AROD TESTED POSITIVE IN 03...

[Total Square]

...according to SI

ABOMB FROM AROD LMAO

[Pancho Sanza]

shocking.

That whole era should be wiped off the books.

[Don King's Barber]

I saw a clip of him, I think it was on David Letterman's show, a couple years ago, and he took his shirt off and had some serious bitch tits, which almost always means a guy has done several roid cycles...

[stevo]

Woke up and this was the story on my homepage right at top. I just laughed. He's bragged he is clean.

[indio]

What I don't understand, is that if these samples were promised to be anonymous, and this was solely a random test done by MLB as a sampling to see how many of it's players were using, what gives the DOJ the right to seize and confiscate these samples for an unrelated investigation? I swear, our government police branches is worse than the East German Stasi ever used to be. What's the point of having a Constitution if the goons with the authority and power ignore it? I suppose Jefferson was correct, it's our (citizenry)responsibility to correct it when they exceed their authority, or it only gets worse.

Let's face it, half the league was using steroids from '90-'04 and nobody cared. The league knew about it, but they didn't mind. In fact, they loved it when Sosa, McGwire, and Bonds puffed up like balloons, and starting hitting HR's like gorilla's, because attendence and TV revenue skyrocketed. Only when public opinion turned did the league suddenly do an about face in regards to steroids and pretended that this was some sort of "problem".

Fact is, baseball has long since passed it's "american pastime" era. It's really nothing more then a novelty game anymore, although it's certainly still a popular one internationally. As far as records go, I never have seen the almost "divine" importance that some put on these things. I mean, is the home run record all that important? Sure, it's a nice thing and carries some significance, but the way some view it, you would think that it was mentioned in the King James Bible somewhere.

[homedog]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What I don't understand, is that if these samples were promised to be anonymous, and this was solely a random test done by MLB as a sampling to see how many of it's players were using, what gives the DOJ the right to seize and confiscate these samples for an unrelated investigation? I swear, our government police branches is worse than the East German Stasi ever used to be. What's the point of having a Constitution if the goons with the authority and power ignore it? I suppose Jefferson was correct, it's our (citizenry)responsibility to correct it when they exceed their authority, or it only gets worse.

I agree. Government is out of control.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Yeah, somebody's getting sued over this. Total bullshit.

Also, I could care less that he lied to Katie Couric. Broad didn't deserve a straight answer.

The revisionist history on this is bullshit. MLB was weak, so they allowed the drug use. Effectively, the industry standard was roid use. If you DIDN'T do it, you were falling behind your competitor. Would take one hell of a Paul Bunyan man to outslug guys who were drugged up. If you get passed up, you're gone.

[TheGuesser]

Originally Posted by ChuckyTheGoat

Yeah, somebody's getting sued over this. Total bullshit.

Also, I could care less that he lied to Katie Couric. Broad didn't deserve a straight answer.

The revisionist history on this is bullshit. MLB was weak, so they allowed the drug use. Effectively, the industry standard was roid use. If you DIDN'T do it, you were falling behind your competitor. Would take one hell of a Paul Bunyan man to outslug guys who were drugged up. If you get passed up, you're gone.

Good post. The fake outrage over this is hysterical. Since McGuire and Sosa, it was clear baseball accepted this, and I just assume everyone was doing something, and I don't really care. It's far worse in Football, where 20 years ago Refrigerator Perry was a freak at 300 pounds, now 99% of the lineman are 300 or over. That's not natural evolution in 20 years.

[JCNovak]

I'm sure there will be many other stories like this to follow

[clevfan]

ANOTHER SYRINGE STUCK IN BASEBALL

By MIKE VACCARO
NY POST

February 8, 2009 --
THIS shouldn't surprise us, be cause after all we have learned about baseball and the steroid era, nothing should surprise us. The rule of thumb, if you are smart, if you have been duly hardened by the revelations that keep smacking us in the face like an out-of-control speed bag, is this:

You take the years 1990-2004, 15 years for easy, digestible purposes.

