Alex Rodriguez

With A-Rod's press conference quickly approaching, it dawned on me why people are going to have a hard time believing what he says yet again...because he has a staff of about five different groups helping him prepare for this. He's got his player agent, Scott Boras, his manager, Guy Oseary, the William Morris Agency, another lawyer, and a media crisis agency! I don't know about you, but if I'm telling the truth, I don't need 10,000 people coaching me on how to do so. You speak from the heart, answer each question in a forthright manner, and don't rehearse everything.

That's been the problem with A-Rod his entire career. People believe everything he says is scripted, and this is only further illustrating that point. If Rodriguez were going to use this opportunity to truly turn a corner and become a better person, these other advisers would not be involved. It's pretty sad to think that someone so talented is so insecure.

Tennis Channel

Kudos to the Tennis Channel for pulling the plug on broadcasting the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this week. For those of you who don't know, the United Arab Emirates refused to grant Israeli tennis player, Shahar Peer, a visa. The real reason for this refusal is unknown, however many believe it's because of the recent events in Gaza. It's nice to know that some people will still take the moral high ground in situations like these...

College Basketball

Here are some recent observations from around college basketball:

Duke's Gerald Henderson reminds me a ton of Vince Carter, and no it's not because he wears #15. Henderson, like Carter, has tremendous athletic ability, but it doesn't seem like has fully taken advantage of that ability. They both are right-handed dominant with the dribble, will go left but only for a dribble or two, and get a little too comfortable with the jump shot (this could stem from their lack of ball-handling skills).  While Henderson has improved immensely in this season alone, I hope he continues to work on all areas of his game, and become the stud player that he can be because Carter certainly has not.

UCONN's Hasheem Thabeet is a very good defensive player, but as we saw tonight in his game against Pitt, his offensive skills have a long way to go. I'm not trying to knock the guy, I'm just trying to say that maybe everyone should be a bit more cautious in jumping on the bandwagon. There's no doubt that he can be an impact player (at this level and the next) based on his defense alone, but with Jerome Dyson now out for the season, the Huskies may need Thabeet to step up offensively, and I'm not sure he can do that if he's not able to dunk. It's too bad because I would've picked a healthy UCONN team over a healthy UNC team to win the National Title...

First off, did anyone else notice that he was wearing a royal blue sweater with a white shirt? Just so happens to be the Texas Rangers team colors as opposed to the Yankees. Interesting choice by Alex...
Now, to the actual confession...I commend A-Rod for coming forth and admitting that he did in fact use steroids. It was absolutely the right thing to do, and whoever advised him to do so deserves some credit. But for some reason, something still doesn't sit well with me.

After watching the interview a couple of times, A-Rod contradicts himself time and time again making me once again question his honesty.

He tells Peter Gammons that he didn't know he was taking something illegal because at the time, there were things you could buy at GNC that would give a positive test now. Well if that's the case, why was he feeling guilty? Why did he decide to stop in 2003 if he didn't know he was doing anything illegal? And what exactly was he stopping?

Second, Gammons brought up the now infamous interview with Katie Couric. In that, as we all know, Couric asked A-Rod if he had ever taken steroids, human growth hormone, or performance-enhancing drugs, and if he'd ever been tempted to. Again, A-Rod said no. He said he wasn't being honest with himself, so how could he be honest with Couric and CBS? But if he knew he was doing something wrong in 2003, then didn't he know at the very least that he had been tempted?

Third, Gammons asked him about the comments written by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci in the book, The Yankee Years. He asked Rodriguez if he'd ever heard the nickname "A-Fraud" mentioned in the clubhouse, and A-Rod said no. A few minutes later though he said he did hear it. So which one is it?

And lastly, he made a terrible move in trying to discredit Selena Roberts. Going on past history, who do you think people will believe, a journalist like Roberts who takes diligent notes, and keeps records of everything, or Alex Rodriguez, a player with a questionable past?

Now with all this said, A-Rod needs to continue to follow the path his teammate, Andy Pettitte, took last year. Pettitte held a press conference at spring training where he answered all of the media's questions in an honest and forthright manner. I can remember vividly when the Yankees Director of Media Relations, Jason Zillo, said, "a couple more questions," and Pettitte essentially told him it's ok, he'll take as many as there are. Alex needs to hold a similar press conference, and remember this bit of information: if you're going to tell the truth, tell the whole truth otherwise you're only going to get caught in a lie.

