Jeter praises Pettitte for HGH admission

[stejay]

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071220&content_id=2335040&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

An interesting story. I knew a select few would back him, but most would say nothing. i praise Jeter for coming out and publicly say this. That is a good thing for a captain to do, so the player does not feel extremely bad, even though he has done a bad thing. At least Pettitte admitted to it.....

[bigbadwolf]

The captain leads the way again. Very supportive of Andy, and doesn't throw Roger under the bus. I differ with Jeter slighty, Pettitte I am fine with, Clemens looks like he is as guilty as can be.

[stejay]

I've always liked Pettitte, and will continue to do so. I cannot say the same about Clemens. I was quite happy when the Yanks brought him basck, but that seems to be a big mistake.

[DoubleX]

Again, Jeter shows his support for the game's cheaters, leaving you to scratch your head where any of his support was for A-Rod when he was struggling and the fans were all over him? A captain has to embrace his whole team and assert damage control when appropriate. This only reveals some hypocrisy and bias in Jeter, and I think sends a message that even if you're teammates with Jeter, if you're not in tight with him, he won't back you, and I think that can lead to some clubhouse tensions. Personally, I think Jeter has become one of the more aloof and less approachable players in the clubhouse (though I'm not in there, so I have no way of proving this, but his absence from the celebrations last year spoke volumes, IMO). He seems tight with the very small handful of veterans that were on those winning teams, but I get the feeling he's alieanating himself from the newer players, particularly the young guys who seem to be gravitating towards A-Rod instead. This team would be so much better off if Jeter and A-Rod could find a way to reconcile and be on the same page. If these two guys can look like they're having fun playing together, and the young guys watch that, I think that could go a long way towards success.

EDIT: The headlines to this read something like, "Jeter says not to rush to judgment on Clemens." That is complete and utter hypocritical crap, IMO. A couple of years ago, Jeter said it was within the fans' and media's prerogative to unmercilessly boo and rip apart A-Rod (remember the sunbathing in the park incident?). And now we have a very detailed account, from Clemens trainer, of Clemens being injected with various steroids over a period of years, and Jeter is telling us now not to rush to judgment?! Let's not also forget that this was also Pettitte's trainer, and Pettitte already admitted that the information in the report as it concerns him is true. Let's also not forget just in general how pervasive the use of steroids in the game have been, as well as the fact that Clemens, like Bonds, had an uncanny late career surge. There are tons of very legitimate reasons here for fans not only to rush to judgment, to make somewhat informed judgments as well.

When you put this together with Jeter's outspokenness for Giambi a few years back, Jeter is starting to look a bit like an apologist to me, and I'm starting to wonder why. Why is it that he comes bolting to the defense of players alleged or admitted to have cheated with steroids, but not other players? It just seems very odd to me.

[TonyStarks]

The captain leads the way again. Very supportive of Andy, and doesn't throw Roger under the bus. I differ with Jeter slighty, Pettitte I am fine with, Clemens looks like he is as guilty as can be.

I laugh at your comments and 100% agree with DX.

Derek Jeter has gone out of his way once again to defend an admitted cheater. First Giambi, then Andy and now Clemens.

Yet not ONCE did Jeter come to the defense of Alex Rodriguez when the media and fans were pouring and almost practically beating the guy to the hiding as if he was hitting .230 while stealing $23M.

What a joke! IMO, Jeter should have just kept his mouth shut. He is coming across as someone who provides comfort to cheaters but loves all the hate ARod gets.

[Hank Parks]

Maybe it's the Green Eyed Monster

[Yankeefan90]

Again, Jeter shows his support for the game's cheaters, leaving you to scratch your head where any of his support was for A-Rod when he was struggling and the fans were all over him? A captain has to embrace his whole team and assert damage control when appropriate. This only reveals some hypocrisy and bias in Jeter, and I think sends a message that even if you're teammates with Jeter, if you're not in tight with him, he won't back you, and I think that can lead to some clubhouse tensions. Personally, I think Jeter has become one of the more aloof and less approachable players in the clubhouse (though I'm not in there, so I have no way of proving this, but his absence from the celebrations last year spoke volumes, IMO). He seems tight with the very small handful of veterans that were on those winning teams, but I get the feeling he's alieanating himself from the newer players, particularly the young guys who seem to be gravitating towards A-Rod instead. This team would be so much better off if Jeter and A-Rod could find a way to reconcile and be on the same page. If these two guys can look like they're having fun playing together, and the young guys watch that, I think that could go a long way towards success.

