Tag: Alex Rodriguez (Page 11 of 13)

      A-Rod needs a life coach

      February 26, 2009 /

      Alex RodriguezUnfazed by the showering of boos he received from Blue Jay fans, Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run dinger in his first official at-bat of Spring Training as the Bombers beat Toronto 6-1 in the Grapefruit League opener for both clubs.

      A-Rod said after the game that he thought the fans “were okay, actually” and then hopped into a SUV with cousin Yuri Sucart.

      Sucka-what?

      That’s right, he appeared, in public mind you, with the same cousin that he said allegedly purchased and injected him with steroids from 2001 to 2003. Granted, there’s no law against hanging out with members of your family, but wouldn’t you think A-Rod would want to lay low for a while? You know, take it easy, play things conservatively – not hang out with the same cousin that is tightly entrenched in the same steroid scandal you are.

      Unlike Roger Clemens, I don’t think A-Rod is a pompous, overbearing jerk. But I do think he’s clueless in a lot of respects and needs to hire someone to hold his hand on a daily basis. He essentially needs someone to keep him from being his own worst enemy, because situations like the one after the game Wednesday proves that A-Rod can’t be trusted to make his own decisions right now.

      When Andy Pettitte came forward last year and admitted that he took performance-enhancers, he held a heartfelt press conference, fessed up and then dropped off the face of the earth. Granted, Pettitte can disappear a lot easier than Rodriguez can, but A-Rod needs to take a page out of his teammate’s playbook on life and lay low for a while.

      Hopping into an SUV with Yuri Sucart might not be a big deal and the story could be overblown very easily. But it certainly doesn’t help Rodriguez at this moment, does it?

      MLB

      Big Papi worked out at gym of steroid-linked trainer Presinal

      February 23, 2009 /

      Red Sox slugger David Ortiz admitted to working out at the gym of Angel Presinal’s in the Dominican Republic. Presinal is the trainer who has been banned from private sectors of MLB clubhouses due to his ties to steroids and recently was mentioned as having links to Alex Rodriguez.

      David Ortiz“This place where he works out is a facility that’s like five minutes away from my house,” Ortiz said. “It’s like an Olympic place where everyone goes and hits, runs, gets all their work in. It’s like in the middle of everyone’s houses, so we all go down there and work out. He’s a good trainer. He’s the guy that teaches you how to train, how to get your body ready to go. Besides that, I have no idea about any of this.”

      Presinal was banned from big league clubhouses in 2001 after border agents in Toronto intercepted a gym bag full of steroids that Presinal signed for. When questioned, he told investigators it belonged to Indians outfielder Juan Gonzalez.

      “He got into some trouble before from what I hear, and that’s something he’s got to deal with, especially with what’s going on,” Ortiz said.

      I wouldn’t read too much into this. Just because Ortiz is pumping iron and Presinal’s gym during the offseason doesn’t mean he’ll be the latest name mentioned in baseball’s ongoing steroid situation.

      MLB

      The media’s steroid double standard

      February 23, 2009 /

      The media circus arrived in Tampa on Tuesday, and the star attraction under the big top was Alex Rodriguez elaborating about his steroid usage. The talking heads on the evil four-letter network, ESPN, inundated us with up-to-the-minute updates on what to expect from Rodriguez’s press conference and showed countless sound bites from his contemporaries in baseball expressing their disappointment with his actions; SportsCenter became A-RodCenter.

      Then, after a 32-minute press conference, the commentators returned to voice their displeasure of A-Rod’s handling of the media’s questions. They screamed for more details on his merry trek through Latin America with his cousin Yuri in search of the banned substance “boli” (Primobolan). Their analysis of the latest chapter in baseball’s steroid scandal had feel of a good old-fashioned witchhunt.

      My reaction to the coverage: you are all hypocrites!

      It is generally accepted that there is a double standard in how the media covers baseball in comparison with other sports. Their intense scrutiny on baseball’s latest black eye will give everyone involved enough anguish and outrage to last a season. Yet a collective yawn will be drawn inside the press box when it is announced that a NFL player has tested positive for steroids. No, they would rather write or chat about the ramifications from San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary dropping his pants in front his team than investigate players using diuretics to mask their steroid usage in league-mandated drug tests.

      If you want to talk about steroids in the NFL, let’s begin with the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers. They won four Super Bowl titles and have a high rate of former players dying at a young age. Mike Webster, Steve Furness Courson (admitted steroid abuser), Dwight White, et cetera, all have died way too early in life. Add that their team doctor was implicated in buying over $150,000 worth of HGH from a Florida pharmacy that was raided by federal authorities last year. Yet, the media applauded them for doing whatever it took to become the most prolific dynasty in pro football.

      Nobody imagines that locker rooms are drug-free, but few would think that players on successful teams would risk their lives to reach their goal of being the best in their sport…but they do. Money, of course, trumps ideology and blinds people from making rational decisions while pursuing their goals. Cheaters shame the game, as they care more about lining their pockets and less about the integrity of the game they say they love.

