I'll bet most people, especially Yankee fans, would expect me to gloat about how great it is that A-Rod, a prima donna in every sense of the word, has been exposed as the A-Fraud that Joe Torre's book proclaimed him. You could not be more wrong.
You see, yes I am a Red Sox fan first and foremost, but I am also a baseball fan, and I know full well just what this revelation, and the subsequent news to come mean for my favorite sport. For all of his faults, Alex Rodriguez was the guy that was going to restore order to the most sacred sports record: the all-time home run leader. A-Rod was going to be the 'clean guy' who did it the right way. Now he will be thought of as no better than Bonds, McGwire, Clemens, and Sosa. I am not shocked, but I am very saddened. Is there anybody out there who is playing the game on skill alone? Of course there are, but those people have not stepped up and spoken out about this epidemic, or at least not enough have.
For those of you who have not heard the story I will quickly sum up what has been printed as of this time. Alex Rodriguez, the heir apparent to the home run title, tested positive for two banned substances, including one anabolic steroid, in 2003. That year he won the MVP while playing on the Texas Rangers. With A-Rod now labeled a 'cheat' there are no other players who could be named that would surprise me. Unfortunately, there are another 103 players who failed that same round of testing in '03 whose names will probably be leaked very soon. If there are any Red Sox on it I would not be surprised, I expect it. In fact, I already have ideas as to who might be on that list from the Sox, but obviously I am not going to name them here.
That is why I am not gloating about the Yankees having to deal with this mess, every other team will probably be dealing with it themselves soon. This is a very sad day for baseball as the golden boy has turned out to be no better than Barry Bonds, one of the most despised people ever in sports. The only thing Alex Rodriguez can do now is admit his mistakes and apologize and hope he is forgiven. If he comes out combative and in denial he will be ostracized much in the way Clemens and McGwire have been. If he denies and then further proof of his steroid use comes out who knows if the government might come knocking at his door too? The circumstantial evidence along with the positive test are overwhelming. Look at the Texas Ranger teams he played on. If you cross check the rosters from 2001-03 with and list of steroid users you will be shocked at how many were on that team. It seems as though the Rangers were the mecca of users throughout the 90's and into the early part of this decade.
In closing, I am very sad and disappointed that the man who was supposed to wrest the home run title from the clutches of Barr-oid is no better than him. No matter what he does from this day forward A-Rod's legacy is forever tarnished. All of the numbers, his chances at the Hall of Fame, his spot in history, they have all been rendered meaningless because he was too insecure to simply play with his God given talent. I actually feel bad for him and the Yankees because this will not go away. If anything it will only get worse in the coming weeks and months. It's another black eye for baseball in a long line of black eyes.
