Arod tested positive in 2003...

[Chambokl]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?eref=T1

In 2003, ARod was a member of the Texas Rangers and there was no penalty if you tested for anabolic steroids.

[mpare]

At this point, is anyone shocked by these revelations?

[sensfan63]

It's pretty BS that his name is the only name that comes out, when there were reportedly 103 players test positive. It was supposed to be a confidential test for baseball to determine the scope of steroid use. If you publish Rodriguez' name, publish them all. Smacks of horrible bias to me.

[mpare]

The release of his name does not necessarily establish a bias, save against those major leaguers using performance enhancing drugs. Like you, Curt Schilling would like to see the entire list disclosed: http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/...names_nam.html

[Chambokl]

Mike... I was thinking about this all week-end. These test were done and nothing was suppose to come out, shouldn't the union raise a lot of crap about this. These test were basically anonymous ... so how do they know it is Arod that tested positive.

The funny thing at school this morning they announce 2 more survey to be done by students and they tell them not to worry NOBODY is going to know who filled them out... one kid ask me immediately if it would be protected better than Arod's drug test. We had a good chuckle about this but the idea is still there.

Should anybody fill out questionnaire anymore...

[mpare]

I agree with you that if you tell someone that a test will be anonymous, that confidence should be honoured. That someone was unwilling to respect that agreement is unfortunate. However, I am not particularly sympathetic to this player.

Baseball players have been subject to a prohibition against steroid use since at least 1991. That said, this revelation casts as much doubt on Major League Baseball (as did the Mitchell Report) as it does on the players themselves. Until exposed to the light of day, some players and owners, including the commissioner's office, were prepared to turn a blind eye to breaches of that prohibition. Had the commissioner's office and the owners been willing to enforce the ban, players would have gotten the message. Compliance would have followed. But that is not what happened. The lure of greater financial returns fueled by faster and stronger athletes was too much to resist. The players themselves are only a symptom of the problem.

For a thought provoking analysis of this issue, you might want to read the following article by Michael Nathanson entitled Major League Baseball as Enron: The True Meaning of the Mitchell Report:
http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcon...hell_nathanson

[BogeyGolf]

I heard on the radio this morning, that he has now admitted to using steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers. He felt the pressure to perform after signing his $250 Million dollar contract.

[Eldred]

I heard on the radio this morning, that he has now admitted to using steroids when he was with the Texas Rangers. He felt the pressure to perform after signing his $250 Million dollar contract.

I wondered if he has the same agent as Micheal Phelps...very similar speeches.

MLB teams just don't make players like Tony Fernandez anymore..

[davevandyk]

when in his 'confession' did ARod ever confess to using? He said "I tried and tested a bunch of things" but never once did he take the blame. It was all about the 'culture' and 'everybody was doing it' but not once did he flat out say "I knowingly took steroids, and I'm sorry!" What a joke that interview was, I hate that every interview like this is a fluff piece, but I guess if the interviewer didn't ask the soft questions, A-rod wouldn't have agreed to the interview

[sensfan63]

when in his 'confession' did ARod ever confess to using? He said "I tried and tested a bunch of things" but never once did he take the blame. It was all about the 'culture' and 'everybody was doing it' but not once did he flat out say "I knowingly took steroids, and I'm sorry!" What a joke that interview was, I hate that every interview like this is a fluff piece, but I guess if the interviewer didn't ask the soft questions, A-rod wouldn't have agreed to the interview

I'm not sure we saw the same interview. He was asked at the beginning of the interview, did you use performance-enhancing drugs, and he said yes. He also said "I was stupid, I was selfish, I was naive, and I'm sorry."

He said what you noted above, but also said that after signing the big contract with the Rangers, he felt the internal pressure to perform at the highest level, and that's why he did it.

Not sure what else he can do. It's too bad that only his name came out, what a freaking joke that is.

[jonf]

Exactly. That was the worst, most insincere confession ever. Add to that the fact that a year ago he definitively stated that he had never taken performing enhancing drugs, and his "in 2003 i realized it was wrong and decided i should stop" becomes completely meaningless.

'I knew it was wrong and regretted it and yet I lied about it last year. And my confession has only come out because I was forced to by the fact the test became public. Otherwise I would have had no problem never ever admitting this until I had wasted through my 250 million dollars and needed money, and so decided to write a tell all book.'


This guy sums it up pretty well: http://www.break.com/usercontent/200...09-666026.html

[Hacker]

I'm not exactly sure why this is considered a "confession" when he was flat out caught? The whole world knew that he had taken a banned substance all he did was confirm it........after flat out lying about it earlier I might point out.

As for the sincerity of the apology I believe that the only thing A-roid is "sorry" for is that he got caught

[Chambokl]

I was thinking about this and remembered that jerk Bud Selig saying how clean ARod was and how he is awesome for the game. Selig probably knew all along that ARod had tested positive for Steroid in 2003 but never thought that this would come out publicly.