EDIT: The headlines to this read something like, "Jeter says not to rush to judgment on Clemens." That is complete and utter hypocritical crap, IMO. A couple of years ago, Jeter said it was within the fans' and media's prerogative to unmercilessly boo and rip apart A-Rod (remember the sunbathing in the park incident?). And now we have a very detailed account, from Clemens trainer, of Clemens being injected with various steroids over a period of years, and Jeter is telling us now not to rush to judgment?! Let's not also forget that this was also Pettitte's trainer, and Pettitte already admitted that the information in the report as it concerns him is true. Let's also not forget just in general how pervasive the use of steroids in the game have been, as well as the fact that Clemens, like Bonds, had an uncanny late career surge. There are tons of very legitimate reasons here for fans not only to rush to judgment, to make somewhat informed judgments as well.

When you put this together with Jeter's outspokenness for Giambi a few years back, Jeter is starting to look a bit like an apologist to me, and I'm starting to wonder why. Why is it that he comes bolting to the defense of players alleged or admitted to have cheated with steroids, but not other players? It just seems very odd to me.


Well said, I almost puked when Jeter said don't rush your judgement to Clemens. I thought the same thing as you, where was Jeter when A-Rod was getting booed for having a decent non MVP season. He sat there and said I can't tell the fans and media not boo or print thier stories about A-Rod, they do what they want. I can understand protecting Pettitte and even Clemens, because they won several WS with you, but Giambi an admitted steroid user who had only 1 good season while with the Yanks. Jeter has turned into a hyprocrite, he's protecting those other players because they aren't a threat to his popularity, A-Rod is. But what are you gonna do, I think it's sad.

[Williamsburg2599]

A little off-topic, but I must ask, why the friendliness with Pettitte? Are people actually buying the "I only tried it" excuse dozens of guilty players have used? If you gave me a "Player A" who said "I didn't do anything wrong, proove it" and "Player B" who said "I only tried it once", I'd say Player A has just the same chance of being guilty as B. So is it that, Clemen just being a better player numbers wise, or his "attitude"? Something else?

[Yankeefan90]

A little off-topic, but I must ask, why the friendliness with Pettitte? Are people actually buying the "I only tried it" excuse dozens of guilty players have used? If you gave me a "Player A" who said "I didn't do anything wrong, proove it" and "Player B" who said "I only tried it once", I'd say Player A has just the same chance of being guilty as B. So is it that, Clemen just being a better player numbers wise, or his "attitude"? Something else?

Well they are just as much guilty, but at least they admitted to using it even if it was more than one or two times. I'd say they have more integrity then the one who said no I didn't do it. I tend to believe Pettitte because 1) he is a really honest guy and he doesn't do things to hurt the team, 2) he's one of the few that has admitted to the usage, even if it was more than twice at least he admitted to it, and 3) I'm a Yankee fan I have a some what biased opinion, it's true I won't lie. But you as a Red Sox fan is also biased in your opinion of Pettitte, biased the other way because of your dislike of the Yanks. I have a question for you if Jason Varitek or David Ortiz was in the same situation would you say the same thing about them as you are about Andy Pettitte?

[Mattingly]

A little off-topic, but I must ask, why the friendliness with Pettitte? Are people actually buying the "I only tried it" excuse dozens of guilty players have used? If you gave me a "Player A" who said "I didn't do anything wrong, proove it" and "Player B" who said "I only tried it once", I'd say Player A has just the same chance of being guilty as B. So is it that, Clemen just being a better player numbers wise, or his "attitude"? Something else?
It could be homerism combined with perception. In the case of Andy Pettitte, he's more humble than Roger Clemens, plus he grew up a Yankee, less his 3 Houston years. Both had their pitching careers which could've been jeapordized. Pettitte for elbow purposes, and Clemens for overall effectiveness after his Boston years (though he wasn't totally ineffective during his final 3 years in Boston (1994-96).

Yes, both could be just as guilty. However, whlie it's sometimes hard, I'd like to at least believe that Andy Pettitte is innocent of using just twice and only in 2002. However, the likelihood of a player, even the nice guy I know Andy Pettitte to be, of having limited his usage to twice and his usage only to 2002, remains slim.

If Clemens is of the "prove it" variety, so be it. He did put up some great numbers while in the non-DH league, so that likely extended his career value. They had the same trainer in Brian McNamee, so it's more of a matter of who do you believe.

