For 3arod13

[cjclong]

I know when you like a particular player it is disappointing when it turns out he is using steroids. We are fans of Palmeiro and were at the game when he hit his 500th home run. We are still fans of his, but the steroid issue took something away. If he used intentionally, as it appears he did, I wish he would acknowledge it as ARod did. (I intend to keep my ARod bats too) There is a very good editorial about ARod written by Doug Glanville who played with ARod in Texas in 2003. The editorial is listed in the on line editorial section in the upper right hand corner of the New York Times (nytimes.com) I think you as a fan of his would find it interesting. If you have trouble finding it and want to see it let me know here and I'll forward it to you if send me your email. I don't know exactly what should be done about players who used steroids. I cetainly understand the argurment of people who say they should not be in the HOF. By the same token, players like Bonds and Arod and Clemons would almost cetainly have put up HOF numbers witout steroids. I understand fans being upset and angry with players who used banned substances, but it seems sad that some fans seem happy when someone is caught rather than disappointed.

[3arod13]

I know when you like a particular player it is disappointing when it turns out he is using steroids. We are fans of Palmeiro and were at the game when he hit his 500th home run. We are still fans of his, but the steroid issue took something away. If he used intentionally, as it appears he did, I wish he would acknowledge it as ARod did. (I intend to keep my ARod bats too) There is a very good editorial about ARod written by Doug Glanville who played with ARod in Texas in 2003. The editorial is listed in the on line editorial section in the upper right hand corner of the New York Times (nytimes.com) I think you as a fan of his would find it interesting. If you have trouble finding it and want to see it let me know here and I'll forward it to you if send me your email. I don't know exactly what should be done about players who used steroids. I cetainly understand the argurment of people who say they should not be in the HOF. By the same token, players like Bonds and Arod and Clemons would almost cetainly have put up HOF numbers witout steroids. I understand fans being upset and angry with players who used banned substances, but it seems sad that some fans seem happy when someone is caught rather than disappointed.

If you could provide the link, that would be appreciated.

Now that I’ve had time to watch Arod’s interview with Peter Gammons, and more time to think about all of this, I’m drained.

I know a lot of people hated Arod, even before all of this. Most of it was justified. He came across as fake, and many saw that. Even I saw that. I just ignored it because I recognized he was just trying to hard for everyone to like him. However, I was more interested in Arod as a baseball player. I’m not much interested in his or any other player’s personal life. I’ve made many mistakes of my own. But mine are posted in the newspapers and on websites. However, his use of enhancers as a ballplayer really bothers me. I’m also angered by his betraying many of his fans. I’ve always been a big Arod fan. Heck, my license plate is “AROD 13.

I can tell you, I’m so disappointed in Arod. Feel betrayed. Arod didn’t need help. As a young player, he had the ability to do what he’s doing today. Such a waste!

I will still root for Arod. I can honestly say that I, like many, will still always wonder is he telling the entire truth. Was it really only in Texas.

One thing that makes me believe he does want to get this out and off his back, is because he admitted to 3 years (01-03) vice just 2003. He was only being accused of 2003, yet he admits to using for 3 years. Why would he do that? I believe because he really wants to get this out, be honest, and move on. I do commend him for that. However, like many, he had no choice but to do this. If not, the proof would have come out later in the results of the 2003 testing, and where would that leave him.

Some things I feel good about. Some I don’t. I will give it time. I will see what Arod does with all of this, now and in the future. I will be rooting for him this baseball season. I hope he deals with everything that comes his way. It’s not going to be pretty.

I wish all the users of this era would have been honest from the start.

Regards, Tony

[OaklandAsFan]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/opinion/09glanville.html?_r=1

here is a link to the article

[cjclong]

That is the link to the editorial I was talking about. Glad it was provided as I am technologically challenged in these matters. Without knowing ARod it sounds like a fair analysis. Also raises a very interesting point about the release of the testing results. I understand why people want to know who the others were, but he makes a good case for not releasing them. Would be interested in your take on the article.

[chicagoglen]

The more I read and see on the televison I get more pissed off because the real criminals in this whole thing are the owners and MLB.

Did they know there was a huge problem with steroids in baseball? YES
Did they not do anything about it because profits were record high? YES

I saw that quote today from the owner of the Texas Rangers and he stated he felt (Not and excact quote) betrayed and lied to by Arod. BS the guy knew his whole friggin team was on the stuff and did nothing about it!

We as fans all knew that MLB was on the stuff in that time period so why act so surprised now? Chicks dig the long ball and so did the rest of america.

I feel like each generation did something to give themselves a competitive edge in the game.

Whether it was back in the beginning of baseball with spitballs, or with corked bats, or speed, or steroids there will always be something. The numbers proved that the use was wide spread so how can you tarnish these guys when their compeditors were all on the stuff leveling the playing field?

I am just tired of hearing about this stuff and would like to forget it. It was just the way things were. Lets accept it, learn from it, and move on.

Just my 2 cents.

Glen

[BergerKing22784]

It hurt me to hear about A Rod and testing positive. I think he did the right thing by coming out and saying he did it.

