NEW YORK (AP) – Alex Rodriguez has admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
The New York Yankees star responded to Sports Illustrated’s report that he tested positive for steroids in 2003 by recording an interview Monday with ESPN.
‘‘I did take a banned substance. For that I’m very sorry and deeply regretful,’’ he said.
Maybe he’s learned from Giambi that fans will forgive.
Another asterisk coming soon to a record-book near you.
I am a Yankees fan, but not much of an A-Rod fan. Honestly though, this is exactly what I hoped he would do and was by far the best of all of his options.
And good for him for not just saying “I only took it once” or “I only tried it” or “I only used it to recover from an injury” or any of those other excuses. He was very honest and said, I took it for 3 years in Texas, it was a different culture. But it was still wrong and I apologize.
Bad news only gets worse with time so good for him for coming clean and speaking honestly.
Also probably learned from Clemens that blaming everyone else including your wife and best friend/training partner doesn’t help in the court of public opinion. His legacy will still be tarnished like Clemens, Bonds, McGwire etc.
Maybe he didn’t just say he did it once because Jose Canseco is going to be proven correct once again:
Jose Canseco’s attorney told The Post last night that not only does the Alex Rodriguez steroid report act as “substantial confirmation” of Canseco’s past claims - but that there are going to be future revelations regarding Rodriguez and others.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/02092009/sports/yankees/jose_says_more_juicy_tales_comin_154244.htm
Maybe he didn’t just say he did it once because Jose Canseco is going to be proven correct once again:
Jose Canseco’s attorney told The Post last night that not only does the Alex Rodriguez steroid report act as “substantial confirmation” of Canseco’s past claims - but that there are going to be future revelations regarding Rodriguez and others.
http://www.nypost.com/...les_comin_154244.htm
Schilling says all 104 positives should be named. How about everyone who tested positive outs themselves, and then anyone who doesn’t and is on the list gets banned from baseball? Let’s see who has the guts to 'fess up before the names come out.
That could be entertaining as guys start confessing to all sorts of stuff. Despite the list being 103 people long (104 w/A-Rod) I am sure if that were to ever happen (which it won’t) you’d have more than 103 guys confessing out of fear.
Good idea and I hope they do it, but I bet the Player’s Union would have something to say about that. Forget how despicable all this is, fact of the matter was these results were supposed to be anonymous and kept confidential. This survey was part of the bargaining between MLB and the Union. It was supposed to be used (as I understand it) to see how prevalent use was and to determine if random testing was necessary. I think the Union had to be shown how bad a problem it was before they would budge on the matter. Not that the owners were any less complicit in all of this, but (again, as I understand it) at least by 2003 MLB had listened to the fans (or at least the sportswriters) and realized that people may not have wanted to see juiced up players anymore since the hallowed records were in jeopardy. This survey was an effort to get the Union to also be serious about testing (forget again for a moment how ridiculous the first testing progam was, and the tips players were getting on random tests).
The funny thing is, the Union could have petitioned to get these results destroyed, and that fell through the cracks and was never done.
**Maybe he didn’t just say he did it once because Jose Canseco is going to be proven correct once again: **
I always believed Canseco. When you have people with so many names and specific details throwing out smoke, the fire is not far behind. I used to chuckle when people would attack Canseco and say things like, “he is just trying to sell a book” or " he is bitter."
It’s like all the comments against all those people accusing Lance Armstrong, sometimes (almost all the time) they end up being right.
It’s amazing that just a couple of years ago he denied taking anything and now a positive test comes out and suddenly he comes clean. His interview with Peter Gammons is a joke. He has no emotion and doesn’t even sound sorry for his “mistake”
Your last sentence is ambiguous. Are you suggesting that the comments against the folks accusing LA are right, or the people accusing LA are right?
Your last sentence is ambiguous.
It didn’t seem that when when I wrote it 
**Are you suggesting that the comments against the folks accusing LA are right, or the people accusing LA are right? **
I think the comments of the people accusing LA are right.
Why do you hate America? 
(appropriate use of commas may help fix your last sentence :))
I am strongly against steroids in sports, especially my sport (baseball).
