Should We Call Him A-Roid?

Alex Rodriguez, Major League Baseball’s pretentious pretty boy, has reportedly fallen into the deep depths of the steroid controversy. Apparently, Stray Rod is an abuser of the synthetic syringe. But, I just cannot fathom A-Rod, the Golden Boy himself, stooping to such unscrupulous measures to guarantee his place in the discussion of Baseball’s best ever.

Well, wait one minute before we castrate the man. Remember the ancient principle, consider the source? This situation is exactly why that rule was created. Wheeler dealer, book peddling Jose Canseco prompted the discussion when he claimed he “had some stuff” on the Yanks third baseman.

Yeah, a really creditable source. NOT!

For anyone who hasn’t stepped into the “scandalous” section at Powell’s lately, Canseco wrote a book called Juiced a few years ago, calling out suspected steroid abusers like Rafael Palmeiro and Mark McGwire. Maybe he was right, but then maybe he was simply bankrupt and thought composing a book to shed light on former friends drug habits would garner enough money to crossover the poverty line. Regardless, where is the loyalty, Jose?

Honestly, I loathe A-Rod as a person. He is a greedy, selfish little brat. However, I have the utmost respect for him as a player. His skill set is about as rare as encountering water in the Sahara Desert. For that reason alone, I doubt he needs to bolster his performance level.

There has been a throng of suspected steroid users in MLB, such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, McGwire and Palmeiro, to name a few. Though, of the alleged abusers, Rodriguez is the least likely to be guilty in my mind.

A-Rod has been a consistent power hitter throughout his career. Since breaking into the Major Leagues in 1994, where Rodriguez had zero homers in 54 at bats, he has failed to reach 25 homeruns only twice. His numbers peaked in 2001-02, with 52 and 57 homeruns respectively. However, those were his first two seasons as a Texas Ranger, meaning his home ballpark was The Ballpark in Arlington, where the fourth most homers were slammed in 2002.

A quick glimpse at his physique unveils that he is a natural athlete. His muscles are not bulging out of his uniform like McGwire and he does not have a forehead the size of a melon like Bonds. The consistency argument applies again because, with the exception of his first couple seasons in Seattle, A-Rod has always looked the same. Sure, he has developed muscle mass over the years, but it has been in gradual stages. Reality is he has never arrived at spring training with 40 additional pounds of sheer muscle.

Looks like Canseco finally realized he as good as extinct in the public eye, or maybe he’s just broke again and needs to compose another tell-all book to ensure financial stability.

A Not So Shiny Summer for Pro Sports

I have been a rabid sports fan for a pretty long time, during this obsession I have seen many unbelievable games and stories related to sports both positive and negative. But in all of the years I have followed sports, I can not recall a worse time in sports in general than what is happening right now.

In the three biggest professional sports leagues there are major conflicts occurring that is hurting the reputation of there own respective sports league and in all of sports in general. In Major League Baseball there is the on going steroid investigation involving Barry Bonds that has been going on the least few years. This problem has caused many analysts inside baseball to name this period in the majors as the "steroid era." In the NFL, Michael Vick, a star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, is being federally investigated for dog fighting. Vick is likely to face a suspension for the upcoming season. And finally in the NBA, official Tim Donaghy is being investigated for betting on league games, and even influencing the outcome to some games he worked.

For the first time in my life I would not willingly admit that I am a sports nut. These problems are not only embarrassing for the leagues, but disheartening to the fans. This situation has caused me to ask, "How can it get this bad?" How do all of these situations reflect on us on society? It will be interesting to see how every one of these stories will progress, as well as, to see what steps every league in professional sports takes to clean up after them selves. Realistically, I do not see leagues getting better before I see them getting worse, but as a fan I will hope that the sun will shine again on the reputation of professional sports.

Make a Decision, Bud

With Barry Bonds inching ever closer to Hank Aaron's hallowed home run record, Bud is still riding the fence on whether or not he will be in attendance for the record breaker. He has said that if he has no prior engagements, he will make an effort to make it to the game. Wow. way to take a stand, Bud.

Here's the question: What the hell else does he have to do? I would think that the breaking of the sport's most respected record would weigh rather heavily on the importance scale. Couldn't Bud get out of some other previous engagement by just saying, "I know it's your kid's birthday party, but there's something kind of important I have to go see."

Many have their reasons as to why Selig should not be in attendance (most notably, the suspicions of Bonds' use of performance enhancers), and I can't argue with them too much. I wish Bonds wouldn't break the record. I still find myself hoping for some sort of cataclysmic event that would end his career right now, but I'm not holding my breath.

