, very nervous, but hey - I’d be nervous as hell as too. No doubt that was the worst moment of an otherwise charmed life. Getting caught with Madonna is one thing - there are always more women. This is different.
This really is the best thing he could do, I’d just never thought he would do it. Look no further than Bonds and Clemens for how transcendent players normally handle these accusations. But the American public is very forgiving. Say you are sorry and people will eventually stop kicking you and the sooner the better.
Want an example? Look at Marv Albert. He was on trial for biting a women in a hotel room while dressed in female crotch-less panties. I never thought he would revive his career. But he cut a deal, plead guilty to lesser charges and eventually, because he has immense talent, he is back on top and no one ever mentions that stuff.
OK, I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I’m not using to praising the loathesome Alex Rodriguez like this. How about we get to the bad stuff, shall we?
There are some excuses in there. The parts about the culture and baseball being different. He’s basically implying “everyone was doing it” and “baseball didnt seem to care” and “it wasn’t against the rules.” True and true and true. But even if it’s true you don’t make excuses when being remorseful. You lose points for that A-Rod. Take the blame. Take responsibility.
One final thought on the “not against the rules of baseball argument” that folks are using today and have used in defense of Bonds also. It’s against a federal law. It’s been a crime in the U.S. to possess anabolic steroids since 1990. The law of the land > rules of baseball.
You think it specifically says in the rules of football that you are not allowed to throw $58K onto the stage of a strip club in Vegas and then start a brawl when you try to take it back that leads to several people being shot? (See: Adam “Pacman” Jones). Why does the NFL care? Because it is a freakin crime! Possesion of steroids was a crime in 2003. If A-Rod got caught with them he would have been arrested. Heck, Jamal Lewis did time in federal prison recently just for making a phone call related to the sale of controlled substances back in college. Look outside baseball folks, A-Rod is admitting to a crime, not just to cheating. It’s news-worthy.
So again, the rules of baseball have no bearing on this - it was a crime. Anyone who says differently should stripped and beaten with reeds about the breast, chest, neck and head.
Tags: Alex Rodriguez
