Highlights from The A-Roid Show

Alex Rodriguez sat down with reporters today to discuss his supposedly past use of steroids and clear up questions he created during his interview with Peter Gammons on ESPN last week.

The interview lasted about 40 minutes and like Yankee spokesman Jason Zillo said, it could have lasted at least three hours. A bunch of reporters got their questions in and A-Rod told his story, but there were no follow up questions available.

Highlights from the interview:

- Did he cheat? Not for him to determine.
- Should his 01-03 stats count? Not for him to decide, but notes he’s been consistent throughout his career.
- He started taking steroids in the middle of 2001.
- He took them for three years, six months at a time, twice a month, about 36 times total.
- Wasn’t sure that he tested positive until Selena Roberts confronted him with it.
- Started taking roids when his cousin recommended it.
- Supposedly available over-the-counter in the Dominican Republic
- His cousin bought it for him and administered it.
- