A-Rod's Rebirth Begins

I have a cast iron stomach, but these guys make anyone want to hurl.

What was A-Rod's "mistake?" Sitting on a syringe over and over again without asking for a new stool?

From Yahoo Sports, quoting the Yankees' front office:

"We strongly believe there is no place in baseball for performance-enhancing drugs of any type, and we support the efforts of the Commissioner to continually improve the testing process,” the statement read.

“We urged Alex to be completely open, honest and forthcoming in addressing his use of performance enhancing drugs. We take him at his word that he was. Although we are disappointed in the mistake he spoke to today, we realize that Alex - like all of us - is a human being not immune to fault.”

The Yankees also reiterated their family-type atmosphere, and Rodriguez was no exception.

“We speak often about the members of this organization being part of a family, and that is never more true than in times of adversity,” the statement read. “Alex took a big step by admitting his mistake, and while there is no condoning the use of performance-enhancing drugs, we respect his decision to take accountability for his actions.

“We support Alex, and we will do everything we can to help him deal with this challenge and prepare for the upcoming season.”

Photo: Newsday

Baseball Player to World: I Was Young And Rich, So Of Course I Took Drugs

And that's that. Another user of performancing enhancing drugs, another liar to come out of baseball's hollow halls, another round of BS excuses about being young, rich, and "under pressure."

I'd love to know what they mean by pressure. So they boo you. So what? When you sign a multi-million dollar contract, you're going to get paid even if you strike out every at bat for an entire season. Some pressure.

I watched A-Rod's 60 Minutes interview last year, where he didn't even blink when saying that he never touched the juice. He's a very good liar. Since he's now confessed to the hero-worshipping ESPN (can he have picked a more friendly outlet to talk about his "mistakes?"), we can only assume that the evidence behind the Sports Illustrated article that outed him must be overwhelming.

I said a few days ago that it was disappointing to see A-Rod now on the list of liars and drug users. He is the only active player that stands a chance to beat Barry "Balco" Bonds' bogus home run record. Among active players, Ken Griffey Jr. sits in the #2 spot for home runs with 611. But he's 38 years old, so there's little to no chance that he can eclipse Bonds. A-Rod, at 32-years-old, seems destined to beat the record. He only needs a couple of hundred more in his career and, should he play until his late 30's, he can beat that record easily.

But who cares? His records are meanignless now.

So that's it. I think I am entirely justified in believing that Hank Aaron is still the home run king, and probably will be for at least the next two decades.

Another *

Not a stunner, but still disappointing:

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.

I wrote a while back that if anyone could save baseball's record books, it would be Rodriguez. Given good health, he could eclipse Barry Bonds' tainted home run record and get things back on the up-and-up.

If the above story is true, then that hope goes up in smoke.