But, it does bother me that the “lists” (codes & player names) were kept in separate locations so that they could never be paired up, but were brought together by the courts as part of the BALCO investigation, and now the “leaks” are coming from federal investigators or those linked with the courts.
I am also against one person being named, and nothing about the 103.
THe steroid use stinks, but the tests served their purpose, and baseball is seeingly headed toward the right direction.
But the leaking of sealed and supposedly anonymous information is also wrong. Guys were willing to participate because it was anonymous, and now they’re being outed by those linked with the courts. It’s doubtful we’ll get cooperation again.
It’s also interesting how steroids in baseball “tarnish everything”, but steroids in football is a 4-game suspension, followed by a pro-bowl appearance and 2nd place in the defensive player of the year voting (Sean Merriman).
It’s amazing that just a couple of years ago he denied taking anything and now a positive test comes out and suddenly he comes clean. His interview with Peter Gammons is a joke. He has no emotion and doesn’t even sound sorry for his “mistake”
I’m listening to the interview now. What a fucking twat. He is ridiculous. “Oh, it was a different culture then…” What a douche.
I agree with him that it was a different culture then (that doesn;t make it justified though), as I feel steroids were more prevalent than most of us would care to admit. While steroids were not tested for, they are certainly prohibited by the major sports organizations, as well as, being an illegal substance to buy and use without a prescription. Many of us were fooled into thinking that the explsion was due to baseball finally accepted strength training as an activity that can improve performance instead of viewing it as something made one “musclebound” and inflexible. I look back to the “transformations” of the likes of Lenny Dykstra (pictured below), and in hindsight, the culture of baseball in he 90s was most certainly pro-steroid (at least in practice).
We only need to look at more 50 homer seasons from 94-04 than in all 94 years of baseball previous to that “era”.
What’s most surprising to me is the number of “mid-level” players that tested positive or were outed, even among the Giambis, Bonds, Big Macs, and even the (possible) Tejadas and Nomars.
I do commend the NY Post on a classic headline:
.
amen to that
.
I was flipping channels last night and ESPN Classic was showing Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record in '95. I couldn’t help but notice that three of the four guys batting ahead of him that night (Brady Anderson, Manny Alexander, Rafael Palmeiro) were either named in the Mitchell Report or strongly suspected (Anderson) of using PED’s. Anderson looked totally jacked, as this was just before he magically jumped from .262/16/64 in 143 games to .297/50/110 in 149 games.
I certainly don’t mean to imply that baseball is the only sport with this problem. But I do think it’s the “sport” with the biggest steroid problem.
I use the word “sport” very loosely because, really, it’s just an entertainment medium, allowing others to live vicariously through celebrities, (as do many other professional “sports”). I’ve never seen the appeal in a “sport” where you can buy World Championships.
To me the idea of sports should be more about using courage and passion to bring about physical accomplishments. Professional sports as a group are more about celebrity, entertainment and money. So I have a hard time understanding the outrage over things like this. Well, I understand it, but I think the message is that we get the heroes we deserve.
I certainly don’t mean to imply that baseball is the only sport with this problem. But I do think it’s the “sport” with the biggest steroid problem.
I use the word “sport” very loosely because, really, it’s just an entertainment medium, allowing others to live vicariously through celebrities, (as do many other professional “sports”). I’ve never seen the appeal in a “sport” where you can buy World Championships.
To me the idea of sports should be more about using courage and passion to bring about physical accomplishments. Professional sports as a group are more about celebrity, entertainment and money. So I have a hard time understanding the outrage over things like this. Well, I understand it, but I think the message is that we get the heroes we deserve.
While I haven’t played baseball since I was 10, I yet understand how much courage and passion it takes to be successful in pro baseball. If you think it doesn’t take courage to stand 60’ from a guy throwing a hardball 90+mph that can hit you and do serious damage and be composed enough to react in half a second and hit the damned thing, then you haven’t been paying attention. Watch the third baseman or first basemen when the ball is pitched. Watch the better outfielders race to, against or over the outfield wall. Watch a third basemen jump into the stands for a foul ball. Watch the pitcher after the release as he prepares to defend himself against a come-backer that could kill him.