Alex Rodriguez Admits Steroid Use

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 06:46:08 PM EST
Tags: steroids (all tags)

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Yankees star Alex Rodriguez admitted to ESPN today he used steroids from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers.

The news tonight reports this is very sad and will adversely impact his career forever. It's not deterring the University of Miami from naming a baseball complex after him: [More...]

Rodriguez is still expected to attend an event Friday at the University of Miami, which is renaming its baseball field in his honor. He gave $3.9 million to the school in 2003, the largest gift ever to the Hurricanes' baseball program and money that provided much of the resources needed for renovating the existing on-campus stadium. In return, the baseball complex will be called Mark Light Field at Alex Rodriguez Park.

Despite the scandal, the facility will continue to bear Rodriguez's name, a university official told AP on Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitive nature.

Derek Jeter says the team is standing behind Alex.

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Alex Rodriguez Admits Steroid Use | 15 comments (15 topical)

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OK, so A-Rod used 'roids. (5.00 / 2) (#3)
by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:37:15 PM EST

I'm not going to approve of what is clearly a dangerous practice, but as I recall, steroid use during that period in question (2001-03) was not against the baseball's rules, because there were no rules.

Well, that was six years ago. Major League Baseball, Inc. has amended its rules regarding supplement abuse, and Rodriguez is obviously not doing them now.

This information was supposed to remain confidential at the time the tests were undertaken. It was leaked by someone affiliated with MLB merely to embarrass certain people, and I find that reprehensible.

Alex Rodriguez has nothing to apologize for. I can't say the same for Major League Baseball. I'm tired of the manufactured drama.

Santarita: "Do we forgive Barry Bonds now?"

Barry Bonds finds himself in serious legal trouble not because he used steroids per se, but because he lied about his involvement with it to a federal grand jury.

Again, Bonds has nothing to apologize for regarding his steroid use, since his supposed transgressions occurred at the same time as Rodriguez. However, his perjury before a grand jury is a whole 'nother matter. He'll get no symapthy from me on that.

When you take an solemn oath in court to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, you shouldn't get a mulligan for blatantly violating that oath because of your celebrity status.

Baseball did have its head in the sand (none / 0) (#4)
by jeffinalabama on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:41:19 PM EST

for a long time. Willfully ignoring? Look at the media coverage generated by the home run races.

[ Parent ]

Unless Jose Canseco is applauded ... (none / 0) (#7)
by cymro on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 08:55:04 PM EST

... and held in higher regard than other starts of his era (like Bonds, McGwire, Clements, and Rodriguez) we will know that baseball is still trying to ignore the facts.

Fortunately, there are signs that attitudes towards Jose are finally starting to change:

Rodriguez steroid scandal makes Jose Canseco look smart again, unfortunately
Daniel O'Leary

The comments suggest that maybe Jose gets more respect from baseball fans than from baseball press and insiders.

[ Parent ]

stars of his era, not "starts" (none / 0) (#8)
by cymro on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 08:59:42 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Canseco (none / 0) (#9)
by CoralGables on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 09:01:57 PM EST

gets as much credit as your usual jailhouse snitch. No more no less which is just about what he deserves. He sings for pay.

[ Parent ]

You are completely missing the point ... (none / 0) (#10)
by cymro on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 09:50:37 PM EST

... that Jose Canseco has Hall of Fame credentials, which are routinely ignored because he's not popular with baseball insiders.

I guess I should have spelled that out, by posting more baseball statistics?

[ Parent ]

Are you trying to say (none / 0) (#13)
by CoralGables on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 10:23:10 PM EST

Canseco is in the same league with Clemens, A-Rod, Bonds, and McGwire? He's not and he wasn't. He had a .266 career average with 462 homeruns. That places him somewhere far behind Rafael Palmiero in stats who also will never see Cooperstown.

Your link goes to a 2002 article, a time prior to people realizing Palmiero, McGwire, and Canseco would likely never see the Hall.

Off field antics count in baseball when it comes to HOF voting. That's just the way it is and Canseco made plenty of off field headlines in South Florida. The best being the night he was arrested for causing an accident by ramming his wife's BMW with his Porsche, and spitting at her after the cops arrived.

