When you put aside the notion that he cheated the game of baseball for his own personal gain, what most people are generally upset about in regards to Barry Bonds and steroids is that he broke Hank Aaron’s home run record. Not only was he allegedly juicing, but in doing so, he also broke one of the most sacred records in all of baseball and most are calling for his name to be scratched from the record books.

In the wake of Manny Ramirez’s 50-game suspension, there’s another topic that should be broached, similar to Bonds’ home run record. Considering Manny hit cleanup for the Red Sox’ two championship teams this decade and also won MVP of Boston’s World Series sweep of the Cardinals in 2004, should the BoSox’ titles be considered tainted if Ramirez was on steroids?

To get the semantics out of the way first, no, Manny didn’t test positive for steroids. He only tested positive for a women’s fertility drug that is often used by athletes and bodybuilders to restore testosterone levels after steroid cycles. To be fair, Ramirez has never tested positive for steroids and therefore anything linking him to PEDs should be considered speculation.

However, if we’re truly being fair, Bonds never tested positive for steroids either. Yet, because his head grew to the size of a small watermelon and his physique went from Bruce Banner to the Incredible Hulk over the course of only a couple of years, it’s safe to say that Bonds was on some kind of human growth hormone and therefore his accomplishments should be questioned and criticized.

And so should the Red Sox’s two World Series titles.

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Turns out, Roger Clemens might have been lying all along about not taking performance enhancing drugs. Who would have thought?

Federal authorities investigating Roger Clemens on perjury charges have found performance-enhancing substances on the drug paraphernalia that his former trainer said he used to inject Clemens, according to people briefed on the case.

The discovery of the substances could bolster the claims of the trainer, Brian McNamee, that he used the various items — including syringes, vials and gauze pads — to inject Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone.

If the federal prosecutors move to indict Clemens and seek to use the substances found on the drug paraphernalia as evidence, Clemens’s lawyers are expected to question their authenticity and the chain of custody. Clemens’s lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said Monday night that he was not surprised to learn that performance-enhancing substances had been found.

“Duh,� he said with exaggeration. “Do you really think McNamee was going to fabricate this stuff and not make sure there were substances on there? The fact is Roger never used steroids or H.G.H.�

Clemens has been an arrogant S.O.B. the moment his name was linked to banned substances so even though it’s painful to back a weasel like McNamee, I’m rooting for the evidence to prove the Rocket has been lying this entire time. They’re both liars, but Clemens has just been so smug this entire time that it would be nice to see him put in his place. By the looks of the comment above, Clemens’ lawyer is arrogant and smug, too.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez said in a prepared statement that from 2001 to 2003, he and a cousin used a substance available over the counter in the Dominican Republic and that it was known as “boli.�

“I didn’t think they were steroids,” he said. “That’s again part of being young and stupid. It was over the counter. It was pretty simple.”

“All these years I never thought I did anything wrong.”

He said he wasn’t sure how the drug use helped him, but admitted he had more energy.
Rodriguez said he has not used human growth hormone or any other banned drug since then. He refused to identify his cousin.

The three-time AL MVP and baseball’s highest-paid player spoke at the Yankees’ spring training camp 10 days after Sports Illustrated reported that he tested positive in 2003 for a pair of steroids during baseball’s anonymous survey in 2003. Two days after the story broke, Major League Baseball’s highest-paid player acknowledged that fact in an interview with ESPN.

For years, Rodriguez denied using performance-enhancing drugs. But SI reported he was on a list of 104 players who tested positive during baseball’s 2003 survey. SI identified the drugs causing the positive test as Primobolan and testosterone.

“We consulted no one and had no good reason to base that decision,” he said. “It was pretty evident that we didn’t know what we’re doing.”

Hey, A-Rod’s human – he makes mistakes just like everyone else. But I have a hard time fathoming that he injected something into his body that he believed was just an energy booster.

Let’s take a moment and reflect on this Alex Rodriguez-steroid situation for a moment, shall we? Let’s take a step back and really examine what has transpired over the past couple days.

On Saturday, SI.com ran a report that A-Rod tested positive for steroids when he was a member of the Rangers in 2003. The only response Rodriguez gave to the report was, “You’ll have to talk to the union� and “I’m not saying anything.�

That was smart – he might as well give himself some time to plan his next move before he started digging a deeper hole for himself.

