The pedigree of players involved in the steroid era has reached a new level according to a report which broke Saturday on SportsIllustrated.cnn.com. In that report, Sports Illustrated claims that four independent sources have verified that in 2003, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids. Also in their report, it is alleged that A-Rod’s name was just one of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during the ’03 season.Since the story first broke on Saturday morning, questions have arisen about the effect this will have on A-Rod’s career and legacy. I cannot say I was completely surprised to see A-Rod's name on a list of players who have used performance-enhancing drugs. That’s not a shot against A-Rod; that’s just how rampant I believe steroid use was during the steroid era. As a consummate A-Rod critic, now would probably be the most appropriate time to "bash" him. To the contrary, I somehow find myself feeling sympathy for him. Now before you think I’m going soft, let me explain myself.
In the year 1998 in which Mark McGwire broke the single-season homerun record, here are some numbers for you to consider: 45, 38 and 31. Those are the number of homeruns hit by Greg Vaughn, Jay Bell and Mike Lieberthal respectively in ’99. That same year, Alex Rodriguez hit 42 homeruns in 502 at-bats. Although it was still a great year, he hit only four more homeruns than Jay Bell. If it seems as though I’m implying that these three guys mentioned above were part of the steroid era, then I’ve successfully made my point.
It seems sometime while caught up in the McGwire-Sosa homerun chase in ’98, and the Barry Bonds ’ 2001 record setting season, Major League Baseball lost its way. After all, homeruns sell seats and MLB was in desperate need of an injection of fan support. Whether it was sheer ignorance of the reality of the situation or a hope that fans would not question a good thing, the commissioner and executives across the league dropped the ball.
Now enter superstars Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds. On a level playing field, these are two of the finest baseball players ever to play the game. However, in a world where Bret Boone hits 37 homeruns, A-Rod and Bonds become a lot more ordinary. And just like any other business, ordinary does not put you in an elite class. (Before I go further, please understand that I’m not concluding that either of these guys ever became ordinary.) Nevertheless, it was obvious that their numbers were no longer directly correlating with how much significantly better they were than everyone else. With the presence of performance-enhancing drugs running rampant throughout the league, these players were no longer able to statistically distinguish themselves from other inferior players.
Most likely driven by their pride and competitiveness, A-Rod and Barry Bonds took the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach. For some time, all was well again in baseball and the true superstars rose to the top with a little help from some performance-enhancing drugs. Once again, baseball executives chose to turn their heads and jumped back on the bandwagon of some or their favorites before the arrival of McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
Almost a decade since the fall of Roger Maris' single-season homerun record, only now are we truly seeing the repercussions of baseball’s decision not to act on the sudden increase in homerun numbers. With the report that came out Saturday, A-Rod is just the next player to be burned at the stake. The irony in all of these steroid cases is that the only association that can come to these players’ aid is the same one that got them in the situation. However, Major League Baseball has cowardly lambasted and ridiculed its own players without shouldering any of the blame.
As a result, A-Rod’s career will never be viewed in the same light and it is quite possible that he has punched his ticket out of Cooperstown with this positive steroid test. In the past, we have seen that A-Rod is an emotional player who has struggled under the pressure and scrutiny of the media. In the short-term, it will be interesting to see how A-Rod reacts and if he will be able to perform up to his potential in ’09.
As the Yankees head to Spring Training this week, the sports world will watch for any reaction from A-Rod or his teammates and coaches. If I could give any advice to A-Rod, it would be to come out as soon as possible and apologize to his fans. While he’d make some short-term waves with an admission about taking steroids, he could preserve some semblance of dignity and humility if he just told the truth. Regardless of what A-Rod and his advisers decide to do, I don’t expect this story to go away anytime soon.
Posts
2 comments:
McGwire set the home run record in 1998. A-Rod just admitted to using steroids from 2001-2003, and believe it or not I think he just helped himself a ton by owning up to it instead of having it linger over his career and avoiding it like Mark McGwire.
Thank you Brian for pointing that out and I clearly stand corrected. I was trying to put something together quick yesterday afternoon and I missed that one.
As far as A-Rod admitting to steroid use, I think it was definitely the right thing to do. (The article was written Sunday although it looks like I just listened to his admission and then gave him some advice).
Post a Comment