The report that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003 opens up so many topics of conversation, it's hard to know where to begin.

For one, this further validates what Jose Canseco has been saying all along. Maybe he should make the Hall of Fame after all...for shedding light on the entire steroid era...The Mitchell Report stumbled upon Brian McNamee and Kurt Radomski, but Canseco has been offering up his stories for years.

Second, if A-Rod were smart, which I'm not so sure he is, he would come out quickly and admit that he did in fact use steroids. Now I know some people may say I shouldn't jump to conclusions, but I'm going to trust these sources from SI.com and ESPN, and assume that he did.  If that's the case, A-Rod should learn from his teammates, both past and present, Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi, to see how to handle the situation, and from Roger Clemens and Rafael Palmeiro, on how to NOT handle the situation.

Those who have admitted use have ultimately been forgiven; those who try to fight the system ultimately get embarrassed.

So where does A-Rod go from here? For someone who has been sooooo worried about his image throughout the course of his career, he can now kiss that "squeaky" clean image goodbye. If and when he breaks the home run record, people will still equate that mark with Hank Aaron (and rightfully so).

Therefore, A-Rod essentially has two options. He can take a "forget about you" mentality, and just start raking the way he knows how, not fret over how he performs in the clutch, and not worry about saying the politically correct thing anymore. Or he can allow this situation to completely cripple him. Of the two scenarios I think the latter is the more likely to happen.

This development also makes us re-visit the Yankees signing him following the 2007 season, and maybe more importantly, re-examine who has the ultimate say in those matters. When A-Rod opted out of his contract, Hank Steinbrenner made a statement saying "good riddance." Unfortunately Hank did not stand by those words. Instead he negotiated with A-Rod himself, and worked out a deal for $275 million. If Hank would've listened to his baseball people, primarily Brian Cashman, the team would've moved on, and signed or traded for a more team-oriented player (Joe Crede?). Instead, the curse of A-Rod will last at least 9 more years despite spending nearly $500 million this offseason.

And how can we talk about A-Rod without of course bringing up Derek Jeter? People have often times asked what will A-Rod have to do to be as loved as Jeter. Well, the answer is nothing. While Jeter has never put up A-Rod numbers, and never will, he has always put the team first, something A-Rod doesn't seem capable of doing.

The Bronx Zoo has returned thanks to the adventures of A-Rod (or A-Fraud or A-Roid) at an inopportune time. Stay tuned, there's sure to be more, there always is with this guy...