Let’s start with the biggest positive here. Alex Rodriguez confessed today that the report from Saturday was true – and he did use steroids in the past. That was the right thing to do…well, not using the steroids…but, confessing that it was true…and doing it today, just a couple of days after the news broke. Then again, really, what could A-Rod have done given his lack of leverage here? You’ve got four sources confirming that he failed a PED tinkle-test in 2003. Trying to fight that rap would be pretty futile.
Personally, while it was the right thing to ‘fess up, I think Alex took the chicken’s way out by having a controlled confessional with Peter Gammons. I think it would have taken more guts to get in front of several members of the media, at once, like Andy Pettitte did, and stay there to answer every question – the easy ones and the tough ones – until there were no more questions to be asked. (As it is, A-Rod may have to end up doing this when he reports to Spring Training. And, it will be interesting to see how he handles that situation.)
Now, on to what Rodriguez said today…that he took PEDs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001 – and that’s it. Well, that better be true – because, if he’s withholding anything here, and it comes out later, Pete Rose will look like a saint compared to A-Rod.
Personally, it would not shock me to hear that Alex started using PEDs back in 1999. There’s some numbers to support such a theory. Further, as I have seen the question posed elsewhere on the ‘net today: A-Rod conveniently started using PEDs immediately after he signed the biggest contract in baseball history? Does that make any sense?
Oh, that’s right, it was the “culture” in Texas that led him start using…meanwhile, the team that he played for just before that, the Seattle Mariners, were also, reportedly, a merry band of PED-users. But, for some reason, when he was younger, playing in a park not friendly to hitters, working towards his free agency payday, A-Rod was able to plug his ears with bees’ wax and ignore the PED sirens. I dunno…maybe it’s that Texas heat that just makes one susceptible to temptation? Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Also, it would not shock me to hear that Alex used some form of PED after playing for the Texas Rangers. Sure, as his agent Scott Boras is quick to tell, Rodriguez has been tested several times in the last five years and never came up positive for any banned substances. But, again, they can’t test for everything these days. They don’t test for HGH. And, I’m sure that someone with A-Rod’s disposal income would be able to obtain the cream of the crop, undetectable, designer PEDs that are light-years ahead of what can be tested for…at this moment.
Let’s pause here for a minute – so that I can ensure that I’m being perfectly clear here. I am not claiming that Alex Rodriguez used PEDs before and/or after the period that he confessed to, today, while he was with the Texas Rangers. More so, I’m just sharing that it would not shock me, all things considered, if it was found out that he did use PEDs while he was in Seattle and/or New York (in addition to his time in Texas).
Lastly, on this topic, did you notice A-Rod’s response today when Gammons asked him whether his steroid use took place only from 2001 through 2003? Alex’s answer was: “That’s pretty accurate, yes.”
Hmmm…if that’s not leaving the door open a bit, what is?
There were other issues with A-Rod’s comments today. For example, does he truly think anyone is going to believe that he wasn’t really sure what he was taking back then? That’s what he said, and, I quote: “Peter, that’s the thing. I mean, again, it was such a loosey-goosey era. I’m guilty for a lot of things. I’m guilty for being arrogant, of being naive, not asking all the right questions. To be quite honest, I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using.”
Com’on Alex…you make it sound like it was Woodstock and everyone was passing the peace-pipe and you just took a hit with the rest of the gang. Somehow, I find it hard to believe that’s how it all went down.
Moving along, while I give Alex high marks for confessing albeit tempered because of the delivery method and some vague answers, his attack today on Selena Roberts was a terrible plan on his part. He would have been much better off doing his best Borat impression and saying something like “If Ms. Roberts were here right now, I would say to her ‘Listen pussycat, smile a bit’ and nothing more.”
The whole smear campaign on Roberts this afternoon makes A-Rod sound like he’s sweating something that’s going to be in her new book (on him) and this was a somewhat preemptive strike.
In any event, it’s done now. The story has been broken. A-Rod has offered a confession. And, because of this whole mess, the President of our country, during his first prime-time news conference this evening, had to field a question on Alex – and the CIC offered that, when, “you take shortcuts you may end up tarnishing your entire career.”
And, that’s where A-Rod is today. His career is tarnished. His integrity is to be forever questioned. Think about that for a minute. If Alex hits 55 homeruns this season, many people will wonder if he’s using something that’s beyond detection. If Rodriguez bats .275 with 32 homeruns this season, many people will wonder if he’s been scared straight and this is the A-Rod you get without PEDs. Or, they will wonder if his head is so messed up over the PED situation that he’s now a Jimmy Pearsall case.
But, Alex brought this all on himself, right? It’s just too bad, as Yankees fans, that we have to watch the whole thing go down in our own backyard.
Yankees fans can only hope this is the last “A-Rod situation” that they will have to endure. Then again, nine years is an awful long time for Alex to stay out of the news…and, like I said, beware that Selena Roberts book coming this spring…and, of course, beware the fact that the A-Rod PED file has now been opened. It may just not be an open and shut case…even with Alex’s confession to Gammons today.
7 Responses to “A-Rod’s PED Confession To Peter Gammons Today”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Knowing what we know about Alex’s fragile ego (some from Torre’s book, natch), I might tend to believe Alex would use PED’s for the pure reason of wanting to fit in or because someone convinced him it was the right thing to do.
