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Journalistically, she falls short of meeting established standards of evidence. With lots of anonymous sources and speculative claims, the book reads more like an extended article from a gossip blogger than a piece of fine journalism. Roberts is an accomplished journalist, but this piece reeks of surface-level reporting.
She couldn’t find one person to go on-record about some of Rodriguez’s alleged steroid use as a high-schooler? Instead, Roberts anonymously quotes a former classmate, who heard from a former teammate of A-Rod that Rodriguez used steroids in high-school. She “supports” her claim by using another anonymous quote from a former teammate.
She wasn’t able to locate one person who could describe Rodriguez’s alleged steroid use with the Yankees? No, Roberts makes the allegation, based on suggestions from anonymous teammates, that he possibly used them.
Not only does Roberts quote numerous anonymous sources, she fails to dig deeper into some of the claims these nameless sources present.
She could have watched videotape of his games with the Rangers to see if he was in fact tipping pitches. Or analyzed statistics of middle infielders playing against the Rangers in late-inning blowouts. The New York Times recently did so, and found if Rodriguez did tip pitches, opponents gained no advantages.
One must wonder why she didn’t pursue these stories. Did she just craft a portrait of A-Rod that she liked, regardless of whether it was accurate. Controversy sells, ho-hum daily life doesn’t.
Futhermore, the publication date was repeatedly rushed up, making people question if Roberts’s goal was to sell books or produce a complete narrative steeped in thorough reporting. Delaying the book’s release and spending more time thoroughly investigating these matters would make them more believable. Of course, it would be much less profitable as well.
So consider Rodriguez’s already-tarnished reputation. Add Roberts’s rushed journalistic practices to baseball fans’ waning appetite for steroids talk. And throw in how the Manny Ramirez steroids story broke the same week Roberts’ book was released.
It’s no wonder the baseball-loving public doesn’t seem to hate Rodriguez any more than they already do.
The book highlights the irony behind Rodriguez’s actions. He spends inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to craft a likable image, which, predictably, leads to criticism of him not being authentic.
With this book, Roberts operated the other way. She spent an inadequate amount of time and energy crafting a marketable book. But by doing so, Roberts ended up just like Rodriguez—coming off looking insincere and incomplete.
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