      The media cannot pick and choose which stories to spotlight in their crusade to eradicate performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports. What A-Rod did was wrong and he will have to live with the damage that has been done to his name and image in the baseball. Journalists cannot full-court press their coverage on the latest greatest scandal in baseball while simply shrugging their shoulders to other known steroid abuse cases in other sports. It can’t just be business as usual in the NFL, where from Bill Belichick down to the lowly Detroit Lions, they would all cheat if it guaranteed them a victory on Sunday. I just wish that athletes would come clean about their use of performance-enhancing drugs and stop running from their past.

      MLB, NFL

      Top 10 active MLB games without a World Series appearance

      February 21, 2009 /

      As we try to turn away from steroid implications and indictments and all of the black clouds surrounding Major League Baseball, we can’t forget that there are games to be played. Yes, the 2009 season is almost upon us. And with Ken Griffey Jr. signing with the Seattle Mariners this past week, where his great career began, it’s worth noting the Top 10 in active players who are not only ring-less, but have never appeared in a World Series game. (Note that we only counted those who are still active or at least played through the 2008 season.)

      1. Ken Griffey Jr. (2521 games, 20 seasons)—He’s played for some great Mariners teams, but his Reds’ clubs the last decade or so were mostly awful. Junior had a shot with the White Sox last season after being traded, and didn’t make it. Can he play long enough for Seattle to become competitive again?

      2. Frank Thomas (2322, 19)—Really, the Big Hurt has never sniffed a World Series? Well yeah, he was with the White Sox for 16 years and the team won it all in 2005, his last season with the team. But that October, Thomas was injured and left off the postseason roster, and then signed with Oakland in 2006.

      3. Alex Rodriguez (2042, 15)—Does anyone else think it’s not coincidental that A-Rod has never reached the Fall Classic? Dude is a world-beater in the regular season but never seems to match or exceed his capability in the postseason.

      4. Carlos Delgado (2009, 16)—Delgado began his career in Toronto right after the Jays won two World Series titles, and while he’s been close with the Mets a few times, he’s still looking for that “brass” ring.

      5. Ray Durham (1975, 14)—Ray Durham has been a steady player, but all those years with the Giants (after they were NL champs in 2002) didn’t help his chances to reach the big stage. A late-season trade to Milwaukee in 2008 got him close, but the Brewers lost to Philly in the NLDS.

      6. Jason Kendall (1833, 13)—Nine seasons in Pittsburgh says all that there needs to be said.

      7. Bobby Abreu (1799, 13)—Abreu left Philly, and the Phillies won two division titles and a World Series. He put up decent numbers with the Yanks, but being A-Rod’s teammate didn’t help matters any (see above).

      8. Mark Grudzielanek (1772, 14)—Grudzielanek began his career in Canadian baseball purgatory (Montreal) and has played the last three seasons in American baseball purgatory (Kansas City).

      9. Vladimir Guerrero (1750, 13)—This dude has absolutely mashed his entire career, but playing eight years in Montreal ensured a late start in postseason experience. He signed with the Angels two years after they won it all, and is on a very talented team that always seems to underachieve in the playoffs.

      10. Miguel Tejada (1713, 12)—Tejada won an MVP award in Oakland and has put up some monster numbers. His link to steroid use, along with A-Rod’s, has not exactly put him in a good light, but it’s still a bit surprising that he’s never made it to the big dance.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Roy Oswalt: Erase A-Rod’s numbers

      February 13, 2009 /

      If Astros’ pitcher Roy Oswalt had things his way, any player who admits or is caught using performance-enhancing drugs would have all of his numbers erased from baseball’s record books.

      Alex RodriguezThat includes Alex Rodriguez, who on Monday admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs after a Sports Illustrated report revealed he had failed a drug test in 2003.

      “A-Rod’s numbers shouldn’t count for anything,” Oswalt said in a phone interview with MLB.com. “I feel like he cheated me out of the game.”

      “It does bother me,” Oswalt said. “Especially for the guys that went out there and did it on talent. We’re always going to have a cloud on us, and that’s not fair at all.

      “The ones that have come out and admitted it, and are proven guilty, [their numbers] should not count. I’ve been cheated out of the game,” Oswalt continued. “This is my ninth year, and I’ve done nothing to enhance my performance, other than work my butt off to get guys out. These guys [who took PEDs] have all the talent in the world. All-Star talent. And they put times two on it.

      “I’m going out there with the ability God gave me. They have that ability, too, and they’re putting something on top of it.”

      Oswalt said he considers Henry Aaron to be the all-time home run leader, despite Barry Bonds’ official place at the top of the record books in that category.

      I think you speak for all baseball fans, Roy. Viva la Oswalt!

      If I’ve said it once this week, I’ve said it a million times – the sad part is that A-Rod didn’t even need the riods. He’s always been better than any player in the league and the fact that he sought the aid of performance-enhancers is what is most disturbing regarding this situation. Instead of going down as one of the best players to ever play the game, he’ll be remembered for cheating. Well done, Alex.

      MLB

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