Dare I speculate that the reason he may have stayed away from the juice in Seattle was the influence of Piniella and/or Griffey, who has managed to keep his nose clean through this entire mess.
Who would that guardian angel have been in Texas? Palmeiro? Ivan Rodriguez? Ken Caminiti? Looking at the names on those Rangers teams in that time period, I wonder if PED’s weren’t on the same table as the cold cuts in the post-game spread….
February 10th, 2009 at 3:39 am
I understand your cynical take on this, but I’m starting to think you are cynical about everything besides Ruth, Gahrig, Mantle, Maris and Donny..oh and Mo. I’ve been reading a bunch of blogs on this and your post is so negatively driven that is giving me a bad taste in my mouth. I really find it hard to believe you’re a Yankee fan. You sound like you work for espn. I understand this is your blog, your point of view, but I wonder if you really feel this way of if it’s just to get more traffic. Everything is so bitter. I, for one, will give him the benefit of the doubt. If he says 2001-2003, fine, I’m ready to move on. I won’t forget this and I will never feel the same about him as a player, but I’m willing to give him a chance to prove himself or bury himself with out betting against him.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:48 am
I think Steve is flippin’ flapjacks crazy about bashing Cashman, but I had pretty much the exact same thoughts as him when I watched the interview as well. I think a lot of other Yanks blogs have put blinders on as far the confession is concerned. Giving a guy who confessed to cheating because he was backed into a wall with the only other choice being reviled like Bonds and McGuire the the doubt is a pretty asinine. Woodstock reference illustrates Rodriguez’s comments on the whole GNC / what kind of substance portion of the interview well.
I personally don’t care what he did or didn’t do before becoming a Yankee. He will never be the ‘true’ home run leader now in my mind, when/if he breaks the record(s), but he’ll be a heck of a lot of fun to watch approach and pass them. I mainly hope he hasn’t done PEDs since joining the Yankees, and won’t ever again, so keeping fingers crossed for the time being on that.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:50 am
the benefit of the doubt*, my bad.
February 10th, 2009 at 6:52 am
I haven’t posted a comment here in quite a while. I’ve given up on arguing, expecting him to concede points on Cashman and anything else he may have a negative spin on – with respect to the Yanks.
That said, Steve is 100% correct here with his post, I feel he has been balanced and he even agrees that the manner how the information was obtained and leaked wasn’t right. However, it was leaked, it’s a fact and ARod has admitted it. Those are the facts, all we can do is listen to ARod’s explanation and say if we believe him or not.
I watched that interview, I don’t find anything he said as genuine and forthright. I don’t believe him and I sincerely feel more is going to come out now, the cat is out of the bag people, hide the women and children cause this will soon become “an A-Bomb from A-Roid”.
I could care less about PEDs, but I do find it interesting how he handled this and just like anything he touches, he botched this up too.
I am willing to make a bet that more comes out, that we find out he did roids in his Mariner and/or Yankee years. At that point, he’s a liar and his character is shoved down the annals of Bonds, Clemens, Caminiti, and Benito Santiago’s of the world. That doesn’t mean he isn’t great, that just means we have a liar manning 3rd base.
Isn’t it great to bash Jeter and say how he should be more accepting of ARod now? Jeter never changed, Jeter’s character was the same all throughout and he didn’t feel the need to show Yankee fans that he was willing to kiss ARod’s ass. In the end, that logic proved to be the right one.
If we find out Jeter was on PEDs, too. He’ll have to suffer through the same consequences, I’ll stay consistent – this has nothing to do with Jeter or ARod. But this has everything to do with ARod’s very flawed make-up and character.
9 more years!!!
When he comes up to bat, I’ll still root for him to help the Yanks. In the end, I ain’t gonna stop being a Yankee fan.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:29 am
He would have been much better off doing his best Borat impression and saying something like “If Ms. Roberts were here right now, I would say to her ‘Listen pussycat, smile a bit’ and nothing more.”
——-
made me laugh out loud at work…everyone looked @ me lol
——
say does anyone remember when the beef between a-rod and jeter actually started? was it 01?
February 10th, 2009 at 10:00 am
I’m not quite as cynical as you, Steve. I DO believe he could have taken something without knowing exactly what it was if a trusted teammate or trainer (who care about what goes into their bodies too) gave something to him. It could have simply someone saying “this is what I gave Pudge, Juan, and Raffy, don’t you want it?” I don’t think A-Rod necessarily had to ask for the chemical make-up of the product because he cares about his body so much.
Also, the whole “pretty accurate” thing. A-Rod was probably just nervous and stumbled over himself. If he thought about that question, he probably wouldn’t answer the question like that again. And maybe it started in the off-season preceding the 2001 season and was technically in 2000 (say Nov, Dec.)
Although I think his word choice is poor, I do believe there was a different atmosphere with PEDs back in 2001-03. Everyone was doing them without shame and they were obvious in the locker room. Now, PED users and distributors have probably gone somewhat underground. But when everything was out in the open, why wouldn’t A-Rod try something that everyone else on his team was doing? I’m sure it was “loosy-goosy” back then.
None of this excuses what A-Rod did, but I think the interview came off as poor because 1) A-Rod was nervous and 2) much of it was scripted. When A-Rod stumbled from the script, it made him look bad. In a situation like this (where one is prone to make mistakes) I find it hard to indict A-Rod because of some poor wording or less than precise answers.