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Take HGH? Hell, anybody can go on the web and get that stuff, and there's no way it makes a great player out of a mediocre one. I'm have never been an big A-Rod fan, but his whole deal makes me want to stop watching baseball.
According to the rules of baseball, taking certain drugs IS illegal - and THAT'S what he did wrong - along with quite a few other players who face long suspensions.
You make the same argument that people made defending Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and the others who got caught using drugs a few years ago.
I think if he would have been honest, and fessed up when all of this first started the while thing would have been handled much differently, and quietly. Honesty is the best policy!
Take HGH? Hell, anybody can go on the web and get that stuff, and there's no way it makes a great player out of a mediocre one. I'm have never been an big A-Rod fan, but his whole deal makes me want to stop watching baseball.
If it doesn't have much impact, why would he and others take it knowing that it's against the rules? What it can do is make a long fly ball into a home run. It can make that throw to first just a little faster. That swing that might have been late, now gets there in time. Because of the increased recovery ability, he's playing fresher in tough stretches than other players. He has to have the skills first, but at that level, a minor difference in performance can have an impact.
I think if he would have been honest, and fessed up when all of this first started the while thing would have been handled much differently, and quietly. Honesty is the best policy!
If you want to talk about honesty and fessing up the first time... look no further than Ryan Braun. This guy was actually caught... failed a test... then tried to con us all into thinking he was wronged only to be caught again and he STILL gets off "easy"?
Seems like to me that the lesser known players and the more "likeable" super stars like Ryan Braun keep getting special treatment whereas Arod is the villain that nobody has liked during his entire career and now Bud Selig is trying to use set an example.
I thought certain rules were in place on how to suspend players for certain things when it comes to PED's... and yet none of that seems to have been followed in this case?
Look I'm not defending AROD here or any of these guys... they did things they know they shouldnt be doing... but how hard is it to implement certain rules and stick with it? Or you know what... just saying ZERO tolerance... if you're caught... your gone...
Take HGH? Hell, anybody can go on the web and get that stuff, and there's no way it makes a great player out of a mediocre one. I'm have never been an big A-Rod fan, but his whole deal makes me want to stop watching baseball.
In the entire history of baseball before the year 2001, only twice had any players managed to hit 60 or more home runs in a single season. Then in the space of four seasons, '98-'01, 60 home runs is not only topped five times, but it is topped by a large margin, 73, 70, 66, 64 and 63 home runs. It was done by three different hitters, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds. All three are known steroid users, the first confessed, the second nabbed by an '03 bloodtest and the third the poster boy for Balco Labs.
In the entire history of MLB, 50 or more home runs in a single season have been hit 32 times. 22 of those 32 seasons took place between 1990 and 2006, that is 69 % of all 50 or more home run campaigns taking place in what amounts to 24 % of all the seasons since 1920.
But you don't think that steroids were a big deal? You don't think that they had much of an impact?
Steroids have wrecked the record books of baseball and there is no other sport where the numbers are regarded with such interest and sanctity. Steroid users have cast a veil of suspicion over all of the players of that era so that we cannot be certain that we are honoring honest ballplayers when we enshrine those that played in that era but were not caught.
Keep in mind that before 2009 when it was revealed that Alex Rodriguez had been on the 2003 positive test list, followed by his confession that he had doped during his Rangers years, everyone had been looking toward Arod as the game's savior. He was the "clean" player whose unenhanced heroics were going to reclaim the records for the non cheaters, he would make things right by passing the discredited Bonds career home run mark.
And now look.
Do we know with absolute certainty that Ken Griffey Jr, Larry Walker, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Mike Piazza, Edgar Martinez or Jeff Kent were all playing clean? How good were Andres Galarraga and Moises Alou? Did they have artificial help?
Steroids are a stinking, rotten huge mother deal that has generated a mess, one that will be with us again and again until the last of these steroid era players has exhausted his HoF eligibility. These players pulled down their pants and took a huge crap on the integrity of the game, the record books and the fans.
If you want to talk about honesty and fessing up the first time... look no further than Ryan Braun. This guy was actually caught... failed a test... then tried to con us all into thinking he was wronged only to be caught again and he STILL gets off "easy"?
Seems like to me that the lesser known players and the more "likeable" super stars like Ryan Braun keep getting special treatment whereas Arod is the villain that nobody has liked during his entire career and now Bud Selig is trying to use set an example.
I thought certain rules were in place on how to suspend players for certain things when it comes to PED's... and yet none of that seems to have been followed in this case?
Look I'm not defending AROD here or any of these guys... they did things they know they shouldnt be doing... but how hard is it to implement certain rules and stick with it? Or you know what... just saying ZERO tolerance... if you're caught... your gone...
I think in part A-Rod is being treated the way he is because he has been known for years to be one of the biggest jerks in baseball. Even with that said, he came out with his interview a few years ago where he explained his reasons for using banned substances in the first place. At the time, he seemed remorseful, sincere, honest and looking like he wanted to correct his mistake. But to hear him go back and do the same thing, makes it seem as though the whole interview was just a shame. He has created this persona by his actions more than just his perception. It doesn't matter how good or bad we think what using this substance maybe. If he knowingly uses an illegal substance after claiming that he learned from his mistakes before, people are going to see him as a fraud and rightfully so. If I was a current MLB player, like Chris Davis for example, I would be upset at players like A-Rod because he makes even the clean player look bad and makes everyone question anyone that plays extraordinary over the course of a season.
According to the rules of baseball, taking certain drugs IS illegal - and THAT'S what he did wrong - along with quite a few other players who face long suspensions.
You make the same argument that people made defending Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, and the others who got caught using drugs a few years ago.
really? is what he did over 4 times as bad? why is his suspension 211?
it should go 50, 100, 150, etc.
so he's over 4times as bad as the 13? makes no sense. It seems baseball's just making this up as they go along.
Braun was 2 counts for 100, bargained down to 65 but a-rod deserves over 4 counts? hence the 'witch hunt' ideas of some.
really? is what he did over 4 times as bad? why is his suspension 211?
it should go 50, 100, 150, etc.
so he's over 4times as bad as the 13? makes no sense. It seems baseball's just making this up as they go along.
Braun was 2 counts for 100, bargained down to 65 but a-rod deserves over 4 counts? hence the 'witch hunt' ideas of some.
Remember A-Rod is the only who appealed his suspension. According to this NY Times article, he was only going to face 150 games if he did not appeal. MLB also stated they are punishing him for attempting to cover-up his violations.
I think if you look he is charge with much more than just the act while being investigated. this comes under rules and the punishment is very open ended and much stricter as we saw in Pete Rose case.
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