A-Rod's Press Conference Leaves us With More Questions

If you were unable to see Alex Rodriguez’s press conference today I’m sure you’ve already seen countless clips on Sportscenter and/or read all about it online. A-Rod did go into more detail about his steroid use, where he got it, who supplied it, and how many times he did use from 2001-2003. Rodriguez states his cousin supplied him with an over the counter drug from the Domincan Republic known to him as ‘boli’. This drug was intended as an energy booster and Rodriguez states he injected it roughly twice a month for 3 years.

Rodriguez claims that he did feel more energy but its was “ hard to say” if the drug was actually effective. This was one statement where I feel Alex was not particularly honest about. Why inject something roughly 36 times in 3 years if its not having a positive effect on you? I definitely feel the drug had a positive effect on him, whether it gave him more energy or it helped him recover day-to-day from the grueling heat of a Texas summer is pure speculation but obviously the drug did something good for his body. I really don’t think this drug enhanced his performance on the field a great deal.

I don’t want to get into the debate of whether or not steroids truly enhance your on field play, but if Alex is being honest that his use was only confined to 2001-2003 then we’ve seen him put up 10 great clean seasons. You do see a slight decrease in his home run totals since 2004 from his 3 year average in Texas. But you could contribute that from leaving an excellent hitters park in Texas and moving to Yankee Stadium a bad place to hit for right handed batters.

One thing I’ve noticed is a lot of the media has been questioning A-Rod’s refusal to give his cousin’s name. In the press conference, when asked what his cousin’s name is Alex states he didn’t think it was necessary to reveal his name and that Alex made the mistake himself and he was there to take the blame. Media members, especially WFAN’s Mike Francesa was not pleased that Alex refused to name his cousin. He questioned Alex’s honesty for not giving the mans name. This is something I applaud Alex for. Why would Alex want to drag his cousin into this media circus and also possible legal trouble. Yes, Alex’s cousin did commit a crime and bring an illegal drug into this country but would anyone actually rat out a family member for something they were primarily involved in. This was not a violent crime and as far as we know they weren’t operating a drug ring, it was 6 years ago so this mans identity is not relevant.

Another thing I have heard people questioning Alex on is his statement that he never saw any other players using performance enhancers. Well, of course he is going to say that! Even if he did see others in the game use he is not going to essentially blacklist himself among other players. Alex as we know already struggles with his popularity in the clubhouse, naming names would basically destroy any respect from current and future teammates for the rest of his career. I also believe if he were to identity players who have used it could be potentially harmful to him on the field. He would almost assuredly face being thrown at or spikes up slides at third.

I do commend Alex for coming out with the information that he used the supplement Ripped Fuel while in Seattle. This is currently a banned substance but at the time was sold over the counter at GNC. He claims he has never used HGH.

Overall, I was as satisfied as I guess you can be with Alex’s press conference. I share the same sentiment as Alex where I just want to put this behind us and get to playing baseball. I do believe he was honest about his years of use to an extent. I don’t think at this point he would risk committing career suicide if it came to light that he used performance enhancers in any other seasons. All anyone can ask for in this situation is the truth, and I think we got as much of it as we are going to get. Although, sadly for Alex his omissions of the truth and holes in his story mean that this won't be going away anytime soon. Especially if Selena Roberts' book on A-Rod, which is due to be released in April has factually accurate information that conflicts with what A-Rod has or has not been telling us.

He won’t be penalized by the MLB, his numbers wont be taken away, there’s nothing that can be accomplished by dragging this issue out any further. I don’t think Alex was correct when, speaking to his teammates, he says “It will be the best season of our lives”. I do agree with him when he stated “ Baseball is bigger than Alex Rodriguez”. He’s absolutely right. Spring training is here, so lets leave this drama behind and play ball!

-Robb Lennahan