[mpare]

That is, in part, why I said in my earlier post that this problem lies not just at the feet of the players. A large measure of responsibility for the illicit use of these dangerous drugs lies with the commissioner's office and with those owners, who had to know what was going on. These players didn't just get bigger, faster, and stronger by eating more Wheaties.

I was thinking about this and remembered that jerk Bud Selig saying how clean ARod was and how he is awesome for the game. Selig probably knew all along that ARod had tested positive for Steroid in 2003 but never thought that this would come out publicly.

[davevandyk]

I'm not exactly sure why this is considered a "confession" when he was flat out caught? The whole world knew that he had taken a banned substance all he did was confirm it........after flat out lying about it earlier I might point out.

As for the sincerity of the apology I believe that the only thing A-roid is "sorry" for is that he got caught

Ya i don't get it either, why do guys like A-rod and Petite get praise for 'confirmation' but guys that don't confirm the rumours get bashed like Bonds and McGuire. They all took roids, perhaps Petite and A-rod just care more about what other people think.

[Hacker]

Ya i don't get it either, why do guys like A-rod and Petite get praise for 'confirmation' but guys that don't confirm the rumours get bashed like Bonds and McGuire. They all took roids, perhaps Petite and A-rod just care more about what other people think.

As far as I know they don't have any solid proof against McGuire and Bonds and that is why they maintain their innocence - A-Roid lied too up until the point that the positive test result came to light.

The way I see it is that use of performance enhancing drugs is rampant - there are 103 positives tests that we know about, and that was AFTER the players were told the testing was coming - how many guys were juicing before that???

I say stop the witch hunt, stop all the talk about putting asterisks along side of records and move on with a zero-tolerance policy from now on. There were so many guys on the juice back in the early 2000's that the playing field WAS level IMO.

[davevandyk]

now i might be completely wrong, but how do we know the all-time 'greats' like Aaron, Ruth, Mantle, Maris etc. were not on something? Just because our current 'streroids' weren't necessarily known back in the day, how do we know they weren't using something else, whether it be performance enhancing, something to help their bat, glove etc.?? I mean was Babe Ruth not known to be a drunk during prohibition? Not only was he breaking the rules of baseball, but the LAW... how come his accomplishments don't come with an asterick? I think its just a lot of people who want to believe our predesesors were 'clean' because we weren't around to know any better, nor were athletes scrutinized enough for people to learn.

I don't know if its the money?? Think of the negative press if A-rod is spotted with someone other than his significant other... do you think Ruth had to endure the same thing when he was openly cheating??

[fundonny]

I couldn't care less, like Hacker said it was a level playing field and I really don't blame them for doing this. Difference between coaching high school baseball and playing major league baseball is about 3 million dollars a year for the worst of the players, much more for the better players. These guys did what they did under the rules at the time, and did it to keep their jobs. Without walking a mile in their shoes, I won't judge them. Especially those that came up from 3rd world countries.

[mpare]

The only problem is that they didn't do it under the rules at the time. In fact, they did it in breach of those very rules, if the Nathanson article that I cited in my earlier post is correct.

The fans, for whom the game is played, will inevitably judge the players who failed to play by the rules. Fans have nothing to apologize for in expecting from the players that they will abide by those rules. While one may be sympathetic to a player's individual circumstances, I do not see that compassion translating into absolution. Were it otherwise, then those who played fairly would find themselves victims of their own honour. That cannot be right.

Those implicated in the Black Sox scandal of years ago may have done what they did to overcome poverty, but that did not excuse their fundamental breach of faith. The steroid users, and those who countenanced their actions, may well find themselves treated similarly. They have only themselves to blame.

... These guys did what they did under the rules at the time, and did it to keep their jobs. Without walking a mile in their shoes, I won't judge them. Especially those that came up from 3rd world countries.

[Golfbum]

Gee, I do not seem to recall someone sticking a needle in my A** back then.

Oh wait, ya, maybe I did do a little juice back then. Of course the rest of the sluggers were juicing so I had to keep up you know.

Strip everyone of them of their records, take the records out of the MLB Record Books.

And as stated, does it really surprise you when you read or hear about this in MLB?

[BogeyGolf]

Bud Selig's legacy as commish of MLB....

[davevandyk]

Bud Selig's legacy as commish of MLB....

yup he oversaw the entire steroid era and did nothing or very little to stop it. Funny thing is that he is a guarantee to be in Cooperstown as all commishes are.

[mpare]

If Bud Selig makes it into Cooperstown, he should do so under the following name: "Bud (Sgt. Shultz - I see nothing) Selig."

yup he oversaw the entire steroid era and did nothing or very little to stop it. Funny thing is that he is a guarantee to be in Cooperstown as all commishes are.

[Hacker]

If Bud Selig makes it into Cooperstown, he should do so under the following name: "Bud (Sgt. Shultz - I see nothing) Selig."

[fundonny]

Holy crap, he's had 10 hits since he came back, 7 of them home runs!!!!!!!!!! Mind you he's only batting .200. Guess he likes the new ballpark!