Arod press conference

[fenrir]

Anyone else watching it? he claims his cousin injected him, and he still claims he was juiced only from 2001-2003. If true, i don't see how roids benefitted him at all hitting wise. there's no strange spike in his stats ala bonds, clemens, mcgwire, etc. of-course i still have trouble believing he just suddenly stopped after winning an MVP in 2003.

[Paulypal]

Anyone else watching it? he claims his cousin injected him, and he still claims he was juiced only from 2001-2003. If true, i don't see how roids benefitted him at all hitting wise. there's no strange spike in his stats ala bonds, clemens, mcgwire, etc. of-course i still have trouble believing he just suddenly stopped after winning an MVP in 2003.

He could have still be taking them, but he has passed every test since then including a blood test for the 2007 WBC.

If he is telling the truth it really does seem this Probolin thing had very little affect on him.

[bhss89]

I'm really sick and tired of hearing "young and ignorant." Just be a man and say, "I took them because I wanted to hit bombs and drive in runs. I took them so I could play hard all summer long in the hot Texas sun. I took them to be better than my opponents." Take some freakin' ownership!
And maybe it's just me, but did he basically start things off today by saying it was his cousin's suggestion that was a reason he "tried" PEDs? And that he "injected" for close to three full seasons and never once, not one time, stopped to think about what it was he was putting into his body or what the long-term effects might be? Again, no ownership in behavior!

I am sickened to sound like Dr. Phil, but it is what it is: A grown man acting like a small child, trying to hide from truth and reality. And please, give up on the teary eyes and puffed out lower lip. :rant:

[Dirt Dog]

Again with no follow up questions this will drag on and on and on. It's not over by any stretch. I don't think it accomplished that much...in fact it will open other doors.

BTW I found A-Rod's cousin.:D

http://markprigoff.com/dvd/my_cousin_vinny.jpg

[Buczilla]

I'm really sick and tired of hearing "young and ignorant."

This was also the answer he gave everytime someone asked him if he considered what he had done was cheating. That one reporter really stung him with that 32 shot question pertaining to if he really thought they weren't working, why continue using them then.... He also did a really good job of stinging himself pretty good when towards the end they brought up the Katie interview.

[sturg1dj]

I'm really sick and tired of hearing "young and ignorant." Just be a man and say, "I took them because I wanted to hit bombs and drive in runs. I took them so I could play hard all summer long in the hot Texas sun. I took them to be better than my opponents." Take some freakin' ownership!
And maybe it's just me, but did he basically start things off today by saying it was his cousin's suggestion that was a reason he "tried" PEDs? And that he "injected" for close to three full seasons and never once, not one time, stopped to think about what it was he was putting into his body or what the long-term effects might be? Again, no ownership in behavior!

I am sickened to sound like Dr. Phil, but it is what it is: A grown man acting like a small child, trying to hide from truth and reality. And please, give up on the teary eyes and puffed out lower lip. :rant:


I think most of us realists would like to see that, but the casual observer would not understand and would eat him alive. The casual observer being the media who has very little understanding of steroids and the pressure that players are under.

When a rich man uses pressure as an excuse, the masses usually do not seem to care. Being stupid would actually seem like a better one.

[bhss89]

I think most of us realists would like to see that, but the casual observer would not understand and would eat him alive. The casual observer being the media who has very little understanding of steroids and the pressure that players are under.

When a rich man uses pressure as an excuse, the masses usually do not seem to care. Being stupid would actually seem like a better one.

By "that" do you mean replacing "young and ignorant" with the statements about improving performance?
And personally, I'd have waaaay more respect for him if he had said that he juiced to bump up his numbers and improve stamina/durability. At least I'd feel less insulted by his response.

[sturg1dj]

By "that" do you mean replacing "young and ignorant" with the statements about improving performance?
And personally, I'd have waaaay more respect for him if he had said that he juiced to bump up his numbers and improve stamina/durability. At least I'd feel less insulted by his response.

you would and I would. but would the casual fan? I don't know, I am just wondering.

[Seattle1]

This was also the answer he gave everytime someone asked him if he considered what he had done was cheating.

