Good move, A-Rod
The best thing Alex Rodriguez could’ve done in the wake of the SI.com report that indicated he used steroids during the 2003 season was simply come clean and admit it was true.
Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi took that route before and have been able to continue with their careers without much controversy still tailing them. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens kept denying and their historic careers will forever be tainted. Mark McGwire made a fool of himself in front of Congress and he’s currently being kept out of the Hall of Fame.
On Monday, A-Rod came clean. He sat down with ESPN’s Peter Gammons and said the SI report was correct, and Rodriguez took it a step further. He admitted to using performance enhancers in each of his three seasons with Texas from 2001-03. Will A-Rod’s rep be tarnished? Sure. But, the game will be able to move on a bit easier now that he’s fessed up to cheating.
When the report came out, I can’t say that I was surprised. Why should any of us be surprised when we hear a player from this era tested positive for PHDs? As Rodriguez correctly points out in his comments, it was a loose era in the ’90s and in the early part of this decade. Things have changed for the better in recent years with the new testing that’s in place.
There’s a good chart in the MLB.com article on A-Rod’s admission. It breaks down his stats before, during and after the period in which he says he was using steroids. From 1996-2000, He averaged a .315 average, 36.8 homers and 114.8 RBIs in 145 games per season. From 2004-2008, the averages were .303/41.6/123.2 in 153.4 games. With Texas, A-Rod went .305/52/136.3 in 161.7 games on average.
You want to strip A-Rod of his tainted numbers? Go ahead. This guy is still a Hall of Famer. You want to strip Bonds of his totals from the point he is accused of using? Fine. He’s still a Hall of Famer. Clemens? McGwire? Even someone like Sammy Sosa? I say put them in the Hall.
They are the product of an era when hitters AND pitchers were using. Put it right on their plaques in Cooperstown: “Achieved these feats during the so-called Steroids Era.” Put it out there. Show what they did and why it was wrong and educate, but don’t try to hide these players from the kids. They’re in baseball’s record books and they’re not going anywhere.
That might not be the popular opinion, but that’s mine. Then again, I’m also from the camp that believes Pete Rose should be enshrined as well. If cheating or character are really deciding factors, there are plenty of players in the Hall who you could make a case for removing. Asterisks could be applied for reasons well beyond steroids.
Bottom line: I was happy to see A-Rod fess up as quickly as he did. Waiting until he arrived for Spring Training would’ve been a mistake, as would denying the accusations. He’s still going to hear plenty of “A-Roid!” chants when on the road and I’m sure Toronto will be one place that gives him a “warm” welcome.
Let’s move on and get ready for this 2009 season. Spring Training is here and the World Baseball Classic is right around the corner. Maybe some of you Jays fans aren’t as excited about this season, but you know what? Another baseball season is here and that’s plenty to be pumped about. I’ll be landing in Florida on Thursday and getting to work on Friday.
Here’s the A-Rod interview for those who haven’t seen it:
Major League Bastian 
I am tired of the PEDS/ steroid era . As for A-Rod’s interview yesterday , he had no choice but to come clean . His emotions were real though I think more due to the fact he got caught and his “clean” image was shattered than him being remorseful. I got the impression he is an insecure person and needs constant adulation from those around him and his fans . I do have a few problems with his interview . He said he was young , naive and stupid , he may have been naive about PEDS but in 2001-2003 he was 25-28 , not that young but I agree, he was stupid. He claims he didn’t know what he was taking , I find that really difficult to believe coming from a man who is so meticulous about his appearance , workout and craves perfection from himself . He wants to be the best , to win all the accolades , then tries to say he didn’t know what he was using , I don’t buy that . He said the pressure of the contract and competition made him search for an edge to push him to the next level, if he felt that way going to Texas, then how do we believe he stopped taking them when he went to NY . We all know NY is the hot spot in baseball, the pressure is enormous ,the competition fierce and the fans can be brutal. If you watch the interview , he never really answers many of Gammon’s questions buts skirts around them, offering such things as GNC sold over the counter things that you can test positive for . Does it matter what he took, probably not. Does he deserve to be in the HOF , not my decision but how do you leave out somebody that was potentially “clean” because his numbers aren’t quite as good as those who used steroids. When a player decides to take PEDS it effects all of baseball not just him. I do agree with Jordan , if the steroid era players are in the HOF then Pete Rose deserves the same consideration. That debate will go on for years. Lastly I am a huge Delgado fan , if Delgado was clean , then he truly got ripped off in the 2003 MVP race. He and A-Rod’s numbers were similar , A-rod having 5 more HR and Delgado 29 more RBIS. It has to be upsetting for Delgado to see this now, it was upsetting when he lost. I will look at baseball through different eyes . Have a great day all and take care
A-roid is scum,the only reason he came clean was because the Yankees told him to.
You can bet he was and still is on roids since day one.
