The Hypothetical A-Rod HGH Question
Let me stress in the opening of this piece that this is a hypothetical situation which I’m throwing out here today…it is not a suggestion and I am not implying anything with this post. The purpose here is to purely play “What if?” to gauge the reactions of Yankees fans (or baseball fans in general) to this type of situation if…well…what if (?) it happened…
O.K., here goes, starting with things that we know:
- Last Spring, Alex Rodriguez (herein “A-Rod”) had major surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his right hip. He returned on schedule from that procedure and performed outstanding this season. In fact, he healed so well that a follow-up surgery, scheduled for the end of last year, was called off by his doctor.
- The doctor who managed A-Rod’s rehabilitation this summer from hip surgery has ties to a suspected performance enhancing drug (herein “PEDs”) dealing doctor (where the PEDs include human growth hormone, or “HGH”).
- HGH stimulates muscle growth and helps reduce body fat. It also allows athletes to recover faster from strenuous training. Baseball players have used HGH in the past to recover from surgery/injury – such as the Yankees Andy Pettitte. But, since a valid test for HGH usage does not exisit, baseball does not test players to see if they use this banned substance.
- A-Rod has used performance enhancing drugs in the past. And, A-Rod has former ties to experts in the field of using PEDs and avoiding detection of said usage.
- The Yankees won the World Series in 2009 – and were greatly assisted by a super-human post-season performance by A-Rod throughout every round of the playoffs.
Now, here’s the hypothetical part:
What if it is found out – someway and someday – that Alex Rodriguez used HGH during 2009 and that played a part in his strong performance during both the regular season and post-season? Would that, in any way, “taint” the Yankees championship (which they won that year)?
Personally, I’m on the fence with this one.
Yes, I know that you never want to see anyone (a person or a team) achieve something by “breaking the rules.” However, on the other hand, as fans, many of us are willing to make a player a hero if he took a cortisone injection or had a tendon stapled in order to stay on the field and perform well.
Of course, sure, there’s the difference between PEDs that are banned and legal procedures performed under a doctor’s care. But, at the end of the day, do we really care what our “warriors” do in order to suit up and do battle for our colors? Plus, there’s the whole “Since MLB doesn’t test for HGH, how do we know that everyone’s not using it?” angle to consider too…
In any event, casting my own ambivalence aside, what are your thoughts on “The Hypothetical A-Rod HGH Question”? Would it “taint” the Yankees 27th World Championship? Why? Why not?
Related, would it change your view of Alex Rodriguez? If so, in what way?
I don’t think I’d care anymore, personally. I’d just rather assume everyone’s on something and go on with my business.
Between love and madness lies obsession.
Couldn’t care less. Drugs, “performance enhancing” or otherwise, have been around for quite some time. “Ball Four” should be required reading for everyone who has their knickers in a twist over the PED issue. Supplemental reading should be Bill Lee’s “The Wrong Stuff” as he talks about drug use and abuse at the collegiate level.
There’s no such thing as a tainted championship.
FWIW, Rodriguez has had good postseasons, he has had bad postseasons, I wouldn’t necessarily attribute that to HGH, PED’s or whatever.
PEDs talk is sooooo 2009.
Speaking of which, it looks like MLBN is replaying the 09 Series
Is this some sort of an essay contest? Why is there no prize? Does the fact that there is no prize make it worst essay contest ever? Or is it the fact that Steve is attempting to be the turd in the punch bowl for no apparent reason? Explain your answer.
Does it change your opinion of Steve for proposing this hypothetical scenario? If so, in what way?
Hard up for material, huh?
I’m no fan of Arod’s, so take this w/ a grain of salt, but yes it’d bother me a lot. If he used HGH, he cheated, That’s a true statement. HGH is banned. Whether others took/take it is besides the point. It would’ve given him an unfair advantage over others who didn’t/don’t take it.
BTW, I assume, Arod, Manny and Ortiz (among others) have been taking banned substances on and off for yrs. They can afford undectable substances (until one wasn’t – ala Manny).
Arod is a PED user…. we know that.. it wud be smart of him to not use HGH… but can you assure me Andy P didnt use it this year aprticularly after his Sep weakness…. yeah its preposterous suggestion for some (or is it), or can you assure me Utley who also recovered from the same injury to “his previous” levels didnt use it last year?
I think until you have Olympic style testing we as fans can have our masochistic pleasures trying to speculate the purity of our win.. i say thats pointless… life is imperfect and this is a game.. it has to be imperfect…
i stopped rooting for Arod after 07 fiasco…. now i dont root for him to get that hit to get vindication, i root for anyone to get the hit, if its Arod i dont mind but i enjoy more if its DJ or Tex or even Melky (before the trade)…
i also ask you this, how many other fans dig into these kind of wounds, do the redsox fan blogs even question the obvious truth that Ortiz and Manny won it for them roiding? I guess we have to learn to move on… this is a game.. theres no pure results… particularly in field games like NFL or MLB or NHL… we better get used to it
srivinodh wrote:
What exactly is the ’07 fiasco? Opting out of his deal?
