Alex Rodriguez and Steroids: Conflicting Views

There it was on my television set as me and my son looked out the window for the snow to melt, so that maybe we could throw around the ball:

“It was recently confirmed that in the year 2003 Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids during a confidential testing program agreed to between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players’ Union.”

Most fans and media members had very little trouble envisioning “A-Fraud” being burned at the stake in effigy after learning the news. But it wasn’t simply a black and white issue with me.

In fact, all sorts of interpersonal conflicts started racing around in my head. You see, I have been a practicing attorney for thirteen years now (I can hear the snide “lawyer jokes” before you even start typing in the ‘comments’ section, so don’t bother).

But I am also a baseball fan, and more importantly, a father of a little league baseball player who looks up to major league baseball players.

I can sympathize with those of you who are itching to show up at your local stadium when the Yankees come to town to throw jeers A-Rods way. The fan in me is absolutely disgusted.

I watched the clip on that Katie Couric interview and am simply incensed that he looked right into that camera and lied to our faces. I am in a slow burn as I think back to the Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa fiasco on Capital Hill.

I get blinded by rage as I hearken back to the news coverage of Roger Clemens and his smarmy lawyer spewing garbage to the American public about how he never touched the stuff. But he wasn’t above throwing his wife under the bus by saying that she did.

Aside: That’s right; I can get mad at other lawyers, too. In fact, I am sure that I have more lawyers on my ‘do not like’ list than you do.

Who do these guys think they are! Put an asterisk next to all their stats! Better yet, just kick the bums all out of baseball and take them out of the record books!

Then the lawyer in me kicks in, “Wait a minute. What about the words ‘confidential’ and ‘anonymous’ do you not understand?”

You mean to tell me that a medical doctor violated an oath - and the law - and let this information out to the public?! Or worse, that the U.S. Attorneys’ Office violated a direct Court Order from a judge and leaked this information?!

The Players’ Union better have somebody’s head on a platter. If it was the tester, MLB better go after them for the millions they paid to have those tests done. If it was some prosecutor or court personnel, I want their license stripped ‘tomorrow’ and I want them to pay dearly for their indiscretion.  

Aside, Part II: I feel the need to comment on the medias' role in this steroids issue.  How can they “out” one player out of the 104 that tested positive?

How? Because Alex Rodriguez makes a better story than John Doe baseball player who only managed to make it to the big leagues with a little extra help from modern medicine. It doesn’t matter to most that John Doe Juicer may have stolen a September call-up from some other deserving minor leaguer.

Hey, we all love to see famous people get knocked down a few pegs at their expense. Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Alex Rodriguez? They are just put on this planet for our amusement.

Who better to tear down than Alex Rodriguez? The guy has it all. He has money, fame, looks, and ridiculous athletic ability. The media doesn't want heroes. They want "dirt." It's just so darn hypocritical.

Finally, dad of eight year-old grabs hold of my mental thought process.

“Hey dad,” my son asks, “Isn’t that the guy on the cover of my video game? Isn’t he on that ‘Got Milk’ poster in my school? I wish I could hit like that guy…How’s he do it?”

What are you supposed to say to that kid?

“Well son (or daughter), if you practice real hard...and get some scum-bag to get you some pills, or shoot you with needles…you’ll get yourself a college scholarship or a million dollar contract some day. You will be a hero to boys and girls and adoring fans all over the world.”

It’s easy to say that you can just teach your kids that there is a right way and a wrong way, and some of these athletes choose the wrong way. You hope and pray that your kid gets it.

But I don’t care if we are talking about professional athletes, businesspeople, salespeople, or ditch diggers…if there are no consequences for doing the wrong thing and getting rewarded, there is no incentive to play by the rules.

I remember Charles Barkley explaining that athletes are not role models. That may be so.

But remember Mr. Professional Athlete, you get to play a game and get paid a lot of money to do it. You have to understand that there are a lot of children who are going to see you on the field, cherish your Topps card, wear your jersey, and ask their parents to buy some product that you are paid to endorse.

My innocence was taken away from me a long time ago and replaced with cynicism. The game of my youth that I shared with my own father has been forever tainted.

But it is still a shame that little kids around the world have to go home and stare at that poster on their wall and wonder what they are supposed to do with it now.

Case closed. Dad wins.