So on Monday, A-Rod phones ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons and admit he did in fact use steroids and that SI.com’s report is true. (By the way, I find it kind of humorous that instead of going to SI.com, he went to ESPN since the former was the one that had a hand in outing him.)

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure, felt all the weight of the world on top of me to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. “Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

“I did take a banned substance. For that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful.”

“To be quite honest, I don’t know exactly what substance I was guilty of using,” Rodriguez said.

“Overall, I felt a tremendous pressure to play, and play really well” in Texas, the New York Yankees third baseman said. “I had just signed this enormous contract I felt like I needed something, a push, without over-investigating what I was taking, to get me to the next level.”

“It’s been a rough 15 months here for me,” Rodriguez said. “I was stupid for three years. I was very, very stupid.”

He also said: “The more honest we can all be, the quicker we can get baseball [back] to where it needs to be.”

There are a couple of things we can take from A-Rod’s discussion with Gammons and ESPN. One, regardless of what you think of him, Rodriguez has more balls than Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and every other player that knowingly took steroids and either denied it or tap danced around the subject in order to save face. He got caught red-handed and decided to fess up. If nothing else, I give him credit for stepping up and being a man about being caught.

But his argument that he didn’t know what substance he was guilty of using is complete bull.

In the wake of this weekend’s SI.com report that claimed he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted to ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons that the report is in fact true.

His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.

“When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day,” Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. “Back then, [baseball] was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

“I did take a banned substance. For that, I’m very sorry and deeply regretful.”

Sources who know about the testing results told SI that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, an anabolic steroid. In his ESPN interview, Rodriguez said he did not know exactly which substance or substances he had taken. In 2003, there were no penalties for a positive result.
“I am sorry for my Texas years,” the New York Yankees third baseman said. “I apologize to the fans of Texas.”

“The more honest we can all be, the quicker we can get baseball [back] to where it needs to be,” he said.

Rodriguez said he stopped taking substances after injuring himself at spring training in 2003 with the Rangers.

“It wasn’t a real dramatic day. I started experimenting with things that, today, are not legal,” he said, “that today are not accepted … ever since that incident happened, I realized that I don’t need any of it.”

Whether you like him or not, you have to admit Alex Rodriguez has more balls than Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa and all of the other players that took performance-enhancing drugs and lied about it or danced around the topic. He got caught and fessed up and at the very least, we should be satisfied that he didn’t drag this situation out. Any player that knowingly took steroids and were caught should follow A-Rod’s lead because if there is one thing we’re know for in America, it’s forgiving and moving on.

That said, A-Rod better be telling the truth that his Yankee years have be clean. There’s nothing worse than admitting your mistake only to lie again. And one can’t help but wonder if he’s just using the “I was naive” excuse to dodge more bullets. He was 26 in 2001, it’s not like he was a 20-year-old kid who was pressured into taking steroids.

National sports writers rejoice to hammer A-Rod in the wake of SI.com’s report that he tested positive for steroids in 2003:

Jayson Stark says that Rodriguez has destroyed the game’s history. (ESPN.com)

Bruce Jenkins writes that even tarnished stars like A-Rod will shine in the Hall of Fame. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Bill Madden says the Yankees should cut Rodriguez loose no matter the cost. (New York Daily News)

Tom Verducci breaks down how the steroid report will affect A-Rod, the Yankees and Major League Baseball. (Sports Illustrated.com)

Todd Jones plays devil’s advocate in this situation and tells fans to think about some things before condemning Rodriguez into steroid/baseball hell. (Sporting News)

So much for Rodriguez legitimizing the home run record writes Tim Cowlishaw. (Dallas Morning News)

Bob Klapisch writes that Derek Jeter better not fail us, too. (The Record)

Drew Sharp goes as far as to say that we can’t even call baseball a sport anymore. (Detroit Free Press)

Tim Marchman notes that nobody like A-Rod before the report and nobody likes him now. (Slate)

Curt Schilling has been an outspoken critic of players who used steroids and HGH, and he doesn’t hold back on the revelation that A-Rod tested positive for steroids, which contradicts A-Rod’s past statements on the matter.

Schilling wants Major Leaugue Baseball to release all information on all the positive tests.

I’d be all for the 104 positives being named, and the game moving on if that is at all possible. In my opinion, if you don’t do that, then the other 600-700 players are going to be guilty by association, forever.