I'd have to hear more about the honesty of McNamee, since both players could just as easily be guilty as they could be innocent, despite few believing that Clemens is innocent, if looking at the CE poll about his innocence.

[Mattingly]

I laugh at your comments and 100% agree with DX.

Derek Jeter has gone out of his way once again to defend an admitted cheater. First Giambi, then Andy and now Clemens.

Yet not ONCE did Jeter come to the defense of Alex Rodriguez when the media and fans were pouring and almost practically beating the guy to the hiding as if he was hitting .230 while stealing $23M.

What a joke! IMO, Jeter should have just kept his mouth shut. He is coming across as someone who provides comfort to cheaters but loves all the hate ARod gets.
Had Jeter said something about Alex Rodriguez when he was being bashed both by Red Sox players and the media, I wouldn't have minded this either. However, he was just plain absent during all of this.

I'm not sure if he's speaking for himself or if someone in the FO asked him to say this, so as if to preserve the integrity of the Yankee "brand".

I have no idea how Jason Giambi could be more important to the team than Alex Rodriguez, yet Jeter rushed right out to defend him. Pettitte has always been a Yankee favorite, so to an extent, I can understand this. They came up around the same time, so familiarity plays a role.

Clemens, like Giambi, was a hired gun despite 4 teams over 24 years.

I'm going to look at how Jeter discusses Alex Rodriguez now that he's back. I didn't hear anything from Jeter about Alex' return, but do remember something from Jeter at Joe Torre's "Safe at Home" thing re domestic violence (after Torre had declined the Yanks' offer), about how few players could do what Alex did, but how the team had lesser players win championships.

I think that the team would benefit if Jeter said something nice about Rodriguez sometime. What's the harm in doing so?

[Mariano_Rivera]

I laugh at your comments and 100% agree with DX.

Derek Jeter has gone out of his way once again to defend an admitted cheater. First Giambi, then Andy and now Clemens.

Yet not ONCE did Jeter come to the defense of Alex Rodriguez when the media and fans were pouring and almost practically beating the guy to the hiding as if he was hitting .230 while stealing $23M.

What a joke! IMO, Jeter should have just kept his mouth shut. He is coming across as someone who provides comfort to cheaters but loves all the hate ARod gets.

Ah, but Clemens and Pettitte are winners

[Hank Parks]

If someone robs a bank and admits it to the judge is the jugde going to say "that was very brave to admit this so go home and be a good boy"
I don't think Pettite was brave I think he knew he got caught and tried to sweeten the sin by saying he used it for a healing

[TonyStarks]

Ah, but Clemens and Pettitte are winners

Ohhh..that's right I forgot.

But...umm...what about Giambi?

[BaseballRookie]

I laugh at your comments and 100% agree with DX.

Derek Jeter has gone out of his way once again to defend an admitted cheater. First Giambi, then Andy and now Clemens.

Yet not ONCE did Jeter come to the defense of Alex Rodriguez when the media and fans were pouring and almost practically beating the guy to the hiding as if he was hitting .230 while stealing $23M.

What a joke! IMO, Jeter should have just kept his mouth shut. He is coming across as someone who provides comfort to cheaters but loves all the hate ARod gets.


Did Jeter really go out of his way to support Pettitte? A report asked him a question and he answered.

[BaseballRookie]

I think that the team would benefit if Jeter said something nice about Rodriguez sometime. What's the harm in doing so?

You want something along the lines of "I'm happy for Torre, I wish him the best of luck out there and uhh... I'm glad Alex is back."? Jeter doesn't go out of his way and make statements. He only answers what the reporters' ask him.

[Mattingly]

You want something along the lines of "I'm happy for Torre, I wish him the best of luck out there and uhh... I'm glad Alex is back."? Jeter doesn't go out of his way and make statements. He only answers what the reporters' ask him.
I don't know about Joe Torre. Jeter called him "Mr Torre" for 12 seasons, and I'm not too crazy about someone who doesn't accept blame for the many playoff failures we've seen, but wants to play some victim when his bosses aren't happy with his work performance.

If a reporter can ask Jeter about Giambi, Pettitte and Clemens, who not about Alex Rodriguez.

I can't remember the exact reply offhand, but I do remember Jeter being asked about his non-relationship with Alex Rodriguez. I think that Jeter pretty much said that he'd already supported Rodriguez, but if so, I don't remember that being anywhere as enthusiastic as when he'd supported Giambi, Clemens and Pettitte.

All I ask for is consistency.

