It is no secret that Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers.
After he was outed by Sports Illustrated’s Selena Roberts, he confessed.
I am one of the few people that believe that steroids do not help you center a baseball and hit home runs, but what it does do is help your recovery time and give you more energy throughout the season.
So, are the home runs tainted? Yes, some of them are.
The saddest part about all of this is that Alex never needed to do this to begin with.
As a young boy playing alongside Doug Mientkiewicz at Westminster Private School, with a No. 3 on the back of his jersey, he had talent from the start.
According to Rodriguez, it was the pressure of the big-time contracts which made him want to be more healthy and not get hurt, and that caused his use of drugs in the first place.
We’ll never really know how special Alex Rodriguez’s career could of been if he had never cheated.
However, one must think, how many people would be accusing him of cheating right now and not care about his achievements if 2009’s admission never happened?
I think a lot of this comes down to personal feelings towards Rodriguez.
If you don’t like the guy, and you don’t like the Yankees, that’s fine. But, you can’t sit there and hold it against his career numbers.
I understand the fact that you think his numbers are tainted because he cheated, but don’t banish him from the record books for the wrong reasons.
I am sure we will have this conversation when David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are near the end of their careers. At least Rodriguez admitted to getting his hand caught in the cookie jar. Other players have denied and turned the other cheek.
What it boils down to is that Rodriguez is 162 home runs away from tying Barry Bonds for the all-time home runs record. That is a fact. It is a shame it isn’t happening on better terms.
My take is, Rodriguez’s career can still be defined by what he does from 2009 and forward, and he can still sneak into the Hall of Fame.
A few more rings and playoff performances like he had last year can help his cause.
Go ahead, tell me Rodriguez will never hit like that in the postseason again. After all, you were probably the same one who said he wouldn’t ever hit in the postseason in the first place.
I see a lot of writers quick to judge Rodriguez, but I also see a lot of writers quick to change the subject when they are wrong.
With me, I think Rodriguez is different when we talk steroid-era players.
It is out there, admitted, and it is done with. Now, he is still playing, has some good years left, and deserves a second chance.
As upset towards him as I was, I will be my own judge and jury when it comes to A-Rod. As long as he performs well when it counts and has a good final five years of his career, he will be in a better place in my book.
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