Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003

Four sources independently told SI, apparently. He won his first MVP in 2003.

This definitely sucks for baseball if, as it looks like, it is true.

9 months ago NoahJ 33 comments 0 recs |

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talk about a rough year for ARod

by tcyoung on Feb 7, 2009 11:54 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

um, duh

Its seems pretty obviously looking back that A-Rod was on roids. Look at him when he was a rookie and what compared to what he looks like now, he HUGE. Now look at a class act who definately was not a roid guy, like Jeff Kent or Greg Maddux, both of whom just retired, had Hall of Fame caliber careers and do not have legs the size of tree trunks. Granted A-Rod probably wanted to increase his power when moving to 3B for the Yanks, but there are plenty of good 3Bmen that aren’t huge, Jeff Cirillo is a great local example who had a very solid career. Cal Ripkin Jr. is another guy who switched from SS to 3B, but didn’t bulk up and still hit 431 HR in his career.

by JayzTazay on Feb 7, 2009 12:44 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

oh yeah

and I forgot possibly the most obvious comparison. Chipper Jones, go google him, looks the same size he did when he was a rookie.

by JayzTazay on Feb 7, 2009 12:53 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

2003 was before the Yankees, when he was still a shortstop.

And I don’t think anybody would label Jeff Kent as a “class act.” He may not have been on steroids, but he was far from being a class act.

Eric Gagne DL time: May 23-June 29 Brewers record in that span: 20-9

by NoahJ on Feb 7, 2009 1:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Kent certainly doesn't appear to have ever used steroids....

…. but I don’t know if the words “class act” fit.

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 7, 2009 4:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

bulking up

I’ve always been a little skeptical of the idea that a player must be on ‘roids if he got bigger throughout his career. Professional baseball players are paid to be athletes. If you work out every day for 10 years, you’re going to be bigger than when you started. The argument could probably be used for a lot of players in this league, but you only hear it in hindsight.

by tcyoung on Feb 7, 2009 5:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I bet a lot of guys have bulked up from their first seasons in the minors (or whenever they were 18) to the middle of their careers. I’d guess at least one for every guy who hasn’t.

Interesting to see Jeff Kent described as a class act. He always played the game the right way, should be a Hall of Famer, and all that jazz, but it’s tough to make Barry Bonds the second-most hated member of a clubhouse. :)

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Feb 7, 2009 8:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jinx (on the Jeff Kent comment).

Though your comment, as always, was more detailed, and well, just better.

What curl do they do to make their heads get bigger in their mid 20’s or later?

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 8, 2009 9:13 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jheri

Obscure baseball records and more at my blog, Recondite Baseball.

by TheJay on Feb 8, 2009 9:35 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice.

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 8, 2009 9:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I honestly could care less about A-Rod, the Yankee drama, etc

but I hate what this means for baseball in general. People actually talk about this stuff, and it pisses me off to no end that A-Rod will now be the only baseball topic the general populace discusses for the entire season. I’m so glad we invented an alternative to mainstream sports media, because it is just so sickening. “Oh you’re a baseball fan? How about that A-Roid, huh?”

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Feb 7, 2009 12:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

you actually "couldn't care less"

sorry, it’s a pet peeve of mine. think about it, it makes sense, unless you’re trying to say you actually do care about A-Rod

by marty22 on Feb 7, 2009 8:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

hey

I’m supposed to be the one who picks stupid English mistakes. :)

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Feb 7, 2009 8:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

(picks up)

(is idiot)

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Feb 7, 2009 8:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You could have played that off like you were just being witty and self-deprecating instead of pointing it out and going all Chris Farley, you know.

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 8, 2009 9:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That's A-Fraud...

… or haven’t you heard?

I have an unreasonable dislike of Bill Hall.

by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Feb 8, 2009 9:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not surprised

What irritates me most is the continuing demonization of Barry Bonds for something it’s becoming increasingly obvious a huge percentage of players took part in. Will there be asterisks on A-Rod homerun balls and an outrageous, completely-unreported collusion against him by every team in the major leagues? I doubt it.

Bonds wasn’t friendly to the media and was way better than everyone else…get over it, America.

Ryan Braun: He loves it.

by SRB on Feb 7, 2009 1:24 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

and when he asks the mirror on the wall who exactly the fairest infielder in the land is, the mirror is still going to answer that Craig Counsell was the superior defensive player.

