Some video from A-Rod's upcoming interview with Peter Gammons has been released, and may be seen at espn.com.
In the excerpts, A-Rod does make a forthright confession: "I did take a banned substance - for that I'm very sorry and deeply regretful." But the excerpts also raise some questions that I hope are answered in the full interview:
A-Rod: When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt I had the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level, every day.
Presumably you had similar pressure when you joined the Yankees in 2004. What caused you to react differently than when you joined Texas?
Gammons: You're saying that the time period was 2001, 2, 3?
A-Rod: That's pretty accurate, yes.
A-Rod deserves credit for admitting to more than was in the story that broke over the weekend, which only mentioned a failed test in 2003. But if you're really going to come clean, you've got to do better than, "that's pretty accurate."
A-Rod: To be quite honest, I don't know exactly what substance I was guilty of using.
Considering that A-Rod is making this confession after a published report said he tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan, why not at least admit to that? Keeping everything vague raises more questions than it answers. And, once again, we are asked to believe that a top athlete has no idea what he is putting into his body.
I look forward to hearing the rest of the interview.
I respect him for coming clean. If he stays focused and determined, the Yanks can have a great season. Let's hope that's what happens.
ReplyDeleteemperor, I know that you are eager to find forgiveness in your heart considering your affinity for aroid. let's be fair though, he had no choice but to admit to cheating. otherwise he would have looked like an even bigger jacka$$. and jon is right, his apology was pretty vague. he gets no respect. he cheated, and only fessed up when he was caught.
ReplyDeletekm
Granted, but at least he didn't pull a Clemens and continue to lie and lie and try to convince everyone.
ReplyDeleteI'm more eager for baseball to start already.
I just think there's really more important things for me to spend my energy on. I expressed my disppointment, talked about eating crow, but I'm ready to move on now. I'll forgive him better if he helps us win a championship.
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ReplyDeleteyou're right, he didn't pull a clemens or a bonds. smart move by him and his people. he did pull a pettitte though. it worked for andy, but it will be tough for afraud. he is already such a polarizing figure. we know the response he will get on the road, but I wonder what kind of reception yankee fans will give him?
ReplyDeletekm
Yankee fans are going to give him a mixed reception. Some will boo every time he makes out. Some will get behind him and support him because he is playing for our team and I feel that you're supposed to root for the players on your team to do well.
ReplyDeleteI think if fans of other teams tell him how much they love him, he's be fine. When the Yanks play the Mets this year, I want for you to hold up a sign telling him that he has your undying support, and even though you root for the Mets, you will always see him as a hero.
That will make things so much better!!
LOL!!
i don't know about the mixed reception from yankee fans. he is not the most popular player to begin with, add this embarassment to the pile of stupid things he has done so far and it may be the straw that broke the camels back. i think it is going to be a tough time for aroid. at least he has 300 million in yankee bucks to comfort him though.
ReplyDeletekm
If he has a monster year like he did in '07, and if we make it to the playoffs and he doesn't choke, fans will play the fair-weather fickle card and forgot all about this.
ReplyDeleteIf not, he'll ceremoniously booed as usual.
Wanna trade A-Rod for Wright?
ReplyDeleteWilbur or Orville?
ReplyDeleteYanks cheered Giambi when he came back.
As a baseball fan i definately want this to blow over...but we all know it will not.
ReplyDeleteBest thing for ARod is to take an F-U mentality like the 2007 Patriots did after Spygate. Although we know how that ended.
i think i'll hold on to wright. he's clean, for now at least. good kid with a good attitude as well, kind of the anti-afraud.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't use the word respect, but I do give him credit for being smart enough to take what seems to be the best possible path. Although he doesn't come across as genuine - ok, admittedly I'm biased.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if he produces the Bronx faithful will be forgiving and if not it will be brutal...but is that different than any other year for ARod?
Cheers!
Everyone - I had a long day away from the computer (and from the TV) today. So I haven't seen the Gammons video. I am surprised A-Rod did the interview with him, and not, say, Michael Kay.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I can watch the video, I will squawk about it. Thanks to Squawker Jon for holding down the fort today.
Just imagine you were caught cheating or you know you did something illegal. Then you were told this records were going to be destroyed.
ReplyDeleteAt that moment, you must feel relieved knowing there were going to be no consequences.
You've been given a second chance and thank the Lord, the Universe, or your choice of superior being. Most likely you will stick to a story of living your life cleanly.
Then, five year later someone leaks a story of what you did. How would you react?
That is a real Catch-22, damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Emperor: "If he stays focused... " And if the subways run on time... In other words, sure, it's possible, but I wouldn't bet the price of a token on either one.
ReplyDeleteAnd the key words you gave are "continue to lie." It would be one thing if he'd told Katie Couric what Mark McGwire told Congress: "I'm not here to talk about the past." (I'm still wondering how Big Mac got away with that, without getting further grilled. I know a lot of conservatives are Cardinal fans, but... )
And if A-Roid does finally help the Yankees win a World Series, I still won't forgive him. He has embarrassed us too much. Maybe they can give him a ring with an asterisk-shaped diamond. One of these days, I'm going to have to post on my blog New York's 10 Most Embarrassing Baseball Players. I wonder if I'll think of one more embarrassing than Alex Rodriguez.
Anon: It's not just that his apology was vague, it's that it seemed totally insincere. As you suggested, he's more sorry that he got caught. Andy Pettitte seemed sorry. Jason Giambi seemed sorry -- especially since he'd already begun to feel some physical manifestations of steroid abuse. I don't see any remorse with A-Roid. (Neither, apparently, does Paul from Boston, and for once I agree with him.)
As for hanging onto David Wright, if you're going to have a third baseman who puts up big numbers from April through August and then disappears thereafter, it's better to have one that's clean. And, as far as we know, the Mets do.
And, finally, Lisa: I'm glad you brought up Michael Kay as, had Alex chosen him for the interview, a bad choice. Remember that "CenterStage" interview, before Alex was brought here? Kay said that A-Rod playing in Texas was like hanging the Mona Lisa in the bathroom. Well, Mr. Kay, what stinks now? (Where's Bob Raissman when you need him?)