I read Doug Glanvilles' article and I agree with what he was saying about privacy and so on and so fourth but things have changed. A Rod's privacy was not respected and because of it things have changed.

Glanville says 1200 people were tested and only 103 104 people tested positive? That is less than 9 % of the players tested. Were there more who didnt test positive who have used? I am sure but less than 9 % did test positive.

We have started a topic on this forum that is basically just one big witch hunt and people who are non users are getting a bad name for things they may have not even done. How is that fair to them? It is not fair to them.

Screw brotherhood, or whatever you want to call it if I am a non user I want those names released because I do not want there to be a dark shadow cast over my legacy because people think my numbers are the result of steroids. If i just happen to squeek over the 500 HR total I should not be punished for what others may have done to get their 600 HRs if I was clean.

This whole thing has caused a lot of stir up in the HOF talks, people saying they will not vote for a user etc. Well if these names are not released you are going to get people in the HOF who were users and whose #s were inflated because of using and than your going to get the boarderline players who if drugs were not involved and they put up those numbers in a different era are sure fire hall of famers. If I was one of those boarder line non user Hall of Fame players I would be pissed off if I did not make it because some writer is saying my accomplishments are not that impressive in the era in which I played. Release those names to clear my name!

[allstarsplus]

The more I read and see on the televison I get more pissed off because the real criminals in this whole thing are the owners and MLB.

Did they know there was a huge problem with steroids in baseball? YES
Did they not do anything about it because profits were record high? YES

I saw that quote today from the owner of the Texas Rangers and he stated he felt (Not and excact quote) betrayed and lied to by Arod. BS the guy knew his whole friggin team was on the stuff and did nothing about it!

We as fans all knew that MLB was on the stuff in that time period so why act so surprised now? Chicks dig the long ball and so did the rest of america.

I feel like each generation did something to give themselves a competitive edge in the game.

Whether it was back in the beginning of baseball with spitballs, or with corked bats, or speed, or steroids there will always be something. The numbers proved that the use was wide spread so how can you tarnish these guys when their compeditors were all on the stuff leveling the playing field?

I am just tired of hearing about this stuff and would like to forget it. It was just the way things were. Lets accept it, learn from it, and move on.

Just my 2 cents.

Glen

Glen - A few points. The players belong to the Players Union and when Congress was pressing the owners, it was the Players Union that kept trying to water down the testing and penalties as well as putting up roadblocks so they share in the blame too.

Ultimately, I think the blame is on the players themselves. In ARods case, nobody forced him to do it. There appears to be many players that didn't cheat so not everyone was doing it. Players made the decisions to cheat on their own.

Did the owners benefit from HRs in 1998? Yes, and so did the TV networks, media, card companies, food vendors, etc. etc. Have the owners been paying for it since 2004? Yes.

Also, this thing isn't over until they can find a test for HGH. Tell me that you really think that there aren't players still cheating.

[cjclong]

Obviously there are some players that will cheat, we've seen on this forum about spitballs, corked bats, stealing signals from the center field scoreboard, that have happened over the years. But I think that the number has been greatly reduced as far as those who are using performance enhancing drugs. And while it has some benefits I don't think HGH is going to make anyone a strikeout artist or home run king.

[bigtime59]

Two pieces from Slate on Miss Pay-Fraud:

http://www.slate.com/id/2210096/


Alex Rodriguez took steroids once in 2003 … right?
Actually, we don't know that. All we know is what Sports Illustrated reported Saturday (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/alex-rodriguez-steroids/index.html): that four sources say "Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs" in 2003. According to Major League Baseball, it's still just an "allegation (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/arod.mlb.statement/index.html)."
But what's really unsettling about the report isn't that there's less doping here than meets the eye. It's that for several reasons, there's probably much, much more.

http://www.slate.com/id/2210814/


Before Saturday afternoon, Alex Rodriguez was the most hated figure in baseball, a man perhaps best known for scurrying away from the birth of his own child (http://www.usmagazine.com/exclusive-alex-rodriguez-at-madonnas-apartment-right-after-wife-gave-birth) to practice kabbalah with Madonna. Sports Illustrated's report that Rodriguez failed a steroid test in 2003, you might think, would strengthen that well-earned hatred, causing fans and columnists to lash out at the hypocrisy of a guy who denied on prime-time TV that he'd ever taken steroids (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/13/60minutes/main3617425.shtml). Instead, our finest sports pundits have presented an implausible emotion: sadness. The player whose own teammates called him A-Fraud was, we're now told, baseball's "savior on a white steed (http://www.nypost.com/seven/02082009/sports/yankees/another_syringe_stuck_in_baseball_154028.htm?page= 2)," and "the guy who would show that clean players could be just as prolific as the cheaters (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=olney_buster&id=3890934)." From the great Jay Mariotti, we even learned that "[i]f baseball ever was to move forward, past the integrity-scarring scandals that exposed a sport as dirty and the commissioner and owners as conspirators, Alex Rodriguez had to be juice-free."

I haven't had a positive feeling towards Miss Pay-Fraud since she left Seattle, and it's got little to do with steroids.

Mark
bigtime39@aol.com