I'm sure he, his agent, or the Yankees hired a top-flight public relations consultant to help him craft his message in response to this PR problem. "Young and stupid," or "young and ignorant," or some variation thereof was clearly the line they settled on that he could/should use to respond to almost every difficult question.

[Seattle1]

Probably the best course of action at this point would be to ban Alex Rodriguez from baseball for life. No more playing in MLB. No Hall of Fame, ever. He shouldn't even be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame as a paying customer.

[sturg1dj]

has A-Rod been taking classes at Miami along with training there? I ask because even though there is a lot he should have known, and accepting what he says is difficult...how smart do you think he actually was/is?


I am not saying college=smart necessarily...but A-Rod is someone who went to the bigs as a 17 year old who depending on which vets he latched onto, had is adult world formed by those people.


I don't want to sound naive here, but this probably will sound that way. Say he came up to the bigs and saw the players on his team using (and that is not a stretch since much has been said about those Seattle teams). At first he didn't use because he was just that good (silly thought probably). Then when he signed the huge contract he realized he needed to be better than what he was and thus used (once again, may sound silly).

[bhss89]

you would and I would. but would the casual fan? I don't know, I am just wondering.

Okay, I see where you're coming from - and you're correct, I agree with you that serious fans would appreciate real honesty.

[KCGHOST]

Possibly if he replaced "young and ignorant" with "I didn't think I would get caught" we might be a little more understanding.

[shake-n-bake]

It's obvious to everyone that the reason he took them was to gain an advantage. The reason he stopped - he thought he would get caught. We'd like to hear him say that, but he cannot.

"Sure he can!" [buzzer noise] - wrong! Because the minute he admits that it's almost impossible to take the high road AND be honest from that point forward. The question after he admits to using them to gain an advantage is, "isn't that cheating?" Ifso, facto the dots are quickly connected and he cheated the game for at least 3 years.

The truth is that JC isn't in the league. I've done things that I later regretted. I've gotten away with things that I regretted doing in the first place. Check with Ripley's, it happens to a lot of people.

I think if Alex could be 100% truthful, he'd admit taking them to gain an advantage. That he thought he was one of many. That the numbers were skewed, but all the numbers in that era were skewed. That he still had to put in the work, it wasn't a silver bullet. That you could question the accomplishments in other eras as well. That Ruth hit most his HRs off guys that sold tires or ran a cash register in the off-season. All sorts of thing to justify his place among the great players of all time.

Imagine him saying any of that though - He'd get killed in the media. So, he'd rather just sidestep the "why." We know why. You either have to be of the opinion that he'd like to tell us the truth (if he could) or he really believes his bullsh!t story. To me, he stood up and took his whoopin'. I think he's about as good a spokesperson as you could find to send the anti-drug message. He makes some effort to atone for his mistakes by speaking out against steroids. Then, I think he's done about all he can do at this point. He can't go back and not take them. Which I'm sure he'd do anything to do.

[finch5682]

Probably the best course of action at this point would be to ban Alex Rodriguez from baseball for life. No more playing in MLB. No Hall of Fame, ever. He shouldn't even be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame as a paying customer.

not that they can but.
what about the other 103? and everyone that ever tested positive? baseball would start over clean and if that was the case they could throw selig in there too.

[bhss89]

Possibly if he replaced "young and ignorant" with "I didn't think I would get caught" we might be a little more understanding.

That too would be better for me! Dammit, I crave honesty! :hissyfit:

[bhss89]

It's obvious to everyone that the reason he took them was to gain an advantage. The reason he stopped - he thought he would get caught. We'd like to hear him say that, but he cannot.

"Sure he can!" [buzzer noise] - wrong! Because the minute he admits that it's almost impossible to take the high road AND be honest from that point forward. The question after he admits to using them to gain an advantage is, "isn't that cheating?" Ifso, facto the dots are quickly connected and he cheated the game for at least 3 years.

The truth is that JC isn't in the league. I've done things that I later regretted. I've gotten away with things that I regretted doing in the first place. Check with Ripley's, it happens to a lot of people.

I think if Alex could be 100% truthful, he'd admit taking them to gain an advantage. That he thought he was one of many. That the numbers were skewed, but all the numbers in that era were skewed. That he still had to put in the work, it wasn't a silver bullet. That you could question the accomplishments in other eras as well. That Ruth hit most his HRs off guys that sold tires or ran a cash register in the off-season. All sorts of thing to justify his place among the great players of all time.

