Courtesy of Star Ledger
As of Saturday morning, if the news is true, Alex Rodriguez is facing scrutiny like never before. The fans in New York will be nothing compared to what he will be facing for the rest of his life following a report first reported by Sports Illustrated that he allegedly took steroids. Here’s an excerpt from that report.
“In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.
Rodriguez’s name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball’s ’03 survey testing, SI’s sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.” SI.com
Yikes. If there really is proof that Rodriguez used steroids, then this is a public relations nightmare for MLB. Despite being one of the best home run hitters during the steroid era, there was never much doubt if Rodriguez used steroids. Most people believed that the probable home run king was one of those amazing talents, who were not juiced like Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi.
But it now appears as though that was not the case. If Rodriguez truly is guilty of using steroids, his legacy will be tainted forever. I don’t care if he leads the Yankees to three world titles and hits 900 home runs, the damage has been done.
For me personally, this story pisses me off. Rodriguez was supposed to be one of the clean guys, one of the guys that as a fan, I thought I could trust. Being a Yankee fan has had its perks and above all else, Rodriguez was the one that was supposed to be above it all as a future hall of famer. Yet again my trust might have been broken and it sickens me to think that this guy might be the new home run king.
The only person who ever talked about Rodriguez potentially using steroids was Jose Canseco is his book, Vindicated. Most people, like me, laughed at Canseco at the time and did not think much of his claim that A-Rod might have used steroids. Canseco alleged that he introduced Rodriguez to a steroid dealer, but he had no concrete proof that Rodriguez used steroids. But today’s news about Rodriguez will certainly serve as another notch on Canseco’s belt (like Rafael Palmeiro before him).
Well, if this report is true, then I will never doubt Jose Canseco ever again…except when he fights Danny Bonaduce….
