Alex Rodriguez - Steroids in Baseball
February 11, 2009
In an ESPN exclusive interview with Peter Gammons, New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez came clean to reports of steroid use while playing with the Texas Rangers between the 2001 and 2003 season. Only roughly 14 months after complete denial of any use of performance enhancing drugs to CBS’ Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, A-Rod admitted wrong doing after he signed a 10-year deal worth $252 million (with the then last place Rangers). The deal made Rodriguez the highest paid player in MLB by more than $63 million, and as a result apparently created a strain on the ball player to prove his worth. In his recent ESPN interview, A-Rod stated that he felt “an enormous amount of pressure to perform” which steered him towards experimentation with an unclear variety of supplements. Despite reports that A-Fraud had tested positive for the steroid Primobolan and testosterone while with the Rangers, the three-time MVP pulled a Roger Clemons and mis-remembered exactly what he ingested, and how he came into possession of the contraband supplements in question. Although admitting wrong doing, the Yankee star, whom is touted as the best player in baseball, somewhat deflected blame citing the culture surrounding baseball during what is now called the steroid era with an everybody was doing it mentality.
To add insult to injury, A-Rod’s recent unburdening brush with ethical morality came only in the aftermath of Sports Illustrated senior sports writer Selena Roberts’ February 7th article which outed the New York Yankees all-star for being 1 of the 104 MLB ball players who tested positive performance enhancing drugs in 2003 (just prior to MLB’s introduction of a drug policy).
Although there seemed to be hints of sincerity, the overall mood of the interview was noticeably contrived, leaving speculation that the slugger had been coached with what responses he would and would not divulge to Gammons.
In Rodriguez’s defence to any speculation that it was only after the impact of Roger Clemons’ congressional hearing that A-Rod may have only finally kicked the use of steroids, the 3rd baseman assured his time with the Yankees was drug/supplement free. In traditional baseball fashion, A-Rod went to the numbers and raised a statistical analysis on his career and his consistent play both before and after the years in question - Including his recent 2007 MVP season where he finished with 54 HRs and 156 RBIs. Rodriguez also raised issues surrounding the body type perception of a steroid user, citing he did not fit the mould of a steroid junkie having only routinely gained 1 lb. a year over his entire baseball career.
A-Fraud said he is ultimately looking for forgiveness for his “stupid and naïve” decision making, but is prepared to deal with the blemish which will possibly follow him for the rest of his career and ultimately affect his once undeniable admission into the baseball Hall of Fame.
It is certain that Rodriguez’s baseball achievements have now been tarnished much like some of his steroid predecessors. It is almost certain however that the only reason why A-Fraud came forward with his own admission of guilt was on account of being caught (and not a burdening weight on his conscious), and to follow in the foot-steps of user team-mates like Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi who have not been treated as sternly in the public eye. Unlike other stars like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemons, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and others named in the Mitchell Report who have claimed their own personal innocence and subsequently have been targeted by the US government and ridiculed by the press and baseball fans who don’t seem to show any signs of forgiveness. A-Rod who has the all-time HR record in his sights, hopes his actions will be forgotten by the end of his tenure with the Yankees.
One thing is for certain, despite all of the negative press and attention that steroids have brought to the game (not seen since the Black Sox scandal of 1919), baseball continues to thrive and grow.
While a blind eye was turned throughout the 90s and baseball’s head office officials actual involvement during the steroid era remains uncertain, questions should be raised as to why so much attention is only be paid to Major League Baseball?
After all, America’s new favourite pastime, football and the NFL are clearly full of behemoth-sized steroid junkies who continue to exponentially grow bigger, faster and stronger at un-human rates. And why it is that football players’ obvious steroid use is somewhat publicly accepted.
What makes baseball such a threat?
And are steroids not just the modern equivalent to the laundry list of cheating tactics that have existed since the birth of the game?
