http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/other_mlb/view.bg?articleid=1154553&srvc=sports&position=recent
TAMPA, Fla. — And so it begins for Alex Rodriguez.
Ever since he admitted to using illegal performance-enhancing drugs this month, the extent of Rodriguez’s preparations for the season have come in the safe haven of the Yankees’ complex. The fans mostly have cheered and voiced their support for baseball’s highest-paid player.
That all will change at 1 p.m. EST on Wednesday, when the Yankees kick off their Grapefruit League schedule in nearby Dunedin against the Blue Jays. Let’s just say the crowd reaction should be a tad different.
It’s never that simple when it comes to Rodriguez, however, and even manager Joe Girardi has no idea what type of reception the fans will give the controversial slugger.
"It’ll be curious, I’m sure," Girardi said. "It’s something we haven’t been through before. I’m sure there going to be some people that are upset. I’m sure there are going to be people that are supportive. And there are going to be some people in between. For Alex, again, he’s going to have to block out distractions and be able to play. And I expect him to be able to do that. But we’re going to see how it goes."
There’s another potential distraction looming, though. A person familiar with the situation told Newsday on Monday that Major League Baseball’s investigations team plans on meeting with Rodriguez by Friday to discuss his steroid confessions. Although he said he’s heard "the same things" the media has about this proposed meeting, Rodriguez said he has "no idea" when it will take place and he hasn’t been contacted by anyone.
"I’m just waiting to hear from somebody," A-Rod said, "maybe Gene . I’m not sure."
Rodriguez will leave later this week bound for Jupiter, Fla., to work out with Team Dominican Republic for the World Baseball Classic. Asked if he thought about not playing in the WBC, Rodriguez said: "I’m just focusing on tomorrow’s game, take it one day at time, and on Sunday head down to Jupiter, spend four or five days there and go down to Puerto Rico."
By the time he does head to San Juan — where Team Dominican Republic will play in the WBC’s Pool D against Puerto Rico, Panama and the Netherlands — Rodriguez will have already experienced his first taste of what it’s going to be like for him when the Yankees play on the road. He said he’s learned to tune the fans out, but they could be relentless now.
"I think it’s an initial step on how he’s going to handle it," Girardi said. "Alex is a very popular player, and in road cities, he’s not so popular. I really don’t know what to expect. I’d imagine, as I said, there are going to be some people that are going to be angry. And we understand that. And we all have to get through that."
___
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com/
Showing posts with label steroids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steroids. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A-Rod doped - is this really that shocking?
http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/02/07/alex-rodriguez-tested-positive-for-steroids-in-2003/
Remember when Major League Baseball did "diagnostic" steroid tests to determine if there was enough usage to start a league-wide testing program? And how they said that the results of those tests would never become public? Well, Barry Bonds' results leaked out earlier this week and today, Sports Illustrated is reporting that Alex Rodriguez was among the 104 big leaguers that tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003.
Baseball and Steroids
Charles Krupa, APAccording to a Sports Illustrated report, Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test while he was a member of the Texas Rangers in 2003. Find out more players who have been accused of taking performance enhancing-drugs or tested positive. 13 photos (Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
Baseball and Steroids
According to a Sports Illustrated report, Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test while he was a member of the Texas Rangers in 2003. Find out more players who have been accused of taking performance enhancing-drugs or tested positive.
Charles Krupa, AP
Roger Clemens is under fire for insisting in a hearing that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs, despite what his former personal trainer has claimed.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP
Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, faces charges of lying to a jury after testifying he did not use steroids, despite reports that he did fail drug tests.
Paul Sakuma, AP
Jose Canseco admitted he used steroids in his book "Juiced," and also named several of his former teammates as performance-enhancing drug users.
Mark Wilson, Getty Images
Giants minor league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was suspended last June for 50 games after he failed a drug test.
Chris Graythen, Getty Images
Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer was suspended 50 games last season by the commissioner's office for violating the minor league drug program. Schafer was reportedly caught in possession of human growth hormone.
Elsa, Getty Images
In 2007, outfielder Jose Guillen received a 15-day suspension following media reports linking him to performance-enhancing drugs. Guillen's suspension was eliminated as part of baseball's new agreement on drug testing.
Jamie Squire, Getty Images
Outfielder Jay Gibbons was suspended in 2007 after being linked to HGH use. Following the suspension, Gibbons admitted receiving human growth hormone in 2005 and apologized, but was released by the Orioles before they opened the regular season. Gibbons signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins last month.
Scott A. Schneider, Getty Images
Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada was mentioned in the Mitchell Report in connection with reported purchases of steroids. In January 2008, the FBI announced that it launched an investigation into whether Tejada lied to federal investigators.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
In December 2007, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts issued an apology and admitted to using steroids on a single occasion in 2003 shortly after he was named in the Mitchell Report.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
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."
That would be 2003, the year he won the AL MVP, hit 47 homers, drove in 118 runs, and was generally impressive enough that the Yankees went out and traded for him after the season ended. Apparently he did all of that on testosterone and a steroid known as Primbolan. And really, 2003 was his worst season in Texas, not all that impressive compared with 2000-2002, 2005, or 2007.