Barry keeps trying to get everybody's sympathy, comparing his quest with Aaron's in the '70s. (I almost threw up in my mouth writing that) Hank Aaron received death threats because he was a black man about to break the Bambino's longstanding record. That was an era where African-Americans were still fighting everyday for their civil liberties. Barry tries to play the race card, saying the public doesn't want him to break the record because he's black. I've got news for you Barry: the public doesn't want you to break the record, not because you're black, but because we all think you cheated (at least, outside of San Francisco) and because you're a horse's arse. You're a jerk. You treat the media like they're sub-human. You have no regard for your fans (although I'm still amazed you have any). And when the going got really tough, you hid from the TV cameras behind your kids.

These, I think, are the reasons Bud wants nothing to do with your home run chase.

But, he is the commissioner, and the biggest event since the strike-cancelled season is upon us. Bud, I can't blame you for not wanting to go, but you've got to be there.

Facilitaiton Topic for Monday, July 9

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be facilitating this coming Monday. The topic will be: Will Bud Selig (the commissioner of Major League Baseball) be in attendance when Barry Bonds ties and passes Hank Aaron for the all-time home run record?

As of tonight, Barry needs four home runs to tie, and five to break the record. Currently, Mr. Selig is sitting firmly on the fence, unsure whether or not he is going to be in attendance or not. I have listed several reasons for each side below.

Possible reasons Mr. Selig WILL be in attendance:

• He is the face of baseball at the moment, and needs to represent the sport as graciously as possible.
  
• By not attending, it may appear that he feels the record still belongs to Hank Aaron, his good friend of 50 years.
• To perhaps avoid making an ugly scene similar to when Bowie Kuhn did not attend Aaron's record breaking game.
• By not attending, it becomes a bigger issue. It would become a national media field day, and the inevitable would be dragged out even more.
  
• By not attending, it would appear that he is better than baseball.
• By not attending, he may lose fans (aka customers).
  

Possible reasons Mr. Selig WILL NOT be in attendance:

• By Attending, it may appear that he is condoning the use of performance enhancing substances.
• By not attending, and congratulating Bonds over the phone, he would make a statement to baseball.
  
• Attendance is not mandatory, and he was not in attendance for other milestones, such as a 300th win, etc.
  
• From a personal standpoint, he would be avoiding the awkwardness of that moment.
• Aaron is a good friend of his, and he will not be attending.
  

Swingin' for Steroids

Crack, smack and thud.

Those are the sounds fans in San Francisco have become all too familiar to hearing from Barry Bonds' 32 oz lumber. And after Bonds victimized another innocent bystander, taking Livan Hernandez deep on Friday night, the man who preaches, “In roids we trust,” has inched within five homers of 755 career diggers and a tie with The Homerun King Hank Aaron.

Like the 441 pitchers Bonds has smashed homers off, we, the loyal, dedicated baseball faithful, are becoming victims of his homerun record pursuit. The number that separates Bonds, representative of everything wrong in professional sports, from Aaron, a genuine, respectable slugger, is no longer triple digits, or double digits, or more than ten, even. I can count the number on one hand- five. One, two, three, four and five. That’s all BB needs until he can rightfully snatch the crown from atop Aaron’s head, where it fits so nicely, and place it just above his steroid-induced, oversized forehead.

I know media pundits and aficionados have grumbled, jeered and sneered at Bonds’ attempt to claim sports’ most heralded record for years, but now it’s time to turn it up a notch. Many are underestimating the significance this event holds in sports history. Bonds, a guy bound so tightly in steroid investigations that I’m surprised circulation to his extremities haven’t been cut off yet, is possibly five swings away from being recognized as the best homerun hitter of all time, and the fans that drive the sport suddenly don’t care. This is ludicrous, preposterous, ridiculous, and (insert any synonym for absolutely absurd).

Bonds chase of Hank Aaron and his sacred record has become a ticking time bomb on the verge of detonating, consequently destroying baseball as we know it. Tomorrow he might hit number 751, and the digital screen resting on the bomb’s side will clearly read “4.” Then the next day he hits 752, and the screen displays a “3.” Then two, one and eventually zero, or effectively the end of baseball. Fans will be rushing for the exits and managers resigning, because the game will then be over, complete, finished. We will all know the sport is bogus, as a quick glance at the huge scoreboard hanging above Major League Baseball reveals: Steroids 1 Baseball 0. The ugly syringe will have claimed victory, once and for all.

Wake up everyone and feel the urgency, because Bonds’ recording setting homerun isn’t going to be a line drive that barely clears the leftfield wall, no it will be a blast that forces baseball in the deep depths of obscurity. It might not transpire immediately, but soon enough baseball will be resting six feet under beside the likes of soccer, hockey and, most insultingly, the Winter Olympics. That is, unless we pipe up first.