How are steroids any different from spiking opposing players to stealing signs, doctoring balls and corking bats? All forms of cheating which have became part of the game and only resulted in minor slaps on the wrist and certainly did not prevent any admission into the Hall of Fame.
Mitchell Report (47)
• Ricky Bones - Steroids
• Alex Cabrera - Steroids
• Larry Bigbie - Steroids and hGH
• Jack Cust - Steroids
• Tim Laker - Steroids
• Josias Mananillo - Steroids
• Todd Hundley - Steroids
• Mark Carreon - Steroids
• Hal Morris - Steroids
• Matt Franco - Steroids
• Rondell White - Steroids and hGH
• Chuck Knobloch - hGH
• Gregg Zaun - Steroids
• David Justice - hGH
• F.P. Santangelo - Steroids and hGH
• Glenallen Hill - hGH
• Mo Vaughn - hGH
• Denny Neagle - Steroids and hGH
• Ron Villone - hGH
• Chris Donnels - Steroids and hGH
• Todd Williams - Steroids
• Phil Hiatt - Steroids and hGH
• Todd Pratt - Steroids
• Kevin Young - hGH
• Mike Lansing - Steroids and hGH
• Cody McKay - Steroids
• Kent Mercker - hGH
• Adam Piatt - Steroids and hGH
• Jason Christiansen - hGH
• Mike Stanton - hGH
• Stephen Randolph - hGH
• Paul Lo Duca - hGH
• Adam Riggs - Steroids an hGH
• Bart Miadich - Steroids
• Fernando Vina - Steroids and hGH
• Kevin Brown - Steroids and hGH
• Eric Gagne - hGH
• Mike Bell - hGH
• Mat Herges- hGH
• Gary Bennett, Jr. - hGH
• Jim Parque- Steroids
• Brendan Donnely - Steroids
• Chad Allen - Steroids
• Jeff Williams - Steroids
• Howie Clark - hGH
• Nook Logan - hGH
• Dan Naulty - Steroids and hGH
Admitted Users (17)
• Ken Caminiti - Steroids
• Bobby Estalella - Steroids and hGH
• Jason Giambi - Steroids and hGH
• Jeremy Giambi - Steroids
• Armando Rios - Steroids and hGH
• Benito Santiago - Steroids and hGH
• Gary Sheffield - Steroids
• Jose Canseco - Steroids and hGH
• Tom House - Steroids
• Wally Joyner - Steroids
• Paxton Crawford - Steroids and hGH
• Jason Grimsley - Steroids and hGH
• Jim Leyritz - hGH
• David Segui - hGH
• John Rocker - hGH
• Paul Byrd - hGH
• Shane Monahan - Steroids
Implicated Players (31)
• Mark McGwire - Steroids
• Manny Alexander - Steroids
• Chuck Finley - Steroids
• Barry Bonds - Steroids
• Marvin Bernard - Steroids and hGH
• Randy Velarde - Steroids
• Wilson Alvarez - Steroids and hGH
• Bret Boone - Steroids
• Ozzie Canseco - Steroids
• Juan Gonzalez - Steroids and hGH
• Dave Martinez - Steroids
• Ivan Rodriguez - Steroids and hGH
• Tony Saunders - Steroids and hGH
• Miguel Tejada - Steroids
• Lenny Dykstra - Steroids and hGH
• Roger Clemens - “PE Drugs”
• Andy Pettitte - “PE Drugs”
• Brian Roberts - Steroids
• Jay Gibbons - Steroids
• Gary Matthews Jr. - hGH
• Jerry Hairston Jr. - hGH
• David Bell - hCG
• Darren Holmes - Steroids and hGH
• Rick Ankiel - hGH
• Troy Glaus - Steroids
• Scott Schoeneweis - Steroids
• Matt Williams - Steroids and hGH
• Jose Guillen - Steroids and hGH
• Ismael Valdez - hGH
• Magglio Ordonez - Steroids and hGH
• Alex Rodriguez - Steroids
MLB Posiive Tests (21)
• Alex Sanchez - Unknown
• Jorge Piedra - Unknown
• Agustin Montero - Unknown
• Jamal Strong - Unknown
• Juan Rincon - Unknown
• Rafael Betancourt - Unknown
• Rafael Palmeiro - Stanzolol (Steroid)
• Ryan Franklin - Unknown
• Mike Morse - Unknown
• Carlos Almanzar - Unknown
• Felix Heredia - Unknown
• Matt Lawton - Boldenone (Steroid)
• Yusaku Iriki - Unknown
• Guillermo Mota - Unknown
• Juan Salas - Unknown
• Dan Serafini - Unknown
• Eliezer Alfonzo - Unknown
• Humberto Cota - Unknown
• Henry Owens - Unknown
• JC Romero - Androstenedione
• Sergio Mitre - Androstenedione
Other (4)
• Termel Sledge - Precursor (Andro)
• Derrick Turnbow - Precursor (Andro)
• Dave Hollins - Steroids
• Rico Brogna - Precursor (Andro)
