Coming Clean

Alex Rodriguez did the right thing by admitting the wrong that he did so many years ago. By coming out right away and admitting that he used steroids from 2001-2003, he will gain respect back from many fans who lost it just a few days ago. By not lying and dragging on a time consuming process, (see: Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens) he could put this ugly mess behind him like Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte did. The difference between Pettitte, Giambi, and Rodriguez is the fact that A-Rod has the chance to break a huge milestone. Not to mention he is arguably the best baseball player today. So only time will tell whether or not people will forgive and forget about an incident that happened when he was a young man.

You can’t help but feel that Rodriguez is telling the truth and doing it in a sincere way. He explains that he was young and naïve and wanted to make a statement after signing his monster deal with the Rangers: “I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform—and perform at a high level—every day.” This is just one of the many quotes from A-Rod’s interview with Peter Gammons. The video footage can be found here.

I am writing once again in defense for Alex. I believe that he did wrong in the first place by taking performance enhancing drugs but he did it in a time when it wasn’t illegal so I can understand his reasoning. I also believe that he is telling the truth about being clean since 2003. He has passed numerous steroid tests and even the mandatory ones for the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

As sad as it is to see another Major League baseball player caught using performance enhancing drugs, it is nice to know that a player of Alex’s caliber can face the media and tell the truth and get ready to move on in his career. He closed a sorry chapter in his life and he is now ready to write the next—staying clean.

So everybody who was quick to judge Alex and say he was just like Barry Bonds needs to think again. He didn’t hesitate and continually lie about his steroid use. If only Bonds did the same as Rodriguez, maybe he would have a lot more respect from fans who would see some sincerity in him.

Alex will not be penalized because the test was administered before there were penalties and I believe that’s how it should be. Don’t penalize someone for doing something when it wasn’t illegal. And don’t penalize someone for coming out and telling the truth (i.e. Hall of Fame voting in the future). As far as it stands in my eyes, Alex is a great baseball player who made one blunder and is ready to move forward. Let’s all allow him and baseball to do this.