On the other hand, it seems likely according to reports since of banned over-the-counter supplements, that it’s pretty easy to go into a GNC, buy a couple of supplements, and fail the drug test on multiple counts, which I’d hardly call immoral or cheating, and almost certainly useless as a performance enhancer.

That makes me think 8% isn’t actually all that high. I bet the greeny level is much higher.

But yeah, probably not that low. You can probably double it at the very least.

I don’t know; that might become relevant within the next few days >;)

You are correct that, under the controlled substances act that Congress passed in 1990, possession without a valid doctor’s prescription is a crime. However, in legal practice, use is almost never enough to prove possession that violates the statute. For example, a ballplayer who used a PED obtained in the Dominican Republic (where there is no controlled substances act) did not violate US law. So there is definitely some gray area here.

All that aside – I think its clear that, at the very least, A-Rod tried to cheat (I’m not convinced that using the PEDs did anything to help him), and I find his explanation credible. (There were some things I was very naive, and stupid, about at ages 25/26/27.) A-Rod admitted to using and apologized for it, so I have no quarrel with him. I find the details irrelevant.

In any case, I was – and continue to be – outraged over the treatment that both Bonds and McGwire (and Sosa for that matter) have received from the media over the PED issue, not just A-Rod. The whole thing stinks, and unfortunately, to me, much of the smell is coming from the media, who attack the ballplayers at every opportunity, but do not put people like Jeff Novitsky, or the guy who leaked the sealed BALCO grand jury testimony, under anything approximating the same spotlight. Novitsky blatantly abused his powers as a government employee, and yet I almost get the impression that some baseball writers would gladly buy the guy a drink! I consider Novitsky’s abuse of power to be a far worse act that anything any of the ballplayers is accused of doing (only because I believe that Bonds did not commit perjury; perjury is a pretty serious offense).

So is anyone following the WBC or do I need to head to the Tokyo Talk Yakult Swallows blog in Japanese??

A-Rod entered that territory long ago, and not only has he sold off the time share, he’s bought the biggest mansion there and is currently adding on to it.

As to Bonds, there are other factors in play, the newness off the steroid story and the fact that he’s denied it. A-Rod at least ‘fessed up right away. And I am now having more sympathy with Bonds, in that the feds are leaning on his trainer’s wife and her mother to get some cooperation. To me, that stinks and is a real waste of DoJ time and money to go after.

Lastly on this issue, I do think A-Rod knows more, but he does not want to name names. And if he answered a question with “I’m not going to name names”, the next day some gloryhound congressman is going to subpoena his butt to Capitol Hill, putting him in the option of 1) refusing to testify, which could lead to prosecution, 2) denying under oath, leading to perjury charges, or 3) naming names and making him even more of a pariah. Lots of other guys know who was juicing, why don’t they come forward?

And Alex, I enjoyed your tales of your old barber. Today I went to get my haircut at the regular place. Usually there’s an older Indian (Hindu) woman who cuts it and she does a great job. But it appears she’s not there anymore. Instead there was a young girl who had some bad scissors. Result was a bad haircut. It’s tough to find a good barber.

I sure didn’t see too much outrage around these parts, rather at the toaster when the banter lived and breathed there.

I agree with you 100%. I don’t understand why people are so mad at the media, Selena Roberts, or whomever, they didn’t force ARod to take the roids, they didn’t force ARod to give varying stories about why he took the roids, etc.

I agree with one thing though, how the information was leaked is kind of shady but at this point what can you do? The cat’s out of the bag already. Plus, I asked this question, I heard Kirk Radomski say on WFAN that it was teammates of Alex who were the four sources. If that’s true, that’s really effed up and adds more juice – pun intended – to the story.

Also, why is Cashman so peeved at how ARod has gone about this? Even he agrees that ARod has done a ‘terrible job’ – in Chris Russo’s voice – addressing this.

The way this stuff came out was messed up, but I find that anger to be somewhat misdirected, I don’t blame Selena Roberts because apparently the NY Times was in on the story too. Roberts just beat them to the punch. So it was going to come out, either by Roberts or someone in the Times. I don’t find the media to blame at all in any of this, they are simply following the story a lot of people want to talk and read about. Is that so bad? Or is it bad cause our superstar 3rd basemen has been exposed?

The chicken has come home to roost. I could care less about PED, but if you do them and you get caught, then guess what..you have to suffer through the consequences of your actions.

Also, all this talk that steroids weren’t banned in baseball when Alex used isn’t true. In 1991, Faye Vincent send out a memo stating that the baseball policy that using or possessing any illegal or controlled substance is against MLB rules. He specifically mentioned steroids. And even if Vincent hadn’t issue that policy, federal statutes (1988/1990) state that it is illegal to acquire a prescribed medication from anyone other than a physician register with the FDA so all these guys were breaking the law. So find another argument to justify the cheating.

Where all this outrage against the media was when they were persecuting Bonds? It’s Alex’s turn.