And you put them on a shelf, separate and apart from all that came before, and all that has come after, and will come after. It doesn't matter that logic tells us that a lot of honest, honorable baseball players still decided to play it clean, even as their clubhouses started to look more and more like pharmacies, even as their teammates started to look more and more like cartoon freaks.

The fact is, what we already knew was that the whole 15-year era deserves its own asterisk. And what we keep finding out only stamps that asterisk bolder and darker and deeper. Alex Rodriguez? If Sports Illustrated's story is true - and Rodriguez himself sure doesn't sound like an aggrieved, innocent victim in it, with his first reaction being, quote, "You'll have to talk to the union" - all that does is wrap the whole era into a neat bow.

Because if we can all agree that Rodriguez belongs in the conversation as one of the greatest players who ever lived, then it is only right that he take his place at the dais alongside Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens as the featured speakers at the banquet honoring The Era.

In truth, maybe this is precisely what baseball deserves. All along the joyless trail with Bonds a few years ago, there was a prevailing sense that the men who run baseball would close their eyes, hold their noses, swallow hard, and accept the notion that Bonds would have to be in possession of the sport's most sacred record for a while, but there was a savior on a white steed waiting stage left to rescue the day.

That would be Rodriguez. And whenever he was finished hitting home runs - how many before he's done? 800? 825? - he would serve as baseball's paragon of a return to virtue. Eight hundred homers, all of them honestly earned. Forget the fact that our eyes told us that A-Rod had been awfully skinny as a kid, and he wasn't awfully skinny anymore. Forget the better angels of our nature that wanted to believe, just once, in just one superstar player and his talent.

Now what?

There are two especially troubling things to ponder after reading the SI report. First: A-Rod is allegedly one of the 104 players who tested positive in 2003. This means he would be one of the unspeakably arrogant wave of cheats who kept using even after they knew they would be tested, knowing that if enough of them flunked the anonymous exam mandatory testing would be next. It's almost impossible to calculate the hubris at work there.

Most important, if you remember that skinny rookie in 1995, and you remember what A-Rod looked like by the time of those allegedly positive tests in 2003, it doesn't take long to conclude he got that way by using something other than a bowl of Wheaties and a pile of Flintstone chewable vitamins every morning.

So what does that say about the 345 home runs he collected from 1995-2003 (14 more than Hank Greenberg, 13 less than Yogi Berra, 14 less than Johnny Mize, all of them Hall of Famers thanks to their slugging)? What does it say about the 990 RBIs he amassed (exactly as many as Ernie Lombardi, 20 more than Larry Doby)? And what does that mean about whatever final totals he accrues in both, the numbers he holds so dear, the numbers that were going to guarantee him a permanent place in baseball's firmament?

To the end, we have wanted to believe in A-Rod, partly because we had to believe in him, because everyone wants The Era to go away. But it will not dissolve that easily. It is like grape juice on a white dress. It may fade incrementally. It will never disappear.

[Immanuel Kant]

How many of these baseball writers working now were around at the time? They did a fine job of reporting, didn't they?

How many baseball officials working now were around at the time?

The hypocrisy is unbelievable..

Everyone knew! Everyone!

[Crony]

Originally Posted by clevfan

ANOTHER SYRINGE STUCK IN BASEBALL

All along the joyless trail with Bonds a few years ago, there was a prevailing sense that the men who run baseball would close their eyes, hold their noses, swallow hard, and accept the notion that Bonds would have to be in possession of the sport's most sacred record for a while, but there was a savior on a white steed waiting stage left to rescue the day.

What a crock of shit.

The men who run baseball knew and were happy that the players were juicing. The owners would do just about anything to get people to the parks.

[nino brown]

big deal. just hope this messes up some yankee chemistry early on bc their lines will be -200 and up and i want some real juice. the kind that pays

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Nino:

What has recent history (L3 yrs) been on 200+ Dogs vs Yankees? I think they're set up to be overpriced again. The AJ Burnett signing was crazy. I say that 2 of the 3 big signings wind up being busts. Better be praying for no injury, to get their $'s worth.