Building an Olympic Winner 101- Class is in session…
February 11, 2009
“Nothing great in the World has ever been accomplished without passion”- A quote from G.W.F Hegel to start us off on the task of picking Canada’s 2010 Olympic Hockey Team. The journey will be long, tedious and extremely difficult. Canada has the deepest pool of talent to choose from of any Country, making it all the more difficult to pick the “Right” players. Every little move will be scrutinized, from the players chosen, to the ones left out, to the Coaching staff, all the way down to the color of the uniforms. Picking Canada’s Hockey team is an honor, but with it comes great responsibility. Let’s take a look at my early favorites to make the team. Keep this in mind, It would be easy to go down the NHL leader-board and pick the best performers at each position and set the team up based on stats alone, the reality is teams are not made that way, I will look at the best prospects for a great “Team”, Character, Accomplishments, Chemistry, health and the ability to fill the role they will be playing will all be taken into consideration. Also, I am not a fan of having 8 Centers on your team, thus some very talented Centers will be left on the outside looking in, don’t panic, you can have your say in the comment box.
Position: Center-
1. Joe Thornton- Thornton has a reputation for coming up small in the playoffs, I will go out on a limb and suggest that “Jumbo Joe” will lead the San Jose Sharks well into the Stanley Cup playoffs this season, making him a superior candidate for first line duty at Center. Thornton is defensively responsible and has tremendous leadership qualities, Thornton is my pick for Captain of this team.
2. Sidney Crosby- The face of Canada’s hockey program, Crosby will be asked to take his game to yet another level at the Olympics. Crosby is the obvious choice for 1st line center, but I feel he would be better suited taking a back seat to a more experienced player, thus my pick of Joe thornton as Captain and first line center. Crosby will be under enough pressure, why add the stress of the captaincy? I believe this gives “Sid the Kid” the best chance at succeeding, and that’s the bottom line.
3. Jeff Carter- It’s a bit of a crap shoot here. Canada has so many suitable candidates at center, it is extremely difficult to pick just four. I will go with Carter here, he’s fast, brings youthful exuberance and has been amongst the leaders in Goals scored all season long. Expect Carter to be asked to D-up on occasion in this slot, I am confident he will be up for the challenge and should make the opposition take notice when he is on the ice against their third lines.
4. Brad Richards- Defensibly responsible, Richards has the ability to shut down anyone in the NHL. Look for Richards to be a valuable member of the Penalty Kill and be given the responsibility of shutting down the oppositions first line.
Players left out- Ok, I can here the keyboards clicking already pounding out emails galore asking for my head to be examined. Remember, I am creating a Team, not an All-Star entry. Think of the lines and the situations they will be in and the players that will best perform that duty, only then can you start to understand why I picked the players I did. As I mentioned before, Canada is extremely deep at Center, you may not see your favorite players here, but they may end up at another position. Great consideration was given to- Vincent LeCavalier, Mike Richard’s, Derek Roy, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Getzlaf, Marc Savard and Mike Ribeiro- all of these players are great candidates, but I felt the four players I slotted in were the best players for the rolls.
