A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs)

[Ediacara]

Source: ESPN

ESPN.com

His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001.

"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day," Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons in an interview in Miami Beach, Fla. "Back then, was a different culture. It was very loose. I was young, I was stupid, I was naïve. I wanted to prove to everyone I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.

"I did take a banned substance. For that, I'm very sorry and deeply regretful."

Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3894847

[snooper2]

1. Oh that's no big deal A-Rod...

not like you smoked a doobie or something :rofl:

[marshall]

38. They're all dirty, just like politicians

Politicians don't pay taxes, athletes take steroids and anything else to win. It's just the way life is.

[MrPerson]

2. Good. Now drop down and give me twenty.

[fjc]

Forget the wars and rumers of wars...

that we've become so god damned punitive to me seems more a sign of decline than anything else.

[Bake]

3. He regrets getting caught!

He doesn't regret winning the MVP or whatever ...

Bake

[RiverStone]

4. Does this mean he has earned a * by his name in the record books?

* = performance enhanced by banned substance

[Tempest]

5. They weren't banned at the time

Baseball had no policy towards steroids or other substances in 2001.

And A-Fraud didn't fall into Bonds and McGuire's trap of lying about it.


At the very least he should be forced to forfeit his MVP trophies for 2003 and 2005.

[JackintheGreen]

19. I believe they were banned in 2001

but there were no associated penalties. Sure, it may amount the same thing, but it's just not accurate to say they weren't banned.

(I think...)

[Tempest]

20. Banned in 2002, although not technically

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/13/entertainment/main666580.shtml

They weren't technically banned, there was just an agreement between the commissioner's office and the player's union.

But there were no real penalties (first time: treatment, second time: 15 day suspension).


It wasn't until BALCO they changed the agreement.

[BklnDem75]

39. He still cheated

The * is for using a substance to give him an edge, not for lying to prosecutors.

[Tempest]

42. That's my point

If I were the commissioner, I'd boot him from baseball.

Not for the use, but for lying on national TV.

He's not good for the game.

[GodlessBiker]

6. I was young? 2001-2004. That was 5 years ago.

[calico1]

10. So he was what? 28? 29?

He's right. He was just a dumb kid.

What does anyone know when they are 29?

They just took advantage of him. Poor baby.

:sarcasm:

[strategery blunder]

7. No he doesn't regret it at all.

How else would he have made his million$?

He only regrets that the story leaked...cue crocodile tears from the camera.

And people wonder why I hate sports. :grr:

[blueclown]

11. If we are to take him at his word..

...he took steroids AFTER he earned his first big contract with the Rangers.

[benld74]

8. But I still deserve the 20 million a year I get,,,,

[calico1]

9. Is everyone in baseball on steroids?

Good lord.

I guess he earned the nickname A-Fraud.

[Oregone]

12. Who cares?

If I saw a suitcase full of 20 million, Id damn well steal it (its freedom after all).

If I had to inject something into me, before someone gave me a suitcase, Id do it to. The world is full of hypocrites.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Psephos]

25. Three issues here

1. Athletes who use banned PEDs raise their performance relative to those who don't. That causes their market value relative to those who play by the rules. Their larger salaries and bonuses come at the expense of their now lesser-performing colleagues, whose market value declines. In short, it's a financial cheat.

2. Steroid use is associated with a roster of dangerous health problems. When big-name athletes use them, it sends a powerful signal down the chain, all the way to college and high-school players, almost all of whom will never be professionals. That signal is: use steroids or sit on the bench. Uncounted thousands of HS and college athletes currently use them because of the sub rosa tolerance that has crept through our culture.

3. The every-man-for-himself mentality directly opposes the most basic ideals of progressivism.

[bowens43]

13. What's an A-Rod and why should I care? nt

[Crowman1979]

14. Can't wait for the entertainment from the audience reaction in Boston!

LOL

[nyc 4 Biden]

15. Mr. Selig, Tear down those records!

These cheaters must be dealt with. It helps that he is a Yankee.

(Go Mets!)

[ryanmuegge]

17. He's a hell of a player with or without the steroids. People just have it in for him

because they don't like his personality.

All of the A-Rod hatred says a lot more about those who are doing the hating than A-Rod.

With that said, I was happy to see Clemons go down in flames. He's a hell of a player, too, but he's a much bigger a-hole and prima donna than A-Rod.

[Tempest]

21. According to ex-Texas Ranger players

A-Fraud was an asshole prima donna as well.