I understand as fans we want our players to love the Yankees, always want to be a Yankee and even take a pay cut to be a Yankee (if needed)…but it was well within the right of his contract to opt out and seek more money from either the Yankees or another team. It was a clause in a contract that Brian Cashman knew was there, and chose to deal with when he traded for Alex.
I can see why him opting out could upset Yankee fans but we all need to understand Alex earned the right to have that in his contract, and also had the right to exercise it…just as every free agent has a right to seek as much money from whichever team they can get it from.
The man just had a monster postseason and the Yankees wouldn’t have won the World Series, reached the Series or maybe even reached the playoffs without him. It’s time Yankee fans get over it and appreciate him for who he is, and if you can’t do that, appreciate him for what he just did for your World Champion ballclub that you root for.
YankCrank wrote:
Plus, not to mention, the fact that he probably decided that he would exercise the opt-out well before he was in pinstripes.
cr1 wrote:
Not really. IMHO, I think the possibility that A-Rod may have used HGH in 2009 exists. And, also IMHO, I believe that most Yankees fans, when being honest, have to admit, in the bottom of their heart, that it is not impossible that A-Rod was using some PED last season. Hence, the question of…what if? (etc.)
Raf wrote:
A-Rod never had a post-season like the one he had in 2009 before – in fact, outside of a PED’ed Bonds in 2002, few players have ever had a post-season as great as A-Rod in 2009.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Okay I’ll take the bait here. The reason this “debate” is feeling worn out is that we just can’t prove squat anymore. No one knows who has had any HGH any more.
What if Alex gets exposed for HGHing in 2009? I guess I’d have the same feelings as in the past – tell me who on the Phils and the Angels, the Red Sox, the Dodgers and the Cardinals, and in the rest of MLB has been on the stuff. Until you have a level playing field, teams like the Yankees, and especially the Yankees, are actually at an unfair advantage, since they’re higher profile and under more scrutiny, and thus more likely to get caught. The fact that Ortiz can speak the way he did and then get BUSTED and not just tarred and feathered the way Alex was, demonstrates that the court of public opinion is not equal or fair.
Is Bonds more guilty than Sheffield or Giambi? I don’t think so, but Bonds is more successful, so it’s not an equal playing field.
MJ wrote:
There might be an exception to this, but I don’t think so. And this illustrates the reality of the situation. If you give a lame apology, or if you win, (preferably both) all will be forgiven.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Alex Rodriguez
Career: .305/.390/.576
Career Postseason: .302/.409/.568
Alex Rodriguez got hot over the span of 52 at bats. It’s happened before, I’m sure if given enough opportunities it will happen again.
I’ll also take the bait here.
Is it possible A-Rod used HGH in 2009? Yes, it is entirely possible. I see your point, I see the connection, I get it.
Would it bother me or taint it for me if it came out he used HGH in ’09? No, just as it didn’t bother me when players from the 90s teams came up in the Mitchell Report. Baseball has been a game full of cheaters since the beginning and the form of cheating has evolved over time. That’s no excuse, and i’m not saying there should be cheaters, but if we go deep enough i’m sure we can make a case that many, many World Champions have been “tainted” in one way or another. Probably most of them.
What it would do, however, is create more fuel for Yankee haters and A-Rod haters, and I could care less. Yankee haters will always hate us for Yankee success, money and arrogance. A-Rod haters will always hate him because of extremely biased, selfish and hypocritical reasons and if the 2009 postseason can’t change their mind, nothing will.
Raf wrote:
Speculate all you want, but this is the best point right here.
The more postseason at bats a player has, and when that small sample size gets into a size worth examining, a ballplayers postseason numbers will most likely fall in line with their career averages. That’s whats happening here with Alex, as Raf points out.
Like a lot of hitters, Alex is very streaky. He got hot at the right time and it payed off big time for the Yankees.
MJ wrote:
Well, uh, there is that 1919 Cincinnati Reds title.
I kinda think that one’s tainted.
================================
A-Rod did not use HGH this year. I’m convinced.
Prove me wrong.
Thread Closed
capisce?
Was the Red Sox title in ’04 tainted?
@ Evan3457:
Derek Jeter used HGH this year. I’m convinced.
Prove ME wrong.
Funny part about DJ is everything is attributed to his “offseason conditioning program.”
Anyway, rather than citing statistics and making an argument that I don’t truly believe the point is this: No player took PEDs until it was proven otherwise. Barry Bonds NEVER did PEDs before the BALCO scandal. Alex Rodriguez NEVER did PEDs before his name was released from the list. Ditto David Ortiz and countless other players that we do not know about.
Is Alex more likely (as a previous user)? Sure. But until you can prove to me that Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley, David Wright, Hanley Ramirez, etc. actually didn’t do PEDs, the argument is irrelevant. Just because those guys got caught doesn’t mean they were the only ones.