Is A-Rod's latest story on why he failed tests the truth?

[Redbear]

It sounds better than the "something you could get at GNC" story, but it still seems pretty shaky to me.

[cboy4]

1. No, no .. sit down Redbear .. I'll post the story information since

you seem to assume we all have ESP or something.



POST STAFF REPORT

Last updated: 3:01 pm
February 17, 2009

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez today admitted taking a substance known as "bole" acquired with his cousin in the Dominican Republic.

<snip>

Sports Illustrated reported last Saturday that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan in 2003.

Last Monday, Rodriguez told ESPN's Peter Gammons he did take "banned substances" from 2001-03, his time in Texas, though he claimed to not know what they were.

Today, he said, "I experimented with a banned substance that eventually triggered a positive test," referring to what he and his cousin were using.

"I didn't think they were steroids, part of being young and stupid," Rodriguez said. "It was over the counter pretty, it was pretty basic.

"It was amateur hour."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02172009/sports/yankees/a_rod_press_conference_155638.htm

http://d.yimg.com/img.news.yahoo.com/util/anysize/400,http%3A%2F%2Fd.yimg.com%2Fa%2Fp%2Fap%2F20090217%2Fcapt.5bae51ef29044ed49bd4471e8731887c.yankees_spring_baseball_flgp101.jpg

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez addresses the media at George Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

[Upton]

3. "I didn't think they were steroids"

Whats up with that? Sounds like A-Fraud is lying..

[cboy4]

6. The blogesphere is going wild saying "bole" is the Dominican

street term for Primobolan.

Just google "bole Primobolan dominican" or something like that.

[trumad]

7. Sound's like the Clear defense.

[Upton]

10. That's because your hatred of Bonds

has affected your judgment...though you're far from alone.

[madinmaryland]

17. Pete and Repeat in action!

[cboy4]

4. Some good points I found, since I don't want to be accused of

being biased raising them myself.



Joel Sherman of the Post tried to tie Rodriguez down on the matter of how in the world a $252 million athlete who otherwise takes great care of his body could be, if Rodriguez’s account is accurate, so foolhardy as to not know what he was taking or how to take it. Rodriguez repeated his “young and stupid” defense.

==

First really good question (and a form of follow-up) came from Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, who asked Rodriguez why, if he didn’t think what he was taking was wrong, he was so secretive and so reluctant to ask about proper procedure during the 2001-03 seasons. Rodriguez paused for a while, clearly cornered, and said, “That’s a good question. I knew what we were taking weren’t Tic-Tacs. I knew that it was, potentially could be something that perhaps was wrong.”

I guess it all depends on what your definition of “was” was.

==

A reporter asked Rodriguez whether his 2001-03 seasons should be wiped out of the record books. Rodriguez replied, “That’s not for me to decide,”

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/as-it-happens-watching-a-rod/?hp



Alex Rodriguez at a press conference about his use of performance-enhancing drugs on Tuesday in Tampa, Fla.

[BOSSHOG]

5. Why all this A-Rod Hate??

the guy made a mistake and fessed up to it. Its not as if he is the lying sack of shit monster you love so well. Damn c-boy you can be so ugly sometimes.

[cboy4]

8. You know what BOSS? If you're being serious, and I know we

all have a lot of fun joking around.

But if you're serious, you're one of the biggest fucking hypocrites.

Now I'll give you a chance to say you forgot to include a sarcasm smilie.

But if you tell me you're not joking ... oh boy.

You better cover your ears.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Do you talk to your dog with that mouth?

I never use a sarcasm emoticon.

Why cover my ears?? because barry's gonna start hollering at me with that big mouth?

