Alex Rodriguez Update

February 9th, 2009 filed in Baseball

In an interview with Peter Gammons of ESPN, Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers. His excuse? He wanted to live up to his $252 million contract.

“I’m guilty of being negligent, naive,” he said.

Rodriguez said he used steroids during all three seasons he was with the Rangers, from 2001-2003. However, he said he did not know which substances he was guilty of using.

From ESPN.com:

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons.

“Back then, [baseball] was a different culture,” Rodriguez said. “It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

“I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful.”

Alex Rodriguez CHEATed by taking Steroids
Chester Cheater

So the man has been lying to us for 8 years, and we now are supposed to take his admission at face value? He only used performance-enchancing drugs for those three seasons in Texas? Oh really A-Roid? What about all of those other stats on your resume. Those weren’t related to some Human Growth Hormone (HGH) or other designer undetectable steroids? He has had a few down years, that is for certain by looking at the stats. Are we to assume that the recovery in 2005 had nothing to do with finding a new product to dope up with? Rodriguez has 0 credibility left, and even after he admits to using steroids, I still don’t think he is telling us the entire story. Here are his career numbers:

SEASON	TEAM	G	HR	RBI	AVG	SLG
1994	Sea	17	0	2	.204	.204
1995	Sea	48	5	19	.232	.408
1996	Sea	146	36	123	.358	.631
1997	Sea	141	23	84	.300	.496
1998	Sea	161	42	124	.310	.560
1999	Sea	129	42	111	.285	.586
2000	Sea	148	41	132	.316	.606
2001	Tex	162	52	135	.318	.622
2002	Tex	162	57	142	.300	.623
2003	Tex	161	47	118	.298	.600
2004	NYY	155	36	106	.286	.512
2005	NYY	162	48	130	.321	.610
2006	NYY	154	35	121	.290	.523
2007	NYY	158	54	156	0.314	0.645
2008	NYY	138	35	103	0.302	0.573
Total	–	2042	553	1606	0.306	0.578

So were 2004, 2006, and 2008 down years? or were 2005 and 2007 UP years like 2001-2003? Notice the interesting up-tick in productivity beginning in 1998. That was the same year that Mcqwire and Sosa hit all of those home runs. Coincidence? Did he really start using in 2001, or does 1998 seem more likely?

Alex Rodriguez BEAT his competitors in Baseball
Billy Beater
It is never enough for you is it Chester? You must keep tossing out unfounded allegations. The man has admitted that he made a mistake, and I think it is time to move on. There is no evidence to suggest that he has done anything more than what he has already admitted to. I believe Rodriguez is entitled to our understanding and forgiveness. He did something that was tested for at the time, and we should put this behind us.

So what do you think? Did Alex Rodriguez CHEAT, or BEAT?