Sorry, A-Rod.

by morineko on Feb 7, 2009 1:31 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I cannot wait for the Dugout that will address this.

by HRF on Feb 7, 2009 2:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Well

at least he doesn’t play in a big media market. I am sure that this will all blow over very soon.
In an unrelated story I think Phelps just sent ARod a fruit basket.

September 15: Not a bad little Monday

by molitorfan on Feb 8, 2009 9:29 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

or maybe...

…this is all one big conspiracy between the federal government and USA swimming.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 8, 2009 6:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

the South Park guys

are on line 1 for you Jeff!

September 15: Not a bad little Monday

by molitorfan on Feb 8, 2009 8:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jeff Kent

Actually benefitted from steroids. Because he got to hit with Barry Bonds. If that makes any sense.

Maddux is a better example, because it clearly hurt him, having to hit against roided up players.

The real loser in all of this is Ken Griffey Junior. He is THE ONLY recent home run hitter whose numbers are real, right? The greatness of Griffey that is lost on all of us is really the sad thing.

by Rawiswar on Feb 8, 2009 9:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Frank Thomas

Scored three times and detonated an indisputable in four visits to the batting box.

by Jordan M on Feb 8, 2009 9:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jim Thome

Eric Gagne DL time: May 23-June 29 Brewers record in that span: 20-9

by NoahJ on Feb 8, 2009 9:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I was wrong. But Griffey is the best- 611 vs. FT-521, JT-541.It’s crazy how the list is littered with others that demean the numbers- A Rod, McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Palmeiro.

by Rawiswar on Feb 8, 2009 9:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If you want to go by total numbers, sure.

But if you break it down by HR/Game, Grifffey is at about 0.24, Thome is at about 0.25, and Thomas is at about 0.22. That may be a handpicked stat, but still.

Either wa, I do agree with you that it sucks to be any of those guys. I wonder how many home runs Bonds, et al. would have hit had they not been juicing.
I also wonder if A-Rod did steroids other years than 2003.

Eric Gagne DL time: May 23-June 29 Brewers record in that span: 20-9

by NoahJ on Feb 8, 2009 10:25 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m now to the point that I just don’t care about steroids anymore. Unless they announce the other 103 players from 2003 that tested positive it seems unfair to blast just one guy, even if he brings on a lot of the crap that he receives. If A-Rod is now out of the running for the Hall of Fame (like many are saying) then we are gonna get to a point where no one from the late 80’s on should be allowed into the Hall. If it took 5 or 6 years for this to get leaked then how can we trust that anyone is safe from speculation.

And the worst part of all this, Jose Canseco was right again. When Jose Canseco can be seen as a fountain of truth the world has been turned on its ear.

Frye is honestly gotta be one of the top 10 3rd Stringers in all of the NFL right now--colbyb

by verno329 on Feb 9, 2009 10:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I feel like Jose was treated unfairly.

He was branded as a liar because people didn’t want to believe him.

by tcyoung on Feb 9, 2009 10:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed

but its not like he was a thoroughly believable source to begin with. he had his own credibility issues, which is what makes all of his stuff from his books that much crazier

Frye is honestly gotta be one of the top 10 3rd Stringers in all of the NFL right now--colbyb

by verno329 on Feb 9, 2009 12:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

credibility

I feel like most of his credibility issues came from the fact that he was only dropping names when he was paid to do it. He seems like a dirty, greasy rat. It’s hard to believe somebody who is such a sketchy person to begin with, especially when he’s delivering bad news.

by tcyoung on Feb 9, 2009 2:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think A-Rods HOF case lies in how voters look at it.

A-Rod has now admitted to using steroids from 2001-2003, and I think if HOF voters just decide to throw those years out and look at the rest, he would still get in.

Though I suppose a lot of voters will probably look at it more from the moral/cheating standpoint, in which case he would be screwed. We’ll see how things go for Bonds in a few years, whether he’s completely shut down like McGwire is being. I think how voters go with Bonds will be reflected with A-Rod.

Eric Gagne DL time: May 23-June 29 Brewers record in that span: 20-9

by NoahJ on Feb 9, 2009 3:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

and anyway

that is a LONG way down the road. A-Rod could easily stick around another 8, maybe even 10 more years, meaning he won’t be up for the HOF until 2022-2025. I don’t know what’ll happen, but I’ll bet (and I hope!) that a lot will change in how we look at PEDs in the next 15 years.

Also, cheese.

by Jeff Sackmann on Feb 9, 2009 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

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