Imagine him saying any of that though - He'd get killed in the media. So, he'd rather just sidestep the "why." We know why. You either have to be of the opinion that he'd like to tell us the truth (if he could) or he really believes his bullsh!t story. To me, he stood up and took his whoopin'. I think he's about as good a spokesperson as you could find to send the anti-drug message. He makes some effort to atone for his mistakes by speaking out against steroids. Then, I think he's done about all he can do at this point. He can't go back and not take them. Which I'm sure he'd do anything to do.

I'm so sick of this that I'm okay with him "getting killed in the media."

And as far as him wanting to "go back and not take them," I don't know 'bout that either . . .
IF he thinks for one second that the numbers he put up while in Texas will help get him into the HoF, and IF he also believes that one day all will be forgotten and he will go into the HoF, then I don't think for one second he'd step one toe into a time travel machine!

The dude is shady at best . . . USA three years ago and now all of the sudden . . . "Soy Dominicano" . . . puh-leez.

[sturg1dj]

I'm so sick of this that I'm okay with him "getting killed in the media."

And as far as him wanting to "go back and not take them," I don't know 'bout that either . . .
IF he thinks for one second that the numbers he put up while in Texas will help get him into the HoF, and IF he also believes that one day all will be forgotten and he will go into the HoF, then I don't think for one second he'd step one toe into a time travel machine!

The dude is shady at best . . . USA three years ago and now all of the sudden . . . "Soy Dominicano" . . . puh-leez.


one thing I was thinking, Arlington is a hitter's park...right? Now I am no math whiz...but I know park factors obviously factor in the opposing team too. But I was just thinking, how much of the huge numbers in Arlington were because of the stadium, and how many because of the rampant steroid use by the Rangers?

I would argue the same thing with the Rockies, except their splits are so ridiculous. someone like, say Andres Galarraga. I am certain he used, and he was always pretty large. Did he use all during the rockies days or did he use after leaving to show his numbers weren't flukes?

some of you guys think the issue is so simple, but there is so much depth to it if you look at the men behind the allegations.

[shake-n-bake]

I'm so sick of this that I'm okay with him "getting killed in the media."

And as far as him wanting to "go back and not take them," I don't know 'bout that either . . .
IF he thinks for one second that the numbers he put up while in Texas will help get him into the HoF, and IF he also believes that one day all will be forgotten and he will go into the HoF, then I don't think for one second he'd step one toe into a time travel machine!

The dude is shady at best . . . USA three years ago and now all of the sudden . . . "Soy Dominicano" . . . puh-leez.

I think he'll be ok in terms of the HOF. Watching the NBA AS Game this weekend made me briefly recall the Kobe scandal. Makes me think A-Rod's got enough time to put this behind him. Like I said, we all know why he took them. No one really knows definetively the effect on the numbers. What's most important now is how he uses his stature to help repair the situation. Personally, I don't care that he's been thrust into the position as the new #1 spokesperson against steroids either willingly or unwillingly. I just want him to be good at it.

[sturg1dj]

eventually I have little doubt these guys will get in via the veterans committee. Eventually. May not be the way they wanted, but its something.

At some point their careers will no longer be judged by writers who feel personally jaded by these men, but by different generations who can put this into some perspective.

[Paulypal]

Probably the best course of action at this point would be to ban Alex Rodriguez from baseball for life. No more playing in MLB. No Hall of Fame, ever. He shouldn't even be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame as a paying customer.

You know whats funny about that....although I dont think he is being 100% honest. I think he is protecting someone and himself. He is the one guy that came out and admitted it. Pettitte lied his ass off last year and nothing was said about it. He took HGH twice. Please

Two weeks ago everyone wanted an admission...he admitted he took steroids. Was he vague yes. Today he has a press conference telling everyone a little bit more....still vague no doubt, but he was there admitting it again.

So there are literally thousands of players hiding until they get caught. When some have been caught they have still denied it....Clemens didnt lie he misremembered :hissyfit:.

So the guy that gets caught and admits it you want him specifically banned for life.