Anyone can be a hell of a player on steroids.

As A-Fraud proves.

[ryanmuegge]

24. His numbers were great before he was on steroids.

His numbers were speak for themselves. This is a player with talent so overwhelming that it can't be attributed completely to steroids.

At least A-Rod never held teams hostage with "will he or won't he?" soap opera like Clemons used to. As far as the prima donna a-hole thing goes, I think Clemons was much worse (though he also has a level of talent that can't be attributed completely to steroids).

[ninety lives]

30. Some of these people who allegedly took steroids

....are insanely talented anyway. The press are such idiots. All they write about are home runs. It's like they're not even watching the game.

[Tempest]

36. His numbers were good before and after the steroids

They were great when he was on steroids.

Sporting News has the breakdown and the steroid use is evident in the numbers.

[barb162]

47. I noticed his numbers were really good when he was on steroids.

He should be sanctioned somehow.

[Tempest]

56. All his offensive stats jumped from 2001 to 2003

When he was taking steroids.

His before and after numbers were not as good. Especially in home runs and on-base percentage.

[TankLV]

49. Who says there was a "before' and "after" - he ALWAYS been on drugs and he's STILL LYING!!!

His only "greatness" is due SOLELY to his use of ILLEGAL drugs.

We just haven't been able to prove all the rest of the time - yet.

Just like that OTHER lying cheating ASSHOLE that LIED about HIS drug use.

Give it time - he will be eventually proven to be the fucking LYING ASSHOLE that he always has been....

[Tempest]

55. He's been tested since he came up positive in 2003

And all subsequent tests have been negative according to a union rep.

[TankLV]

48. He's a fucking lying cheating ASSHOLE. Period. He LIED about his drug use.

What makes you think he's no lying about the REST of the time he played.

I'd bet he was, is, and always WILL be a stinking lying cheating ASSHOLE.

We only have his RECORD to go on, and so far the only recorde is that he is a STINKING LYLING CHEATING ASSHOLE.

He just hasn't been CAUGHT red handed all the other time...

Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

[TankLV]

50. All of the APOLOGISTS says a lot more about the fucking APOLOGISTS than even fucking A(sshole) Rod.

It's laughable if it wasn't so sad...

[kevinds13]

18. Why all the piling on?

He admitted it and owned up to it, more than others have done. Sure, he's only saying it cause he got caught...but lets face facts:

Steroids were NOT banned substances back then because there was no testing policy whatsoever.

So you expect an athlete to not take something that will
1. Make them play better
2. Make them train harder
3. Make them better at their job
And most importantly
4. Make them more money because of the previous 3 reasons


Does anyone really expect them to not take shit?

[Tempest]

22. Actually they were banned back when he was taking them

"His voice shaking at times, Alex Rodriguez met head-on allegations that he tested positive for steroids six years ago, telling ESPN on Monday that he did take performance-enhancing drugs while playing for the Texas Rangers during a three-year period beginning in 2001."


The steroid policy was put into place in 2002. So he was taking them for two years after the ban.

[ninety lives]

29. Steroids are unhealthy, for one thing

First of all, I am not sure what "substance" the press is talking about. All A-Rod said was that he took a "banned substance".

I'm not even clear about what he took. Steroids wreak havoc on your body, why any self-respecting athlete would take them
is beyond me, unless he "experimented" with them. In that case, I'm not sure what effect they would really have on his performance.

To be frank, I'm not sure they make any difference at all. They make you stiff and unhealthy in the long run. But the real point is
that they are unhealthy - you can get acne, back hair, heart problems. I'd be afraid of getting cancer from some of those things.

It just seems like their "positive" effects are over-rated by the media. Why they would do this is beyond me.
They are not going to turn an ordinary guy into a superstud, just make him "harder".

[IDFbunny]

60. If anabolics are so dangerous, where are the bodies?

Expecting Arnold to keel over any day now?

[pimpbot]

32. Actually, HE LIED and said he never used them

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/13/60minutes/main3617425.shtml

Katie Couric asked him a year ago if he ever used steroids and he said NO. HE LIED. Now that there is evidence, he changed his tune. He admitted nothing on his own, he was FORCED into admittance.

Steriods were BANNED, but there was no penalty for using them.

What a fine example he is to our youth. Do anything to get ahead? Sounds like our previous administration and their cronies, and it sounds like you endorse that behavior.

[TankLV]

52. Why - because HE WENT ON TV AND LIED ABOUT IT ALL!!!

and he's STILL LYING about it!!!

