Tagged: Cheating

A-Rod Does The Right Thing


 Alex Rodriguez learned from the mistakes of Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Roger Clemens and came clean right away. 

He could have followed suit and denied it right into his social grave.  He could have let the media rip his heart out and diminish his sense of pride to the point where he barely left his house like Mark McGwire has become.  He could have.  But that isn’t exactly an ideal option for someone entering the prime of their career while in the second year of a record setting ten-year 275 million dollar contract.

Andy Pettitte and Gary Sheffield went through this before him and he saw what being truthful can do.  He has now kept the hearts of his loyal fans and saved himself from being tabloided more than Paris Hilton, though he probably already is anyway.

All in all the good news is we hopefully will not have to listen to nearly as much of this because of his honesty.  I think that even more former players should do the same and come clean before they exposed because chances are they will be and it will look a lot better if they do this on their own now before they become scapegoats for an entire generation.

 
arod2.jpg

Steroid Use Not A Big Deal

With yesterday’s news of A-Rod’s positive steroid test, we have all just signed a 14-year contract extension to listen to steroid news through the remainder of the nine years left on his reco
arod.jpgrd contract and then his five years before he becomes hall of fame eligible.  It seems as though this story will never go away. 

People, both media and fans alike, need to just get over it.  Players don’t take steroids just to find an easy way to fame and stardom.  They take steroids because they are part of the group of major leaguers who are always looking for an edge over the competition because they are among the fiercest competitors in the world. 

Sure there are plenty of legal issues and health concerns that kept the majority of players away from using them.  These are completely normal and more than acceptable reasons to never take steroids under any circumstances.

With that said take a step back now and keep an open mind.  Picture yourself as an elite athlete.  You have a readily available option to significantly better yourself as a baseball player.  Baseball is a game of inches and that extra power and speed can go a long way.  You have the luxuries of money and doctors to help ensure that you are taking only the safest and best type of drugs and that they are being properly used.

Do you really think you as a fan could honestly say that if you were in their situation you wouldn’t do it yourself?  There were no penalties before 2004 so what was stopping them?

My guess is there are a lot of people out there who say they would never do it but that’s very tough to say when you are not in their situation and I don’t blame any of them for using steroids.

“Cheating” has been going around sports forever.  Whether it’s using steroids, doctoring a ball, betting on games, corking bats, or tailoring the playing field to your advantage; bending the rules has always been part of the game and always will.

I sternly believe that there were many more players using than the 104 players that tested positive back in 2003.  I also think the problem was not at all just limited to baseball and the problem could have been just as bad, if not worse in football or other sports where strength is even more important.

It was once thought that the Mitchell Report would finally give everyone closure on the steroid era but it seems to have only made it worse.  People need to just accept that it was very common, stop blacklisting every player ever associated with using steroids, and move on so the door can finally be shut on this story for good.