[sturg1dj]

You know whats funny about that....although I dont he is being 100% honest. I think he is protecting someone. He is the one guy that came out and admitted it. Pettitte lied his ass off last year and nothing was said about it. He took HGH twice. Please

Two weeks everyone wanted and admission...he admitted he took steroids. Was he vague yes. Today he has a press conference telling everyone a little bit more....still vague no doubt, but he was there admitting it again.

So there are literally thousands of players hiding until they get caught. When some have been caught they have still denied it....Clemens didnt lie he misremembered :hissyfit:.

So the guy that gets caught and admits it you want him specifically banned for life.


we hear over and over again that people will forgive as long as you admit use and don't deny it...and that seemed to be the case; but it actually turns out that it just depends on who you are. Giambi people stopped caring, but also his MVP seasons were all but forgotten. Pettite was good (20 game winner) but not a stud.

With Clemens, Bonds, and A-Rod I am starting to believe that it does not matter what they said, they would be destroyed.

[shake-n-bake]

When's the last time anyone here revealed a mistake they made that could cause them embarassment or come at a very high personal cost?

People make mistakes. People lie. It's not right, but it happens. It bothers me that so many people are worked up about the lengths that should be gone to in order to punish these guys. Like they're child molestors. Give these guys a reason to come clean, remedy the problem, and let's all move on already.

I mean really, we want these guys to tell the truth. Yet, there's a group out there that doesn't know which side of a jock strap is the front, that not only will do everything but tar and feather them, they control their legacy as well.

[bakes781]

I thought A-Rod did a better job this time. At least he admitted to using another supplement and added that testing in '04 led to the end of his usage. He also apologized for his false acussations of the SI reporter. Obviously we can't go back and punish him, so let's move on. He'll get his AROIDs chants soon enuff. :nod:

[Paulypal]

we hear over and over again that people will forgive as long as you admit use and don't deny it...and that seemed to be the case; but it actually turns out that it just depends on who you are. Giambi people stopped caring, but also his MVP seasons were all but forgotten. Pettite was good (20 game winner) but not a stud.

With Clemens, Bonds, and A-Rod I am starting to believe that it does not matter what they said, they would be destroyed.

I agree.

Funny thing is that ONE of the three you mentioned actually fessed up, and listening to the radio here in NY he is still getting toasted. So basically we are telling the other players to deny it until the end because no matter what your going to get hammered. I am not saying just forget it, but when an admission isnt good enough because it doesnt have every detail that our National Enquirer mentality wants we dismiss it.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

AROD got himself into this mess, when he made the wrong choice.

That aside, AROD just can't win. Everything he says is in doubt and he keeps getting hammered. No matter what questions he answers, there is always another.

I feel for the guy even though I am against any users, he could be telling the truth at times but it seems many have their mind made up, he could never say enough to please.

[Seattle1]

So the guy that gets caught and admits it you want him specifically banned for life.

Definitely. We need to set a good example for our children and ban all steroids users for life. While that may seem controversial and radical at first blush, in the final analysis people will realize that it is the only proper course of action to take.

[Paulypal]

Definitely. We need to set a good example for our children and ban all steroids users for life. While that may seem controversial and radical at first blush, in the final analysis people will realize that it is the only proper course of action to take.

Examples for children needs to come from the home they live in. Their parents need to set an example. Not Barry Bonds. The can admire who they like but the moral compass comes from the parents. The sooner we as a society take responsibility for our kids and not blame MTV, heavy metal music, TV, movies and video games the better off we will be.


In the 50's Mantle was the hero of millions of kids.........rightfully so or not? Drunk, womanizer, amphet abuser.

[Extra Innings]

That was a pathetic press conference. I was 'young and stupid' and he was supposed to be crying when talking about his teammates?

[Dirt Dog]

When's the last time anyone here revealed a mistake they made that could cause them embarassment or come at a very high personal cost? People make mistakes.

People do make mistakes all the time, but this wasn't a "mistake" to me. A mistake is wearing a black sock and a blue sock, not cutting the iron off when you leave the house, etc. This was a 3-year at least) choice of lifestyle not a continous mistake. A-Rod had already been in the league for 7 years, this "young and stupid" manta came across like this was his rookie year or something. The not going to college thing was weak.

The 37-second pregnant pause was a classic.