Position: Left Wing-
1. Dany Heatley- Say what you will about Heater, the reality is the guy can score, that’s why he will be in this slot. Joe Thornton is the NHL’s best set up man in the business, putting one of the NHL’s best triggermen on his wing just makes sense.
2. Rick Nash- Another great triggerman, Nash has size, speed and an ability to intimidate the opposition. He should get great consideration for Power play time and be a valuable asset along the boards where his creativity and grit will be welcomed.
3. Simon Gagne- There is a question of health here, hopefully Gagne can stay away from the concussions long enough to make a contribution to this team. Gagne, when he is “On”, has the ability to takeover a game by himself, Canada would consider themselves lucky to have a player of this calibre on the third line! Alternate choice? If Gagne is injured (And he may very well be) I would insert Ryan Smith here. He has a knack for the big goal and is as gritty as they come, sure he brings the exact opposite of what Gagne brings, but he would be a great addition nonetheless. Captain Canada might squeak in at another position, he has been a warrior for Canada in the past and would bring great character and experience to this team, sadly, in the end, I think he stays home this time…Unless Canada opts to bring 6 defenseman??? Then he may get the nod….
4. Scott Hartnell- Canada is going to need some grit, Hartnell can supply plenty of that and throw in the odd goal too! Hartnell may not be the popular choice, but he is the right player for the job.
Notable absences- Mike Cammalleri, Ray Whitney, Ryane Clowe. (Ryan Smith/Simon Gagne- depending on injury).
Position: Right Wing-
1. Jarome Iginla- If not Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla will be the Captain of this team. Iginla is very relaxed on the ice, he is a fighter, someone who goes all-out every single shift, he also makes players accountable, that alone is reason enough to have him on the ice as much as possible. That makes the First Line- Jarome Iginla at Right Wing, Joe Thornton at Center and Dany Heatley at Left Wing…Good luck stopping that one!
2. Martin St. Louis- He’s fast, he’s skilled around the net and he’s won a Cup, everything you want in a second line Winger. St. Louis will get lot’s of room on the ice, seeing as they will be so worried about Sid the Kid and Rick Nash. Look for St. Louis to put up serious numbers and for Crosby to rack up major points feeding St. Louis the puck all day long. That makes the Second Line- Martin St. Louis at Right Wing, Sidney Crosby at Center and Rick Nash at Left Wing…Not bad for your second unit, the opposition is shaking in their skates!
3. Marc Savard- Three years ago teams questioned this guys character, 2009 has been his coming out party and the Boston Bruins are reaping the rewards. I know Savard is a Center, but his play-making abilities are quickly becoming legendary. Look for the Coaching staff to rotate Jeff Carter and Savard from Center to the wing as they see fit, either one is capable of playing the wing and they should feed off each-other’s strengths. That makes the third line- Marc Savard on the Right side, Jeff Carter at Center and Simon Gagne or Ryan Smith at Left Wing.
4. Shane Doan- Doan has been a good soldier for Team Canada, this should help give him the nod as Canada’s top shut-down man. Just ask Wayne Gretzky who is MVP is on the Phoenix Coyote’s, I’ll bet Shane Doan has been the hands down favorite season after season. Doan is gritty, has decent hands and brings a leadership element to the team, something you can never have enough of. That makes the fourth line- Shane Doan at Right Wing, Brad Richard’s at center and Scott Hartnell at Left Wing- This line will be a Beast to compete against, and they just might throw a few goals in too.
Notable Absences- Corey Perry, Devon Setoguchi, Brad Boyes, Patrick Sharp.
Tune in next time when I will tackle the tough decisions in the Nets and on defense.
Got something to say? Throw your two-cents into the comment box…..
Until next time,
Peace!
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