I guess that "A-Fraud" talk won't be going away.
Remember when Major League Baseball did "diagnostic" steroid tests to determine if there was enough usage to start a league-wide testing program? And how they said that the results of those tests would never become public? Well, Barry Bonds' results leaked out earlier this week and today, Sports Illustrated is reporting that Alex Rodriguez was among the 104 big leaguers that tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003.
Baseball and Steroids
Charles Krupa, APAccording to a Sports Illustrated report, Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test while he was a member of the Texas Rangers in 2003. Find out more players who have been accused of taking performance enhancing-drugs or tested positive. 13 photos (Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
Baseball and Steroids
According to a Sports Illustrated report, Alex Rodriguez failed a steroid test while he was a member of the Texas Rangers in 2003. Find out more players who have been accused of taking performance enhancing-drugs or tested positive.
Charles Krupa, AP
Roger Clemens is under fire for insisting in a hearing that he did not use performance-enhancing drugs, despite what his former personal trainer has claimed.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP
Barry Bonds, baseball's home run king, faces charges of lying to a jury after testifying he did not use steroids, despite reports that he did fail drug tests.
Paul Sakuma, AP
Jose Canseco admitted he used steroids in his book "Juiced," and also named several of his former teammates as performance-enhancing drug users.
Mark Wilson, Getty Images
Giants minor league catcher Eliezer Alfonzo was suspended last June for 50 games after he failed a drug test.
Chris Graythen, Getty Images
Braves top prospect Jordan Schafer was suspended 50 games last season by the commissioner's office for violating the minor league drug program. Schafer was reportedly caught in possession of human growth hormone.
Elsa, Getty Images
In 2007, outfielder Jose Guillen received a 15-day suspension following media reports linking him to performance-enhancing drugs. Guillen's suspension was eliminated as part of baseball's new agreement on drug testing.
Jamie Squire, Getty Images
Outfielder Jay Gibbons was suspended in 2007 after being linked to HGH use. Following the suspension, Gibbons admitted receiving human growth hormone in 2005 and apologized, but was released by the Orioles before they opened the regular season. Gibbons signed a minor-league deal with the Marlins last month.
Scott A. Schneider, Getty Images
Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada was mentioned in the Mitchell Report in connection with reported purchases of steroids. In January 2008, the FBI announced that it launched an investigation into whether Tejada lied to federal investigators.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
In December 2007, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts issued an apology and admitted to using steroids on a single occasion in 2003 shortly after he was named in the Mitchell Report.
Doug Benc, Getty Images
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."
That would be 2003, the year he won the AL MVP, hit 47 homers, drove in 118 runs, and was generally impressive enough that the Yankees went out and traded for him after the season ended. Apparently he did all of that on testosterone and a steroid known as Primbolan. And really, 2003 was his worst season in Texas, not all that impressive compared with 2000-2002, 2005, or 2007.
I guess that "A-Fraud" talk won't be going away.
Friday, January 23, 2009
McGwire's brother about as bad as it gets
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3854411&name=olney_buster&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fespn%2fblog%2findex%3fentryID%3d3854411%26name%3dolney_buster
A candidate for least interesting story of the year so far, for me, is word that Mark McGwire's brother, Jay, has circulated a book proposal in which the brother says the former slugger used steroids.
I think the overwhelmingly one-sided public opinion on whether or not McGwire took steroids was cemented long ago, shaped largely by his refusal to testify about the issue before Congress on March 17, 2005. And now, four years later … NEWSFLASH: BROTHER SAYS MCGWIRE USED STEROIDS.
What's next?
NEWSFLASH, 2009: FORMER TEAMMATE CLAIMS NOLAN RYAN OCCASIONALLY DRILLED HITTERS INTENTIONALLY.
NEWSFLASH, 2009: NEW BOOK REVEALS RIPKEN HAD SERIOUS WORK ETHIC.
NEWSFLASH, 2009: FORMER CLUBHOUSE KID COMES OUT ON EVE OF HALL OF FAME INDUCTION AND SAYS RICKEY HENDERSON OFTEN SPEAKS OF HIMSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON.
This is almost worst than rubber-necking, trying to catch a glimpse of a wreck's aftermath. This is almost like pulling off to the side of the road to hang out and take digital shots of the cleanup.
The McGwire saga is almost entirely played out. He made his choices, including his decision to not testify openly at the Congressional hearing on March 17, 2005. For that, he will never get in the Hall of Fame, because his decisions that day cast him into an inescapable Catch-22.
If he says nothing, he'll probably continue to receive a vote total in the 25-percent range, as he has in his first three years on the Hall of Fame ballot. On the other hand, if he were to come out and admit that he used steroids, then I suspect about 40-50 percent of the writers would never vote for an acknowledged steroid-user.
And it's not absolutely clear, by the way, that McGwire really even spends his days fretting about all that. He certainly understands by now that he's been convicted in the court of public opinion, and the fact that his brother is indicating that McGwire used steroids doesn't change any of that; all it does is create a media squall that will go away in a few days, until the next McGwire-related tidbit drifts out from somebody trying to make a few bucks.