[Buczilla]

On if SI hadn't revealed his steroid use, would he have come forward:

"I haven't thought about that much. The fact is it came out and the fact is it did come out and I am here to share my story, put out there and hopefully I can put this behind me and my teammates don't have to carry the burden of answering all the questions for me.

On why we should believe him now, after he lied to CBS and ESPN:

"I may have to answer for the rest of my career, that's the position I've put myself in. I reached out to Katie (Couric) about 10 days ago. When you are in denial and your not being honest with yourself it's hard to be honest with Katie. That was a part of me that thought since I hadn't heard about it for five years that there was a chance it was okay. There was a lot of that stuff going on and I am here to tell my story."

He is sorry this ever got out, plain and simple. It only took him 20 or so minutes to answer the first question unintentionally in another question.

[sturg1dj]

I just read an article that is a perfect example of what is wrong with this whole mess. The article compared A-Rod to Pettitte saying that A-Rod should have just been honest like Pettitte.

Now which is easier to believe?

Player 1 says he took HGH TWICE and only to help him recover for an injury.


Player 2 says he took banned substances for 3 years to justify a huge contract and stopped when they started real tested.


I think player 2 sounds more honest, yet nobody seems to want to believe the guy, or at the least are hung up on his wording and ignoring the message as a whole.

[SHOELESSJOE3]

I just read an article that is a perfect example of what is wrong with this whole mess. The article compared A-Rod to Pettitte saying that A-Rod should have just been honest like Pettitte.

Now which is easier to believe?

Player 1 says he took HGH TWICE and only to help him recover for an injury.


Player 2 says he took banned substances for 3 years to justify a huge contract and stopped when they started real tested.


I think player 2 sounds more honest, yet nobody seems to want to believe the guy, or at the least are hung up on his wording and ignoring the message as a whole.


This is not my thinking but some are allowing the image of the two players to play into their thoughts. Before we found he used, Pettite seemed like the good guy.
Arod a different story, many not liking him.
This could be a part of the reason why one is accepted by more fans, people in general.

Image or personality should not factor in, but it does, just human nature with some.
Also I think Arod being another user was more of a let down, disappointed a good many.

I really don't think Arod could win, even if he is being truthful in some parts of his story, some have their mind made up, not to believe anything he says.

[DGDGBD]

Didn't David Ortiz say in an interview once that its possible he may have taken 'roids unknowingly in the DR- also referencing GNC? Not trying to turn this on ortiz, but its another dominican player insinuating that 'roids are easy to come by down there. Makes you wonder about the explosion of talent from the DR.

[west coast orange and black]

seattle1: I'm sure he, his agent, or the Yankees hired a top-flight public relations consultant to help him craft his message in response to this PR problem. "Young and stupid," or "young and ignorant," or some variation thereof was clearly the line they settled on that he could/should use to respond to almost every difficult question.

alex boras, rodriguez' agent, employed the william morris agency to assist.

there is precedent for citing one’s youth and naiveté upon getting caught :
u.s. rep. henry hyde, point man of the campaign to impeach president clinton, admitted to having a long-term affair and blamed it on “youthful indiscretion."
(hyde was 41 when the affair started, so rodriguez is covered.)

[spark240]

Didn't David Ortiz say in an interview once that its possible he may have taken 'roids unknowingly in the DR- also referencing GNC? Not trying to turn this on ortiz, but its another dominican player insinuating that 'roids are easy to come by down there. Makes you wonder about the explosion of talent from the DR.

It is conceivable that the intensity of Dominican cultural interest in baseball--which leads to the large number of Dominicans playing baseball--encourages certain elements to vigorously traffic steroids to ballplayers in the DR.

It is absurd to suggest that the availability of steroids in the DR produces the proportionate success of the DR in creating major league players. It's more like the other way round.

Steroids aren't exactly hard to come by in the United States.

[Dirt Dog]

This is not my thinking but some are allowing the image of the two players to play into their thoughts. Before we found he used, Pettite seemed like the good guy.
Arod a different story, many not liking him.
This could be a part of the reason why one is accepted by more fans, people in general.

Image or personality should not factor in, but it does, just human nature with some.
Also I think Arod being another user was more of a let down, disappointed a good many.

