Alex Rodriguez Is Still a Human Being and I Am Still a Fan

On Saturday morning, my wake up call was text messages from various friends telling me that "my boy got busted." 

My heart was shattered.

The two-day waiting period between Saturday and A-Rod's admission on Monday seemed like an eternity.

I wrote the article "The View Of A Heart Broken A-Rod Fan" on Sunday to get everything off of my chest. 

I didn't think I was going to write about him again. I didn't even know if I could cheer for him again. 

Each day that has gone by, it has got a little easier on me, and while I am still very upset at Alex, I am very appreciative of his honesty and coming clean on everything. In A-Rod's admission during a sit-down interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons at his home in Florida, he did exactly what I wanted him to do at this point.

I am not going to throw away the last 10 years of my life because Rodriguez messed up and made a mistake, its not my fault. He isn't getting off this easy with me, and I want him to give me a reason to cheer for him in 2009 and beyond.

“There’s absolutely no excuses and I feel deep regret for that.”, Rodriguez said.

“It might take five years, it might take 10 years, it might never go away, but being honest is absolutely the only thing for me to do today.”

Some are letting A-Rod off the hook for now. Some aren't so forgiving.

Of the 100,000 people who responded to a national survey produced by ESPN, 39 percent said they have forgiven A-Rod , 33 percent said no, and 29 percent didn't have an answer.

The good news: 44 percent of New York said yes. The bad news: 40 percent of Seattle, where A-Rod first played, said no.

New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon has spoken to ESPN over the phone and commented on the issue.

“I’m glad he came clean,” Damon said. “Now he can go out and concentrate on baseball. He had some explaining to do and a lot to deal with, and as a teammate, I’m going to do what I can to try and help him get through a difficult time. I’m sure it’s going to be a rough year, but for us to win, we’re going to need him to be good.”

As far as where I stand, it is still a nightmare that I just want to wake up and make go away, but that is not the case.

Again, I am upset, disappointed, and mad at him for this situation.

However, being that I don't personally know the guy and I am just a fan, I am not going to be untrue to myself and not cheer for the guy anymore. I am his fan and I am going to stand up for him.

The Yankees visit Turner Field in June. They haven't been here since 2001, and I am going to be sitting right along the third base line sporting my Westminster High School jersey with Rodriguez's name and his No. 3 on the back.

If I get a chance to talk to him, which isn't likely, I am not going to ask for an autograph. Even though it will be four months later, I am simply going to smile, shake his hand, and say, "I forgive you."