One Hundred Shadows

In the wake of Alex Rodriguez's admission to steroids, the questions are already buzzing about what will become of the 103 other players' names who appeared on the same list as A-Rod's.

There are certainly plenty of different stances that television, radio, and journalism personalities have taken, but we all know they will have no final say over what truly happens to this list.

As with most decisions, pros and cons lie on either fence you choose to hop over and not any decision is a "be-all, end-all", by any means.

Either way, it will have to be dealt with eventually and offering a personal opinion is all one can do right now.

Why the 103 Names Should Be Released

As a Yankees fan, my answer to this is easy. Rodriguez got screwed, so should everyone else. Now, wait a second, I know what you're thinking. A-Rod did take steroids of his own accord, something he has now openly admitted, but that doesn't mean his name should have ever been leaked.

Eight percent of MLB that season failed the same test that A-Rod did, which makes it much easier to look at through this microscope. You have 100 friends, and not only all your friends, but your entire workplace finds out that you have been stealing company money for three years. Now, everyone looks at you like they looked at the last eight or nine guys that just got booted for the same problem.

All of a sudden, it's revealed that eight more people are doing the same thing. Well, well, well. Who could possibly go to the associate Hall of Fame with some suspects still out there. Jimmy didn't do it, but he had to wait an extra two years because he worked with you guys.

OK, so it wasn't the greatest of analogies, but you catch my drift. I now look at everyone like they're guilty because of what has now been revealed. Pujols? Probably not...but can you really be so sure? Not anymore. As A-Rod put it, the truth will set you free. And in more ways than one.

Who will it free exactly? The fans. When the shadows are drawn into the light, then, for at least a few days, there will be nothing that was official that the public doesn't know. It will allow to me to kick back on the recliner, and watch a classic Sox-Yankees game without wondering who's a clean guy or a guy who made a terrible mistake. The last thing I want to do this season is see Adam Dunn blast one of his signature shots over a right field fence, and not be able to enjoy it as much as last season.

Another part of me, though small, says that one is enough. Its awkward and downright senseless when the same people who are saying the documents never should have been released, and that Rodriguez had his privacy taken away, are so quick to want to do it 103 more times. Does that confuse anyone other than myself?

The 'Steroid Era' in Major League Baseball will never be something that is completely known, or even fully understood, but the people who have the power to change the league for the best, and to clean up what was once a highly-regarded game of mental and physical prowess, should not abuse the power that they have been given.

If the names are in fact, never released, than it will ALWAYS be something that is brought up from time to time, and the last thing any die-hard fan wants is to hear more anchors and ex-athletes talk about steroids instead of the no-hitter that was thrown the week prior.

My one wish, though, is that Alex Rodriguez does what we all know he can, which is to spread the word of his mistakes and teach children all across the country what is right and wrong. The youth are the most influential people who will hear of this A-Rod exploit and are the ones that need the most directing.

One last thing. Remember that Alex Rodriguez made a mistake. A mistake that he knew he made, and one that he has not tried to run from since. We all have made plenty of mistakes in our lives and I would bet my life that if someone put $252 million in your face you may be inclined to make even bigger ones.

Written, Edited, and Developed By Travis Rand, a Community Leader for the New York Giants and New York Sports Community