[erpowers]

2. The College Issue and Media Reports

I will acknowledge that I did not watch the interview/press conference. However, there have been some tidbits reported on ESPN and I am minorly upset with those quotes and the media's reaction. First, I do not think A-Rod should have used the "I wish I had gone to college" to grow up excuse. As for as I know A-Rod was 23 when he signed the contract with the Texas Rangers. I think by 23 he could have been mature enough to know and decide not to use steroids/banned substances. Second, while watching a small portion of the reporting on ESPN one of the reporters asked the question how do we know A-Rod was not using something before or after he went to the Texas Rangers. From what I saw on the ticker at the bottom of the screen at ESPN, A-Rod admitted that he used a substance from GNC which is now banned and may have been taken off the shelf (I guess we now know why A-Rod mentioned GNC so many times in his first interview). So, we do know he was doing something before he went to the Texas Rangers. Maybe we do not know whether he was using steroids but, he was using something before he went to the Texas Rangers.

[LSdemocrat]

11. I think it's believable enough

These are baseball players were talking about. They've never really had to develop much in the way of scientific reasoning skills in order to get ahead.

Everything I've heard or read about most professional athletes has led me to believe that the vast majority of these people are, say, less than stellar intellectually when having to discuss something other than the sport they play.

[cboy4]

12. You really think a baseball player with a quarter of a billion

contract is going to dump something he doesn't know about into his body.

Steroids?

Yea, I can see an athlete going to such lengths to do the human growth hormone.

But I just don't believe A-Rod would risk his career and overwhelming life of luxury, on some over the counter shit his cousin told him about.

[LSdemocrat]

14. Let's just say I don't think I'd trust the guy to summarize a warning label

or for that matter know the difference between good science and what the guys are saying around the locker room.

[cboy4]

15. Why? Does he have a learning disability?

You don't think he knows how to google.

I mean .. no offense, but you make it sound like these players are all mentally retarded.

[LSdemocrat]

19. I'm just saying if you never force someone to use and develop their brain . . .

they're not terribly likely to develop the same reasoning skills that even the average person has. Heck the guy was drafted at the age of 17, and God knows how young he was when he realized that he could just focus on sports instead of needing to take his classes seriously.

[cboy4]

22. Alright, fair enough ... you're obviously entitled to your

opinion, even though I don't believe A-Rod is a dumb as you charge.

[madinmaryland]

16. "risk his career and overwhelming life of luxury, on some over the counter shit his cousin told him"

or..

"risk his career and overwhelming life of luxury, on some over the counter flaxseed oil his cousin told him about."

Nice post!!


:rofl:

[cboy4]

18. I'm sure Barry plaid very close attention to the GNC salespeople

before he purchased his supplements.




I'm also sure Mr. $250,000,000.00-dollar Alex -- the highest paid MLB player in history, payed very close attention also to what was going in his body.

[madinmaryland]

20. Didn't Barry pay his "plaid" Balco salesman, who is a convicted FELON, a lot

of money to juice up.

:shrug:

[cboy4]

21. Time to come to the conclusion that Barry is innocent of all

of your outrageous charges.

Even desperate prosecutors know the handwriting is on the wall, considering they're trying to bribe/intimidate sweet-talk Barry's former goddam personal shopper, by having the poor thing testify.

Tragic.

[madinmaryland]

23. What is truly tragic, cboy, is the lives ruined by the folks who

continue to support those that will not denounce the use of chemical substances such as steroids for the enhancement of their "performance"

[MrPerson]

13. My dog ate my steroids.

[MrSlayer]

24. No. And I'm starting to not care about this subject anymore.

It's been so widespread and rampant for the past 20 years that you can just about consider everyone playing on a level field. As we had the "Dead Ball" era, so we have the "Steroid" era.

[Redbear]

25. Actually, the 2003 survey tested 1198 players and only 104

tested positive. That's a huge number, but it's still only 9% of the total.

100% of players had to play with the dead ball.

It's a horrible reality that the numbers put up by the 90% of players who didn't juice are tainted by the actions of a minority of players.

That's why Clemens, ARod, Bonds, McGwire should have no place in the HOF.

[jakefrep]

26. He confessed to using steroids

What the hell else do people want from him?

[hugo_from_TN]

27. How about the truth?

He knew it was steroids - knew it was illegal - still wanted the competitive advantage.

Young & Stupid is a BS excuse.

[jakefrep]

28. He admitted using steroids, isn't that the truth?

The rest of the story is irrelevant.