Why is this such a big deal?

After watching different networks throughout the entire day, the folks at the MLB Network mentioned something that struck a chord with me. They said how baseball seems to be held to a higher standard when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, and that it's essentially a double standard compared to football, basketball, and hockey. That may very well be, but there are a couple of reasons for that.

The first is it's much easier to notice statistical discrepancies in baseball than it is in the three other major sports. If there were only 17 50+ home run seasons from 1920-1977, and 23 from 1995-2007, well you know something is wrong. The same is true for the number of members in the 500-home run club.

Baseball has magical numbers that allow fans to compare players from generations past to the current ones. There are certain numbers that have been automatic qualifiers for the Hall of Fame: 500 home runs, 3,000 hits, 300 wins. No other sport has numbers like that. In basketball, is it 30,000 points? 10,000 rebounds? Who knows. What about football? 200 touchdowns? 10,000 rushing yards? Again, no magical numbers that stand out.

The reason why there are no magical numbers is because the sports have changed in such dramatic fashion. It's impossible to compare football players from the 1950s and 60s, to the ones who play today. A defensive player who was viewed as intimidating, or downright scary, may have been 5'8, 190 pounds. Oh yeah, and he was probably a linebacker. Today, that player would be lucky to be on the field, and it definitely would not be as a linebacker.

In basketball, a guy who was 6'4 was considered tall, maybe even a power forward. Now, that's considered somewhat small...for a guard! Basketball was a game played below the room with little to no defense. Now it's played a foot or more above the rim with rules having been instated to change the defense because it got too good.

Baseball though, has remained consistent. Sure, pitchers are more specialized than they've ever been, but the game itself is still the same, the rules haven't changed. And that's the reason why this is such a big deal. People want to be able to continue holding conversations about who's a better player, Willie Mays or Ken Griffey Jr. Who had the better run, Sandy Koufax or Pedro Martinez?

Baseball has been a game that has withstood the test of time, that is until now. Hopefully with A-Rod's admission, and maybe more to follow, it can return to once again pass that test.

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...
 
 

Super Bowl

Too often in today's society, with the advent of the Internet and the 24-hour news channels, we jump on bandwagons far too quickly. Whether it's declaring a team as the best in the league after a big win, or anointing something as "the greatest of all-time" or "the next great thing," we do so without perspective.  This was once again evident following Sunday's Super Bowl.

Was the game great? Absolutely. But the greatest of all-time? I don't think so. Frankly, it wasn't even the best of the last two years. Sure, the fourth quarter was incredible, but I think people tend to get blindsided by that excitement and forget the rest of the game. After James Harrison returned the interception to end the half, the game was almost a snooze during the third quarter. There were countless careless penalties, several mistakes by the officials, and a blas

The Dawn of a New Era?

For the longest time we've seen college basketball and football players leave school early in hopes of striking it rich in the professional ranks. Well, over the last week, we've witnessed two star quarterbacks pass up those riches for another shot at collegiate glory. While Jason Whitlock wrote a great piece yesterday on foxsports.com analyzing Sam Bradford's decision (and not necessarily agreeing with it), I applaud the decisions of both Bradford and Tim Tebow, not to mention Colt McCoy who decided weeks ago to do the same.

When I heard Bradford decided to come back, I immediately wondered if there has ever been a time when two current players would have a vote for the Heisman Trophy? I couldn't think of any, can you?

A Real Hero

While some may call these quarterbacks trendsetters (that is if it actually becomes a trend), one thing you should not call any of them is a hero. And the reason for that is because we witnessed an actual hero yesterday when the pilot of U.S. Airways flight 1549, safely "landed" the plane on the Hudson River, and saved 151 lives.

Watching the events unfold live on TV, I couldn't help but get goose bumps and chills thinking what an amazing job Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger III did when faced with a dire situation. You often times wonder how you would respond in a situation like that, and I think it's safe to say that not many would, or could, do what he did.

Furthermore, to see how quickly the ferryboats, Coast Guard, and police divers responded made me proud to say that I live in New York City.

There are days in our lives that we remember exactly where we were when something happened, and because of the way everyone responded following the pilot's lead, yesterday will be one of those days.

Possible Destination for Pedro...