A lot of columnists are writing that he should come out and come clean and be open, for the sake of garnering forgiveness, for the sake of his Hall of Fame chances. If McGwire asked for my advice (and he wouldn't), I'd tell him that there would be only two reasons why he might want to speak out.
No. 1: He should open up if he is absolutely devoted to the idea of following up on his words from the March 2005 hearing and is willing to throw his whole heart and soul into the fight against steroid use. If this is something for which he does not have a deep passion, well, any suggestion from him that he wants to help would come off as insincere, a weak effort to win a few public-relations points in a battle he will never win.
Most importantly, No. 2: McGwire should talk about it if he feels it's important for the sake of his own children.
Several years ago, I worked on a piece on Ken Caminiti, and in the midst of a discussion about Caminiti with Wally Joyner, I asked Joyner benignly about whether he had spoken to his late teammate about steroids. And during that conversation, Joyner told me that he had asked Caminiti to get steroids for him, and that he had used them very briefly -- he took two pills before flushing the rest down a toilet.
What Joyner said that day was that he wanted the record straight for the sake of his daughters: He did not want somebody coming out after the fact and making accusations, leaving Joyner to explain himself to his children. Wally wasn't selling a book when he talked to me. He just wanted, above all else, to do the right thing as a parent.
Maybe McGwire doesn't need that. Maybe he's settled the whole issue with his kids. Maybe all the McGwires, except for the brother, have moved on.
Maybe it's time that the rest of us do, too.
Richard Justice feels this family squabble should never have gone public.
McGwire has been working out with Matt Holliday and Bobby Crosby.
A candidate for least interesting story of the year so far, for me, is word that Mark McGwire's brother, Jay, has circulated a book proposal in which the brother says the former slugger used steroids.
I think the overwhelmingly one-sided public opinion on whether or not McGwire took steroids was cemented long ago, shaped largely by his refusal to testify about the issue before Congress on March 17, 2005. And now, four years later … NEWSFLASH: BROTHER SAYS MCGWIRE USED STEROIDS.
What's next?
NEWSFLASH, 2009: FORMER TEAMMATE CLAIMS NOLAN RYAN OCCASIONALLY DRILLED HITTERS INTENTIONALLY.
NEWSFLASH, 2009: NEW BOOK REVEALS RIPKEN HAD SERIOUS WORK ETHIC.
NEWSFLASH, 2009: FORMER CLUBHOUSE KID COMES OUT ON EVE OF HALL OF FAME INDUCTION AND SAYS RICKEY HENDERSON OFTEN SPEAKS OF HIMSELF IN THE THIRD PERSON.
This is almost worst than rubber-necking, trying to catch a glimpse of a wreck's aftermath. This is almost like pulling off to the side of the road to hang out and take digital shots of the cleanup.
The McGwire saga is almost entirely played out. He made his choices, including his decision to not testify openly at the Congressional hearing on March 17, 2005. For that, he will never get in the Hall of Fame, because his decisions that day cast him into an inescapable Catch-22.
If he says nothing, he'll probably continue to receive a vote total in the 25-percent range, as he has in his first three years on the Hall of Fame ballot. On the other hand, if he were to come out and admit that he used steroids, then I suspect about 40-50 percent of the writers would never vote for an acknowledged steroid-user.
And it's not absolutely clear, by the way, that McGwire really even spends his days fretting about all that. He certainly understands by now that he's been convicted in the court of public opinion, and the fact that his brother is indicating that McGwire used steroids doesn't change any of that; all it does is create a media squall that will go away in a few days, until the next McGwire-related tidbit drifts out from somebody trying to make a few bucks.
A lot of columnists are writing that he should come out and come clean and be open, for the sake of garnering forgiveness, for the sake of his Hall of Fame chances. If McGwire asked for my advice (and he wouldn't), I'd tell him that there would be only two reasons why he might want to speak out.
No. 1: He should open up if he is absolutely devoted to the idea of following up on his words from the March 2005 hearing and is willing to throw his whole heart and soul into the fight against steroid use. If this is something for which he does not have a deep passion, well, any suggestion from him that he wants to help would come off as insincere, a weak effort to win a few public-relations points in a battle he will never win.
Most importantly, No. 2: McGwire should talk about it if he feels it's important for the sake of his own children.
Several years ago, I worked on a piece on Ken Caminiti, and in the midst of a discussion about Caminiti with Wally Joyner, I asked Joyner benignly about whether he had spoken to his late teammate about steroids. And during that conversation, Joyner told me that he had asked Caminiti to get steroids for him, and that he had used them very briefly -- he took two pills before flushing the rest down a toilet.
What Joyner said that day was that he wanted the record straight for the sake of his daughters: He did not want somebody coming out after the fact and making accusations, leaving Joyner to explain himself to his children. Wally wasn't selling a book when he talked to me. He just wanted, above all else, to do the right thing as a parent.
Maybe McGwire doesn't need that. Maybe he's settled the whole issue with his kids. Maybe all the McGwires, except for the brother, have moved on.
Maybe it's time that the rest of us do, too.
Richard Justice feels this family squabble should never have gone public.
McGwire has been working out with Matt Holliday and Bobby Crosby.
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