In August of 1997, I went to a Sunday afternnon Yankees game on a pristine August day and sat in a middle-of-the-row seat, alone. The Yankees lost to the Mariners. Ken Griffey Jr. made a stellar diving catch, Jose Cruz Jr. hit two home runs, and I wasn't totally upset at the results. This was because my favorite story of the afternoon was of batting practice. Everyone I new and met was immediately told about how that day, Alex Rodriguez hit so many home runs in that batting practice to the black seats in center field that they began to look like four hundred-foot singles in an imaginary ballpark expanded to the talents of an amazing player.
He was twenty-two years-old.
He had already won a batting title and had already been robbed of the Most Valuable Player Award. In the year that he hit .358, 1996, he was a line-drive hitter, falling into the mold of Edgar Martinez, and for most of the early part of the year in 1997, the poor luck of the line drive haunted him. The game I attended though, was near the end of that year, and if you examine Alex Rodriguez' stats from that point on, he is the superstar right-handed, five-tool player of our generation. He is Willie Mays playing the infield. He is premier, and became that after two and a half years in the Major leagues of being a considerably different hitter.
Now he says he's taken steroids.
And if you're the type to fall into the habit of condemning steroid users who you used to idolize, I say, be disappointed when you cheat, the disappointment will lead to accountability, and you will be better for it. But you people who condemn steroid users blanket the topic as you do others. You bury us in the words "steroids" and "cheating." There is an enormous separation between our talents and the talents of professionals, so do not cheapen the experience of sports by attempting to lower athletes like these to our level. We have an even more enormous lack of understanding for the inner workings of the sports world, so the fact that these athletes are cheating against each other should be outside of our realm of knowledge and should be policed by the leagues themselves, without the bombarding media attention. If you think they've cheated the game, then I'd really like to once again question how well you understand the game at that level (there is no keg at third base, you don't have a team vote on the style of the uniform). We absolutely don't need congressional probes- witch-hunts and McCarthyism that lasts a decade, so that the end of that decade, testimonies and urine samples won't match, and ballplayers will be lugged off in handcuffs.
The only reason I suppose that the media was so ready to cover this and the common people were so ready to converse about this and I was so ready to write a blog and not before, was that Alex Rodriguez is a real superstar. I find myself hearing more feedback about his appearance than his talents from people. His body language or hair, are viable topics of conversation in most places in New York City. This is quite important to the people who find their enjoyment in the wholly unimportant, and its caused me to see the game for what its become, and love it the same as I once did.
2 comments:
What made me rethink my stand was when Alex Rodriguez said that he has proven to himself and his fans that he does need steroids to perform great in the field.
Perhaps the catalyst for him to pursue the idea of using steroid was to get back the fame and stats that he once had in his twenties, back in the late nineties.
I don’t blame him or devalue him as a great player nor as a person for falling under the pressure of being part of the statistic of athletes under the influence of steroids, especially at a time when the idea was at its height. But, what I am disappointed about, was him not fully confessing to his mistake, he knew he was taking it, he did know that it is a drug… the changes your body goes through are too knowledgeable to disregard & not question.
I also understand how some fans, are questioning his heroism in baseball, especially when they were hipping him up for his stats, while they were devaluing other players with similar stats, just because they were caught using steroids.
I do wonder how Alex Rodriguez was able to surpass the pointing finger at the time of use.
I do believe that he did cheat by using steroids, the same way I cheat to loose weight by taking fat burners. He cheated the same way bodybuilders cheat by increasing their size with testosterone, …but steroids, is different than testosterone & fat burners. The difference, you will have to ask yourself.
“There is an enormous separation between our talents & the talents of professionals”
The only difference is that they were able to be recognized and be able to make money from their talent.
What is the difference between the talent that you have for writing, & the talent that Gabriel Garcia Marques had, or the talent that any other successful writer has?
“Do not cheapen the experience of sports by attempting to lower athletes like these to our level”
Rephrase this for me please.
I do believe that we do need “congressional probes”, sure they could be less strict, but they are the ones that make the game fair. Without those urine sample, regardless if they are tested decades later, this is what must be done to stay true to the game. Without congressional probes, there will be more than dozens of Hulks in the field, making the Hall of Fame, less honorable. Yes, it would make the game more exciting, but then we would have to reestablish the meaning of baseball and why we watch it.
Alex Rodriguez is a real superstar, I couldn’t agree more. He has proven that, back in the 90’s, and continued to prove it after 2003. I will admit that what attracted my interest was his looks, then his fame & his stats added.
…. The records for the time that he was on steroids should be disregarded, but I do not believe that the Yankees or his sponsors should panelize him for something he did, over a decade ago… All he can do is apologize to his team, at that time, and for that period, which he did. I am sure that now he has encouraged other athletes to stay way from the pressure to use steroids.
Your blog tersely summarized this whole scandal. You have accomplished to summarize it better than the media has been able to. I enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed the thought process your blog made me conceive.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I do feel that you missed a few key points.
First, most of my comments were directed at those who trivialize a players ability after he's caught. As much as I dislike Curt Schilling, his opinion is far more valid than 5'6" Bob Costas. He has real knowledge of the game at that level.
Also, you seem to believe the media hype about steroids and PEDs. Steroids aren't helping players hit the ball further, practice is. Steroids may help them practice for longer, or focus better as if one had taken five 5-hour energy drinks. If you've noticed there have been two types of accused steroid cheaters- the muscle-man, the Mcgwire, Sosa, Bret Boone mold. The get bigger, hit more home runs guys...and the thin guys with pretty swings-Arod, Rafael Palmiero, Juan Gonzalez mode. The latter group were a bunch of lean, lanky sweet-swinging hitters. Others needed to recover better from injuries.
"When I came to Texas, I was under intense pressure to perform."
People who heard that said "how could that be, it was understood that he'd perform, he's Alex Rodriguez." But baseball is funny in some ways. Until the Rockies made the World Series in 2004, they were overpaying for the top free-agent starting pitcher because it was said that pitchers couldn't pitch in Colorado because of the thin air. The Rangers got Alex Rodriguez because it was said that Rangers' team faltered in August and dropped out in September because 81 games in 100 degree heat will take down any team. It didn't take down Alex Rodriguez because he made the commitment to his fans and himself that he wouldn't falter like the others. Steroid Arod won an MVP on a last-place team of good players who couldn't handle the heat.
And I have no problem with that. Its his body. And as for the health worries? I don't think there were/are any. These aren't the steroids Lyle Alzado died from, these are steroids you rub on your skin, take in a pill, mix with fish oil and amino acids. These are different times. The fact that the media wants us stuck in the 70s, thinking of baseball players as we do Lou Ferrigno and Arnold is insane. These are top athletes, dying to be better athletes for us, and I appreciate it, and would have done the same.
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