This is just a completely random thought, but with salaries for veterans coming down exponentially, could a possible landing spot for Pedro Martinez be the Yankees? While it may seem far-fetched on the outset, if the team does not re-sign Andy Pettitte, and Pedro's asking price falls to say $1 million, it could be worth the risk for him to be the fifth starter. Who knows, just some food for thought...

Boras is Unbelievable

Scott Boras is worth every penny he gets. How this guy seems to get top dollar for each of his clients, even during this economic disaster, is truly remarkable. I don't know what he does, or how he instills such fear into teams, but if I'm a player, the only guy that I want representing me is Scott Boras. For anyone to think that Manny will not get at least a three-year contract is out of their mind. He may not get it from a contender, but he will get his money and his years.

Epstein is the Best

Theo Epstein has once again proven why he is such a good general manager. Despite not landing the player he ultimately wanted (Teixeira), Epstein has not panicked, but instead has acted in a very calculated manner. The signing on John Smoltz is a great one. Because of the organization's depth, there is no need to rush Smoltz back from surgery, and when he does come back, it will provide a jolt to the team.

In addition, signing Rocco Baldelli provides much-needed depth, and gives Terry Francona even more flexibility. He's also re-signed Mark Kotsay, taken a flier on Brad Penny, and locked up both Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis for the next few years. While none of these moves made the headlines like CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, or Teixeira, they are moves that should scare the other teams in their division and around baseball.

To The Mailbag...

First off, I want to thank everyone for their comments on the last post. I was happy to see that so many people had such strong opinions in regards to Andy Pettitte, as well as some of the other topics. Now, let's get to some of those comments...

Dthom111: I agree with you that walking is a good thing, and that Derek Jeter is on the decline. I have never given him a free pass, nor will I ever. You're absolutely right to say the team should move him away from shortstop, but the question then is where do you put him? It's obviously not going to happen this year, but he could be the starting left fielder in 2010 if they don't re-sign Damon. With that said, let's address A-Rod, clutch hitting, and the myth of protecting players in a lineup.

You, or anybody else, can spew off as many numbers as you want about hitting in the clutch, but nothing substitutes for watching at-bat after at-bat after at-bat. Clutch situations are not always late in games. Clutch situations can happen at virtually anytime where momentum can swing. It can be when a team is up 1 or 2, and they have a chance to put the game away. It can be in a scoreless game in the third inning with the bases loaded and two outs, and they have an ace on the ropes. Or it can be in the 6th, with a runner on third and less than two outs, and the team fails to drive in that run. In other words, trying to define a clutch situation with numbers is difficult, but knowing if someone is clutch or not, isn't, and A-Rod is not clutch.

He may put up ridiculous numbers year after year, but he, more than any other player I have ever seen, makes you look beyond the numbers to see his real value.

Now as for protecting players in a lineup, how would you explain the Dodgers last year with Manny? Was it just coincidence that when he entered the lineup the other players improved? Is it coincidence that the Red Sox were going hard after Mark Teixeira because they needed a bat to replace Manny?

In this day in age, we've become far too reliant on stats and studies, as opposed to just good ol' scouting and watching. There are certain people who have an eye for talent and understand the game, and there are others that don't. Typically those are the ones who write studies based on statistical analysis.

Highlander64 wrote: Pettitte has a right to think he's worth what ever he wants...in America, if you don't think you're being paid at your perceived current value, you have the right to leave and millions have...Pettitte will get a standing O at old-timers games with just a few boo birds who are without a clue... 

Highlander64, you are correct to say that Pettitte has a right to think he is worth whatever he wants, but just because he has the right, it doesn't mean he is right. Part of the problem in America today is that people tend to believe they are a lot better than they actually are, and therefore turn down good opportunities. He may very well get a standing-O at Old Timer's Day, but it won't be the same that he got when he walked off the mound for the final time this past September.

TomGoldkuhle wrote: I don't care what Pettitte does. A 5th starter is simply not worth $10 mil. He doesn't get it, then he can take his act somewhere else. It's time for a change anyway.

TomGoldkuhle, I completely agree that a fifth starter is not worth $10 million, and that's where I believe the problem exists. I don't think Pettitte views himself as a fifth starter, but the Yankees do. Will there be a happy ending? I hope so.

Thanks again for all of the comments, and please keep them coming.