It’s not about good and bad people, because Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi are two of the kindest human beings ever. Andy Pettite is a fantastic person. That’s seemingly got nothing to do with anything. One hundred and four players made the wrong decision, and it appears that not only was it 104, but three of the greatest of our, or any, generation appear to be on top of this list.

And before anyone asks, I’ll make it clear: My name will not appear on any lists of positive tests. I’ve never tested positive for steroids or HGH, and I’ve never taken steroids or HGH in my life, ever. You don’t need to call the union, or an agent to verify that.

Baseball needs to address this. The story will never end, and we’re seeing more and more players whose Hall-of-Fame careers are tainted by the use of these drugs.

It’s stunning to see practically all of Jose Canseco’s allegtions turn out to be true. I heard him recently on Howard Stern, and he regrets exposing other players. He’s been reduced to boxing Danny Bonaduce, and he realizes that his vendetta against Major League Baseball has not made his life any better, despite being vindicated as the facts about steroid and HGH usage by the game’s stars have been exposed. Regardless of his motivations, Canseco has been much more honest than those he accused. Some of the most respected players in the game have been exposed as liars and cheaters, proving once again that this is a business, and money and fame can distort the ethics of many players, even those blessed with the most talent.

According to Sports Illustrated.com, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids when he was a member of the Rangers in 2003.

Rodriguez’s name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball’s ’03 survey testing, SI’s sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. “You’ll have to talk to the union,” said Rodriguez, the Yankees’ third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, “I’m not saying anything.”

Though MLB’s drug policy has expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, there were no penalties for a positive test in 2003. The results of that year’s survey testing of 1,198 players were meant to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner’s office and the players association. Rodriguez’s testing information was found, however, after federal agents, armed with search warrants, seized the ’03 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing, Inc., of Long Beach, Calif., one of two labs used by MLB in connection with that year’s survey testing. The seizure took place in April 2004 as part of the government’s investigation into 10 major league players linked to the BALCO scandal — though Rodriguez himself has never been connected to BALCO.

Does this news seriously surprise anyone? It’s come to the point now where fans should just assume that most players either are or were on some type of performance-enhancing drug from the mid 90s on.

As the SI article notes, Major League Baseball did not have a penalty for anyone who tested positive for steroids up until 2004 when it began its random testing program. It was simply frowned upon and now there’s nothing that the league or anyone else can do about it in order to punish those players who tested positive before ’04. The league is at fault for A-Rod, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds because it allowed these players to gain an edge off the field and pollute the game without the threat of consequence.

Did these players make a conscious choice to gain an edge using performance-enhancing drugs? Yes – and they are just as much at fault as MLB is. But it all starts with the league. Bud Selig and all of these players soiled a great game and now we all can’t look at a player after he hits a home run without thinking, “I wonder if he’s on steroids.�

It’s sad.

Roger Clemens’ former trainer Brian McNamee is set to appear on the Howard Stern Show, but apparently plans on not discussing his former client.

Hardin will get to listen to more of McNamee’s statements. The trainer is scheduled to appear on The Howard Stern Show on Monday.

McNamee is not expected to talk about Clemens but he could react to being called a “gate crasher” and a “hustler” by former pitcher David Cone in The Yankee Years. The just-published book is by former manager Joe Torre and Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated.

“Brian is tired of walking on egg shells,” said Steve Cardillo, a friend of the trainer’s. “He won’t discuss the ongoing stuff with Clemens, but there is no reason why he can’t talk about Joe Torre driving the bus over him. He’s a little tweaked at that. He’s a little tweaked at (David) Cone, too.”

Does McNamee truly believe that Stern is going to have him on his show and not talk about Roger Clemens? Why even have Brian McNamee on a radio show (any radio show) and not talk about Roger Clemens?

Stern is going to pick this fool apart.

- With the Australian Open in full swing, THE LOVE OF SPORTS provides 10 reasons to watch the WTA. Ashley Harkleroad (right) is reason #10.

- Brooks of SPORTSbyBROOKS describes his experience at the Lakers/Cavs game on Monday night.

- Will Leitch of DEADSPIN gives his thoughts about the fact that his favorite NFL team — the Arizona Cardinals — has made the Super Bowl.

- How did Rod Marinelli get back at the Detroit press? PRO FOOTBALL TALK has the answer.

- Former dope dealer Kirk Radomski says that he has no doubt that Roger Clemens is “delusional.” DEADSPIN has the details.