The Elephant In The Room: Alex Rodriguez

by faketeams on Jun 25, 2009 3:00 PM EDT in Baseball

Following the kerfuffle stirred up by the mainstream media over Philadelphia Phillies' OF Raul Ibanez and steroids possibilities, there seemed to be have been diminished amount of steroids speculation. The New York Yankees' $300 million man, Alex Rodriguez, was forced to the bench for rest. What no one asked was whether the absence of steroids was the reason for the lack of production. Until Buster Olney of ESPN.com in his column today.

Following a novel surgery for a baseball player, the question is unfair given the simpler explanation of post-surgery recovery. However, baseball fans have seen repeated dissembling by the players, and no longer trust what any of them state publicly. Normally, I'd say the threat of perjury would be all I needed to suspend disbelief, but the testimony of Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Rafael Palmeiro puts the lie to that.

Is the inability to use steroids a legitmate avenue to pursue in trying to explain Alex Rodriguez's disappearing production?

Poll

Is the lack of steroids a legitmate question to ask about Alex Rodriguez?

No. The post-surgery explanation is the simplest.

40 votes

Yes. What makes you think he wasn't lying even when he claimed to stop using them when he became a Yankees?

42 votes

82 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro

One of these things is not like the other.

McGwire took the 5th; Sammy So-So and Palmeiro lied under oath, as did Bonds (and Tejada, IIRC).

I believe this is at least the second time you’ve made this error. You may not consider taking the 5th any more honorable than perjuring oneself, but only one of these is a crime.

by nuke187 on Jun 26, 2009 8:43 AM EDT reply actions

Occam's Razor

Without something concrete on A-Rod and steroids in the last year, I have to assume that the simple explanation of surgery is enough.

For now….

by Xavier. on Jun 26, 2009 12:27 PM EDT reply actions

Furthermore

I haven’t thought extensively about it, but on the surface Olney’s blog isn’t really all that different from the recent kerfuffle over bloggers and Raul Ibanez and steroids.

by Xavier. on Jun 26, 2009 12:40 PM EDT reply actions

Ding! Ding! Ding!

And from a much more widely read source.

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by faketeams on Jun 26, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions

So let me get this straight

When a blogger simply says we can’t rule out steroids, he’s lambasted on national TV, but when an ESPN writer does the same thing, minus a statistical analysis, it’s normal?

Why aren’t Rosenthal and his cronies calling out Buster Olney for his lack of “journalistic integrity” or whatever? I guess this is evidence that they were really attacking the possiblility of blogs beating them to a story rather than those posts’ content.

by Xavier. on Jun 27, 2009 1:05 AM EDT up reply actions