Seriously though — reporters can’t get enough
Let’s talk about youthful indiscretion. Jon Heyman and Ben Reiter of SI don’t buy Alex Rodriguez’s notion that he was “young and dumb.” They think he’s trying to blame the steroid use on his age and immaturity rather than fess up and say, “I wanted to be even better.”
The thing is, it doesn’t matter what Jon Heyman and Ben Reiter wanted A-Rod to say. At the end of the day, he said what was necessary in order to look like a remorseful idiot (yes, that’s right). If he would have said, “I wanted to dominate, I wanted to be better than the best, better than the rest” — how do you think fans would have reacted? That looks terrible, I’m sorry, but it really does. No matter what Reiter, in particular, may claim, saying you’re young and dumb (he was 24-27) always works in your favor, especially with males.
Also, people seem to be forgetting that A-Rod admitted to using the drug for its “energy” gains and in the ESPN interview, remember, he said that he wanted something that would help him play everyday, in Texas. To forget that and act as if A-Rod attributed his steroid use solely to his youth is simply inaccurate (it makes for good copy, though).
While the press conference may light a fire under some sports writers, I can say with certainty that, after the conference, Alex looks better in the eyes of fans. Further, after continued criticism of every detail in A-Rod’s story, I can also say that fans will quickly become tired with the scrutiny and will grow weary of the holier than thou attitude exhibited by the media. Baseball is bigger than Alex Rodriguez, something A-Rod mentioned in his presser, yet the media coverage says otherwise.
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7 Responses to Leave A-Rod Alone
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TIQ IQ
yeah, the writers saying he blamed it solely on youth or did not take responsibility are ignoring a lot of his words while focusing on a few of them. Taken out of context, some of the “I was young” comments seem bad. But viewed as a whole, I think Alex was about as forthcoming as you could have hoped, and more so than any other player who has admitted steroid use.
Oh, and Chris Crocker is hideous.
Ha! Have you seen the South Park episode with all the e-stars? Classic.
Anyway, I agree, Moshe. I mean, it’s fine for A-Rod to say, “I cheated, I made a mistake, I wanted to be more than the best.” But, again, how does that look when you’re trying to get in the HOF, down the line? It’s easier to admit to something and claim ignorance in relation to intent because it works and has always worked.
The media is insatiable, though. All they want to hear is what they think is best. That’s maybe good for them and their notion of “pure” baseball, but we also had to be realistic in what we expected during the press conference. For instance, hearing George King ask Alex for his cousin’s name (not necessary), and hearing another reporter ask Alex to describe “what it was like” when he took steroids (including the setting and whether or not it hurt), was insane.
What a hideous picture.
It’s hideous. I apologize to our readers.
I was amazed that when the guy asked if it hurt, the reporters around him didn’t look at him like he was crazy. From what I recall, most looked at Alex like he was going to say something like, “it didn’t hurt as much as a toothache, but more than a mosquito bite.”
The guy asking for his cousins name, and even moreso the people complaining that he didn’t give his name are seriously foolish. What does his cousin’s name have to do with anything?
They want to verify that he exists, which is absurd. Seeing them ask for the name shows you how much faith they have in his answers.