Good god, wake up and smell the coffee...

I wonder if you were one of his idiot defenders back when he LIED ON TV...

[sarcasmo]

23. Every record broke in the 90's should have a * by the record. Cal Ripken may have the only true

Record since the 90's.

[excess_3]

26. these substances were illegal at the time?

if yes, how so?
felony or misdemeaner?

[MilesColtrane]

27. Let's here it for the once and future all-time home run leader....

..Mr. Hank Aaron!!

[The Shape]

33. Hank clean?

Hank's own teammate said several players on that ballclub were taking steroids you wouldn't give to a horse. How can we be so sure Hank wasn't using performance enhancers, or greenies? Baseball has a long history of "cheating..."

[MilesColtrane]

37. An honest though experiment:

You propose to Bonds and Aaron that each take a polygraph test about their involvement with PEDs to set the historical record to rest for all time.

Which one would balk at that, and which one would willingly take it?

I bet Barry just wouldn't have time to do it, seeing as how he's busy defending himself against perjury and obstruction.

[The Shape]

40. Hank

Hank admitted to using amphetamines...why does he get a free pass?

If I were Bonds or A-Rod, I would sue MLB.

[Tempest]

43. Amphetamines don't give you an edge

In fact, studies have shown they hinder athletes.

I'd like to see a cite for Aaron admitting to using amphetamines.

[The Shape]

44. They don't?

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2006/04/02/PBP_AMPHET_0402.html

"Greenies, a nickname coined by ballplayers because of the color of the pills, were introduced to the game in the 1940s. These amphetamines speed up the heart rate and have been proven to fight fatigue, increase alertness and sharpen reaction time. Athletes have used them to challenge the limits of endurance — and mask the accompanying pain."

The link below is also a good read and mentions how Hank Aaron admitted to using "one greenie."

http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/socalsportsfan/2007/06/22/The_X_Files_Hank_Aaron

[Tempest]

54. No, they don't

While amphetamines create the illusion of improved energy and sports performance, they do not actually help an athlete perform better. They tend to distort an athlete’s judgment and perception of his performance to the point where he thinks he is doing better than can be objectively measured. He may even play injured and ignore injury warning signs.

Despite all these side effects, many athletes continue to falsely believe that amphetamines will provide a performance advantage and continue to use them. The majority of the research on amphetamine use and sports performance shows that taking amphetamines prior to an event has no benefit. It simply makes an athlete feel they are performing better, but in fact they often performance at a lower level than without the drug.


http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/performanceenhancingdrugs/a/Amphetamines.htm

[The Shape]

59. Good article

Isn't it same to assume that since Hank did take "one greenie," that he was looking for an edge? Tom House never named anyone specific, but I don't think it's a stretch to question Aaron's HR record.

I understand why people don't like Bonds, but is this not a waste of tax payer money? No one forced Barry or A-Rod to use steroids, but MLB certainly wasn't minding when they were cashing the checks...look at the McGwire/Sosa Homerun race for proof of that.

[MilesColtrane]

45. self deleted

[MadHound]

28. Another who cheated to get to the top

He should be denied the Hall of Fame and his, along with every other 'roid user's record, should be taken down.

At least he had the courage to admit this, unlike Bonds who went down lying.

[daggahead]

31. Let's set an example ...

Kick his ass out of the league for good.

[Aristus]

34. Screw you, Pay-Rod. Those of us in Washington haven't forgotten what a tool you are.

As far as I'm concerned, using performance enhancing drugs is just a way of saying you ain't got no game. Go collect your paycheck and STFU.

[TEXASYANKEE]

35. How do we know he's not still using?

After all, he lied to Couric in '07. How do we know he's not lying now?

And what happens to him now?

[TankLV]

53. Exactly. He's a PROVEN LYING ASSHOLE. We should NOT assume he's telling the truth now...

we'd be all better for it...

[specimenfred1984]

41. America's Pastime: Lying, Cheating and Getting Caught Then Rinse Repeat

He's only sorry he got caught, just like the rest of the sociopaths in business that "feel pressure".

[classysassy]

46. $5,000.00

for the bush campaign in 04,just another cheating,lying republican fraud.

[patrick t. cakes]

51. dear god why do i care?

?

[TommyO]

57. His new nickname: A-Roid*

I can't take credit for it, I heard it on the radio this morning.

[foxfeet]

58. My dyslexia kicked in and I read the headline as

A-Rod admits, regrets use of PedEgg.

Oops.