ARod tests positive for steriods
I was watching the 1991 David Cone 19 strikeout game on the surprisingly excellent MLB network, and they broke in with a special report. As it turns out, SI is reporting that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003. Back in 2003, the tests were supposedly anonymous (clearly not) and there were no penalties for a positive test, so that's why we didn't hear about it back then. Incidentally, ARod won an MVP in 2003.
From the article:
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.
When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."
I know this isn't Cub related, but I thought it was worth throwing up for discussion. Do people think less of ARod if he use steroids? Do people care? My impression of people's opinion of him was that he was the Great Hope for removing Bonds from the record book. We could have a "clean" player with the all-time record.
Looks like Pujols is last current all-time great left without a steroid stink. Because, he clearly never used. Totally.
*clears throat*
Some interesting reading material on the subject:
ARod to Katie Couric, I never used steroids.
ARod is a target in Canseco's new book.
If ARod was on steroids, how many homers would he hit? (I guess we know the answer now)
And for anyone saddened by this news:
At this point, I'm not
At this point, I'm not surprised at all by the news of any player using steroids. Steroids weren't illegal in baseball for a time, and even still players can get around tests taking the latest designer steroids or even HGH. I'm more surprised when the guy denies it even when there's proof or positive tests, not to say that A-Rod did. To me, the bigger issue is whether these drugs should be considered performance enhancing in the first place. I also think that MLB has played the lead fiddle in all of this; they are the organization that put the whole Bonds-McGwire-Sosa circus on display and raked-in the revenues the entire time, but later pull the rug out from under them and claim ignorance. If MLB has $5M or whatever it cost to conduct the Mitchell Report and $15M+ going to Bud Selig in annual salary, then I would say its time to commission an investigator to probe into Bud Selig, the commissioner's office staff, and all team executives to finally see the role they played in all of this. "Clean" players are likely to soon be defined only by their birthday, as MLB has cast a guilty-until-you-prove-yourself-innocent stigma towards any player currently in the game that has put up any kind of numbers, which is sad but surely justified. A-Rod is a hell of a player with or without steroids, but unfortunately for him he cast a shadow on his own accomplishments with his own actions - because now the question for A-Rod changes from, did he do steroids? To how long did he do steroids before he got caught?