[nino brown]

i do not have that data. spraguer probably does. just no that yanks have recent history of starting slow

[stevo]

I don't have the exact data but going against Yanks was profitable at the prices they were putting out last year. Agree there is some money in there picking out the spots where they are going to hang huge #s on these pitchers.

I hope Sabathia doesnt face a really good ace first time out and they are at home and hang a huge price. I really want to see what the linesmakers are going to do. Then there is the public Yankee money

I'll play

[clevfan]

PANICKED A-ROD IN CRISIS MODE

CONSULTS MENTOR FOR DRUG-SCANDAL DAMAGE CONTROL

By GEORGE A. KING III and DAN MANGAN

NY POST
February 9, 2009 --
An embattled Alex Rodriguez last night huddled with his longtime mentor, his once-estranged agent, Scott Boras, as the Yankee superstar prepared to face the music after being exposed as a steroids user.

The move came after A-Rod returned to the United States from a short trip to the Bahamas amid a chorus of demands that he come clean and admit to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2003.

"If he tries to fight this, he is done," said LA Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa, who was close to Rodriguez when Bowa had the same job with the Yankees.

The revelation Saturday on Sports Illustrated's Web site that Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids as a Texas Ranger in 2003 is just the latest - and by far the worst - controversy the star third baseman has sparked since becoming a Yankee five years ago with a $252 million contract.

On the ball field, A-Rod has posted MVP statistics that put him on track to one day become baseball's home-run record holder.

But the 33-year-old also has become known as a choke artist in the postseason.

A new book by former Yankee manager Joe Torre says Rodriguez was called "A-Fraud" by teammates. It also claims he was obsessed with his image in a clubhouse dominated by his one-time pal Derek Jeter.

Off the field, Rodriguez has drawn heat for publicly stepping out on his wife with busty stripper Joslyn Morse in 2007, and splitting with Cynthia Rodriguez last year as it was revealed he was keeping time with pop icon Madonna.

Richard Emery, a lawyer for steroids whistleblower and former Roger Clemens trainer Brian McNamee, wasn't surprised to hear Rodriguez had used steroids.

"[For] anyone who cares about his performance as much as Rodriguez, it's just too tempting," Emery said.

He added that A-Rod "should tell the truth" - just as fellow Yankee Andy Pettitte did last year about using human growth hormone.

"He put it behind him," Emery said of Pettitte.

Bowa said that although A-Rod has not let headlines about his private life affect his on-field play, the disclosure that he used steroids could do just that.

"Because he's sensitive," Bowa said. "This will be different, because people will judge all his homers as tainted. That's not fair, because he has been tested" since 2003.

To protect what is left of his image, A-Rod has turned over handling of the response to the steroids scandal to Boras, the agent who has mentored him since he was 18.

The two had a falling-out in late 2007 after word leaked during the World Series that A-Rod would opt out of the last years of his Yankee contract to become a free agent.

The duo since has reconciled, but Rodriguez has been relying on guidance from Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary.

Boras told The Post yesterday, "I spoke with him [Saturday] night and will speak to him tonight," meaning last night.

An A-Rod friend said he is better off listening to Boras than Oseary.

"I feel like he needs help with stuff right now," the friend said. "When they were a tandem, there was more good than bad. For a little while now, it's been one nightmare after another."

The Yankees had no comment.

The Players' Association, which has been blasted for failing to destroy the 2003 test results when it could have, likewise was mum. On Saturday, the union denied SI.com's report that union Chief Operating Officer Gene Orza tipped off A-Rod to an imminent steroid test in 2004.

[KoolPappy]

Interesting how Bonds is a lier and a cheat, yet A-Rod is being unfairly treated!

[Domer]

hopefully he doesn't get into the HOF because of this, he doesn't deserve it