I used to train race horses and when they found out how to detect one drug someone would come up with another one,the same with Roids.He will never be a HOF in my eyes.
It would be nice to see who the other 103 are,will there be any Jays on the list?????
I read all the blogs from the other teams,and they have 50 to 100 comments every day,but on this blog we have maybe 2 or 3 whats up with that,are their no true Jays fans out there anymore.
Whatever you do don’t give up on the team,with out your support this blog will die so start posting and save it.
Although, A-Rod gained some respect for his admission yesterday, only one shoe has dropped. Coming out of THE steroid hotbed at Seattle and seeing how his HR numbers virtually doubled in 98 versus 97 suggests to me he’s been on the juice since that timeframe. A quick look at picture of his body changes in that timeframe show a remarkable increase in size. In addition, I’m pretty convined he was still on it for at least the 2004 season, otherwise the COO of the players union wouldn’t have tipped him on his upcoming drug test.
But the bigger issue is Major League Baseball and whether it truly wants to regain credibility from this era or continually sweep it under the rug and hope the stench goes away over time. Clearly, awarding A-Rod the MVP in 2003 knowing he tested positive for two banned drugs is laughable.
I expect we’ll see players names released over time and the longer it takes for all names to come out, the lower the credibility of MLB will sink. There really is only one way to make this go away and that is to be upfront, release all the names and re-adjust the player awards for this timeframe.
Frankly, considering somewhere between 5 and 7% or 104 players tested positive, it really is the only fair thing to do for the guys who played the game the right way and didn’t cheat. Delgado, Morris and countless others might suddenly rise in significance if they didn’t test positive and whether they make it to the HOF or not isn’t the issue. The issue is one of fairness to the guys who didnt cheat as well as the fans. The fans deserve to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Nothing else will suffice.
I agree with Jordan about putting it right on the plaque. Let them still be in the hall though but do mention what they did to help them get in.
As for A-rod, he’s always been and still is one of my favourite players to watch but as a person he comes off as a ***** (nothing new there). I refuse to give him credit for coming clean. If SI had never uncovered the truth he likely would’ve continued to deny that he’s used it. I believe the main reason he did confess was because he’s seen how Pettite and Giambi have moved on and how Clemens and Barry continue to be vilified, it’s not because of remorse. Consider also, that he was on the same team as 2 guys who have moved on by admitting it. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. He even mentioned that in New York they like honesty obviously referring to the fact that Giambi and Pettite have moved on by admitting it. Makes me think that if those 2 had denied it he would’ve done the same.
Garry, personally I continue to read Jordan’s blog and the site daily, I don’t always post because I try and avoid the negativity (justified or not) but if there’s ever a time when nobody posts i’ll leave a comment or 2 just for the sake of it.
Anyone know if Matt Bush will be ready to compete for a spot right out of spring training or is this simply a move to add depth to triple A ?
Enigma
The real question with Matt Bush is whether he’s got himself under control, in order to get his baseball career under way. He’s had a bit of history of run ins with the law apparently due to drinking.
I expect he’ll start in Dunedin or lower to see if he’s fully recovered from Tommy John surgury and whether he’s serious about baseball or partying. That being said, the change of organizations might be good for him, he might have simply got off to a bad start with the Padres, since his first problem happened about one week after they signed him.
If he turns this behaviour around he could be a good addition, assuming of course we didnt pay too much for him and he’s healthy.
JP has done it again…
Read the following on Bush… What a headache he is going to be…
SAN DIEGO (AP)—The San Diego Padres traded minor league pitcher Matt Bush to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday for a player to be named or cash.
Bush, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 amateur draft, was designated for assignment Thursday, ostensibly to make room on the 40-man roster for slugger Cliff Floyd. However, hours after Floyd’s signing was announced, the Padres acknowledged they were looking into another off-field incident involving Bush.
Police in suburban El Cajon later confirmed that the 23-year-old Bush was being investigated for allegedly assaulting members of a high school lacrosse team.
Originally drafted as a shortstop and given a $3.15 million signing bonus by his hometown team, Bush flopped as a position player with San Diego and was converted to pitcher. He developed elbow problems and had reconstructive surgery in August 2007, which caused him to miss all of last season.
Two weeks after he was drafted, Bush was suspended indefinitely by the Padres after he was arrested at a bar across the street from the team’s complex in Peoria, Ariz. Among the charges were underage drinking and that he bit one of the bouncers who tried to escort him out of the bar. Assigned to the Padres’ rookie-level Peoria team, Bush was reinstated a month later. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, trespassing and underage possession or consumption of alcohol.
Bush was involved in a bar fight last summer, also in Peoria.
To make room on their roster for Bush, the Blue Jays released right-hander Dirk Hayhurst, claimed off waivers from San Diego last October.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-padres-bluejaystrade&prov=ap&type=lgns