Canseco really has no argument. He was a fairly classless, poor fielding, steroid induced homerun hitter that couldn't match the dinger numbers put up by other roid users as it became more popular.

[ Parent ]

Canseco and McGwire ... (none / 0) (#14)
by cymro on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 01:06:59 AM EST

... have comparable stats, except that Canseco was also the first player ever to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in a season, and was the unanimous AL MVP selection in 1988.

I won't repeat the rest of the arguments in the 2002 Slate article by John Williams, but those facts have not changed. So when you dismiss Canseco as "a fairly classless, poor fielding, steroid induced homerun hitter" you are guilty of exactly the kind of deliberate misrepresentation of the facts that I am objecting to.

Eventually, Baseball is going to have to decide what to do about all player records amassed during the "steroid era". When that happens, Canseco's accomplishments should be considered alongside those of other elite players.

And if off field antics "count in baseball when it comes to HOF voting," how did Babe Ruth ever get elected?

[ Parent ]

: Time will tell (none / 0) (#15)
by CoralGables on Tue Feb 10, 2009 at 09:25:08 AM EST

Babe Ruth was part of the inaugural class placed into Cooperstown along with Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Perhaps I should have clarified a bit in that off field antics became more of a factor as the stature of the HOF grew. Still, Babe Ruth didn't finish 1st in the voting among that initial group.
Baseball may not have to "eventually" decide what to do with the elite stars of the steroid era as they are already making some decisions in that regard. It appears that McGwire and Canseco will never make it.
As for McGwire and Canseco having similar stats, McGwire hit 120 more homeruns than Jose and passed the magical 500 HR threshold. I believe the only non-active members of the prestigious 500 club not to be in the Hall are McGwire and Palmiero, both admitted steroid users. I suspect Palmiero will finish far down the ballot in his first year of eligibility and he is in the very exclusive 500/3000 club.
Looking ahead, the crime isn't in whether Canseco or McGwire or Palmiero should be in the Hall. It's likely none of them will make it. The crime will be that many that were never caught, with inferior stats to those mentioned, will enter the Hall...and some probably already there.
If it ever comes out that Cal Ripken or Junior used steroids, (neither would shock me) that will re-open the discussion, but until then the new mark for steroid ball for those caught may be a .300 BA and 600 HR's. That would eventually allow Bonds and A-Rod, but still leave Sammy Sosa on the sidelines.

[ Parent ]

I agree that perjury is bad. n/t (none / 0) (#5)
by santarita on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:50:02 PM EST

Could Barry have plead the fifth? (none / 0) (#11)
by Manuel on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 09:55:49 PM EST

How about Palmeiro and McGuire when they testified before Congress? It was a sad scene. Watching the congressmen act so morally superior made me sick. These guys are in large part what we have made of them.

[ Parent ]

Donald, I get your point, but (none / 0) (#12)
by caseyOR on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 10:16:56 PM EST

Alex lied about using steroids. Yes, i know, he wasn't under oath; he was only talking to Katie Couric. However, Alex clearly stated that he had never used performance enhancing drugs.He further claimed that he had never even been tempted to use those drugs.

So, not a perjurer, but still a liar.

[ Parent ]

Do We Forgive Barry Bonds Now? n/t (none / 0) (#1)
by santarita on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:08:51 PM EST

I didn't like him because he's a Yankee, (none / 0) (#2)
by jeffinalabama on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 07:23:46 PM EST

but I'll add steroid use to my reasons...

Steroids (none / 0) (#6)
by CoralGables on Mon Feb 09, 2009 at 08:22:45 PM EST

in both football and baseball has likely been the norm rather than the exception for the last 30 years. As someone that was familiar with high school athletes in Miami that were using them in the late 80's and early 90's, I doubt A-Rod's use was exclusive to the three years he mentioned from 2001-2003. Just like all current athletes he would have had access to them from the time he was in high school.

To think it's only baseball related or to think there aren't major league baseball players and NFL players still using them is laughable. Testing methods are always far behind those that benefit from masking the results.

A-Rod is just one of many. Any athlete you think has "done it the right way", don't be surprised when you find out they have also injected. There is too much money available to not partake at the fountain.