On Tuesday, as he sat facing the assembled members of the media, and in fact the whole baseball universe, Alex Rodriguez was clearly entrenched in that proverbial “no-win,” situation. While he was being more forthright than many of his fellow MLB players who had been “outed,” for steroid use, he had no intention of telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
His press conference likely will serve to lessen the abuse he will take this season and perhaps shorten the length of time he spends in the white hot glare of an angry baseball public. In that sense, he accomplished what he likely set out to do. Alex is, as we know, all about Alex.
What it did not do, however, is the move us any closer to the end of our long National Pastime’s nightmare.
Look, it’s all well and good to admit guilt but, seriously, what’s the big deal when said admission occurs AFTER you have been forced to wear the red “S?” No, I’m sorry, ARod’s performance yesterday was a very transparent attempt to convince the baseball fans and, more importantly the members of the media with Hall of Fame voting credentials, that he should not be cast aside for a transgression born of youthful ignorance.
He wanted to ensure that the doors in Cooperstown remain open, if only a crack.
If the MLB players, the MLBPA and the MLB owners want to nudge the game down the road to recovery may I suggest a first step? Convince one of the 103 MLB Players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 (but not yet identified,) to come forward and publicly apologize for his actions. This gesture will be significantly more effective if the player is among the game’s best.
Imagine the public and media reaction? The cameras roll as this mythical player steps to the microphone to say something to the effect of, “We’ve done enough damage to this game and I can no longer live with this inside of me. I made a terrible mistake and any attempts to justify my actions will, and should, fall on deaf ears. I am truly sorry and want, more than anything else, for the game we love to move beyond this mess we’ve put it in. I call on my fellow players who also used banned substances to come forward and join me in this apology.”
I’m not holding my breath for this to happen, nor should you. Yet, one of the things I so love about the game of baseball is its unpredictability. The result is never assured until the final out is made. So, I will hold out hope that one of the anonymous 103 loves the game as much as we do and chooses to step forward rather than hide in the shadows.
There are two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Baseball needs a hero. Are there any left?
the pressure AROD has been under lately has been very intense…I’d say he’s handling it very well…the game needs to move on!
baseball has heroes, they’re just juiced!