[sandlot]

Let's not also forget that this was also Pettitte's trainer, and Pettitte already admitted that the information in the report as it concerns him is true.Not entirely correct. Pettitte says he was administered HGH only once. McNamee's reputed account alleges multiple injections. There may be other discrepancies as well.

[DoubleX]

Not entirely correct. Pettitte says he was administered HGH only once. McNamee's reputed account alleges multiple injections. There may be other discrepancies as well.

Pettitte said once or twice, McNamee said 2-4 times. That would appear to be in line.

[DoubleX]

Did Jeter really go out of his way to support Pettitte? A report asked him a question and he answered.

But when asked questions about teammates in the past, such as A-Rod, he's gone out if his way to not defend his teammate..

[TonyStarks]

Did Jeter really go out of his way to support Pettitte? A report asked him a question and he answered.

When have you ever heard Jeter come to ARod's defense?

Are you telling me that in 2005 and 2006 Jeter was NEVER asked a question about Alex and how he's doing? Of course, he dodges and ducks.

I seriously think it's more than time that Jeter put aside his damn bruise ego and let it go already. That was what 6-7 years ago? Man up already!
We get it, your peeved he called you a No. 2 hitter. He's apologized many times over and he seems like he's at peace with it.

The guy is now your team. Hell, Roger Clemens drilled him how many times? I think one time he drilled him on the wrist too! Yet, he seemed to be pretty buddy buddy with him!! Jeter and Co. even went as far as to call Clemens a "head hunter".

He's cool with Roger the head hunter who's nailed him a few times, he's supportive of Giambi the admitted roid user, he's supportive of Clemens now in the wake of Steroid allegations and he's supporting Andy for "telling the truth". Yet, he can't find anything good to say about Alex? Hmmmm....

BTW, I give credit to Andy for admitting he's used PEDs but not too much. Remember, had his name not been mentioned he would have NEVER fessed up to this.

[bigbadwolf]

Why would anyone wish to come to the defense of a player who has hurt each of his teams for the past ten years. As has been documented.

[DoubleX]

Why would anyone wish to come to the defense of a player who has hurt each of his teams for the past ten years. As has been documented.

Are you talking about A-Rod? You still haven't explained to me how the Mariners have been better off without A-Rod given that they made the postseason 3/6 years with A-Rod and just 1/7 without, or how the 2000Mariners with A-Rod did better ultimately than the 2001 Mariners without A-rod but a better overall team? Seriously, please explain this to me, otherwise you really need to stop making this generalized over-simplifications.

Also, tell me why anyone would wish to come to the defense of admitted cheaters (who were also breaking the law), such as Giambi and Pettitte? Who would you rather have, a player that plays hard 100% of the time or the player that cheats (and breaks the law in doing so)?

[Mattingly]

Are you talking about A-Rod? You still haven't explained to me how the Mariners have been better off without A-Rod given that they made the postseason 3/6 years with A-Rod and just 1/7 without, or how the 2000Mariners with A-Rod did better ultimately than the 2001 Mariners without A-rod but a better overall team? Seriously, please explain this to me, otherwise you really need to stop making this generalized over-simplifications.

Also, tell me why anyone would wish to come to the defense of admitted cheaters (who were also breaking the law), such as Giambi and Pettitte? Who would you rather have, a player that plays hard 100% of the time or the player that cheats (and breaks the law in doing so)?
I think that people just conveniently forgot that the Mariners got Ichiro Suzuki in the 2001 season, and he'd never been a teammate of Alex Rodriguez, if that's who bigbadwolf is referring to. 2001 was also ex-Yankee Jay Buhner's final season with the M's.

The Rangers saw the improvement of Mark Teixeira, Michael Young, Hank Blalock. When those guys got better, of course the team improved. Not for A-Rod's fault, who'd hit the covers off the ball in his time there.

Straight up, I think that Jeter's just jealous of Alex Rodriguez, who's his offensive and defensive superior at SS. If someone is better than you at what you do, I think that humbling yourself would always be a good thing. If anything, you can learn. On a team, I don't think that all that competition about who's better, more famous, handsomer or whatever should mean anything.

In the end, I'll still support Pettitte, but not at the expense of A-Rod. Giambi is a bit harder to defend, since he'd admitted outright using steroids. That part, I have much more trouble dealing with.

[TonyStarks]

Why would anyone wish to come to the defense of a player who has hurt each of his teams for the past ten years. As has been documented.

If only you realized how ridiculous this statement sounds and even worse is that you consistently fail to backup any of those attacks against Alex.