I really don't think Arod could win, even if he is being truthful in some parts of his story, some have their mind made up, not to believe anything he says.

There's no doubt it's a whole lot easier accepting something a player with a good image has done wrong than with a player with a less-friendly image.

Players like Pettitte doesn't have the numbers that players like A-Rod does. You could throw in Bonds and Clemens. Both were HOF bound who have a house full of baseball awards. Pettitte doesn't have the same trophy case in that sense. He has the team awards (World Series rings) but but not the individual stats and awards.

I see A-Rod's main problem as this. He's more caught up with his image and cares too much what people think of him. That comes from being insecure. The more he wants this to happen (having a good image) the worse it gets. It's not what he says but how he says them. It seems his moves are very contrived. I mean just how many PR firms does he have to have? He spends his time thinking about what people are thinking about him instead of just coming across as natural. That's the way he is.

There is probably a massive manhunt looking for A-Rod's cousin like looking for prisoners after a jailbreak. If it would ever turn out that this cousin thing is really just made up (another lie) that would end any cred he has left. There's just so many times you can cry wolf.

[DGDGBD]

It is absurd to suggest that the availability of steroids in the DR produces the proportionate success of the DR in creating major league players. It's more like the other way round.

You make a good point.

Steroids aren't exactly hard to come by in the United States.

still...
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2763194

[Dirt Dog]

Looks like A-Rod's does have a Cousin It.

Yuri Sucart (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3917763)

[ipitch]

Looks like A-Rod's does have a Cousin It.

Yuri Sucart (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3917763)

Since Alex Rodriguez is called ARod, I wonder if Yuri Sucart is called YuSuc?

[blacksilverfan12]

Since Alex Rodriguez is called ARod, I wonder if Yuri Sucart is called YuSuc?

:laugh

However, A-Rod appears to think he's done with the steroids questions
//http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=519592

Bad move A-Rod. The more he runs from it, the more the media will chase him down, IMO

[blacksilverfan12]

A press conference and an interview aren't gonna make this go away. My opinion? Open up, answer their questions. Also, you may have closed a couple doors on Tuesday, but you opened a few more. Don't introduce another mystery. It sounds weird, but if you want to "move on", you're going to have to into your past

[sturg1dj]

A press conference and an interview aren't gonna make this go away. My opinion? Open up, answer their questions. Also, you may have closed a couple doors on Tuesday, but you opened a few more. Don't introduce another mystery. It sounds weird, but if you want to "move on", you're going to have to into your past


which of the players caught have answered more questions than A-Rod? I don't think any of them have.

[spark240]

which of the players caught have answered more questions than A-Rod? I don't think any of them have.

You're setting the bar pretty low there.

[sturg1dj]

You're setting the bar pretty low there.

maybe, but when Pettitte said he did it twice that was enough (and he even lied in multiple interviews and statements prior to the Mitchell Report during the whole Jason Grimsley affair)

Giambi was much more vague than A-Rod. All was fine. People keep saying A-Rod will be fine the more info he gives...yet he has given more info about it than anyone else has.

[blacksilverfan12]

which of the players caught have answered more questions than A-Rod? I don't think any of them have.

True, but isn't he just falling into a bigger hole by running away?

[Dirt Dog]

Well...if it coudn't get any worse....poor Alex.

Primobolan not legally available in DR----> link (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3920425)

http://bostondirtdogs.boston.com/BDD_AR_pino_21709_bddap.jpg :rofl:

[DownUnderDodger]

what about the other 103? and everyone that ever tested positive?

Too true. It is obvious that whoever has the list realised that A-Rod was the biggest name on the list so rather than water the whole thing down by 'leaking' all the names, many who are probably 'no-names', it was decided that A-Rod, as the big fish, should take the fall and cop all the flak. That would ensure the sensationalism that has been apparent. A-Rod has taken the steps he and his management deemed appropriate and he has admitted to the error of his ways. It is now time to move on.

If this was as serious as it is being made out to be, with suggestions that A-Rod alone be suspended and be denied HoF status etc, then every other of the 103 on the alleged list needs to 'outed' and similarly suspended. Otherwise the whole matter should be put in the "it happened before I did anything about it ....Bud" file, and the game of baseball should resume as normal.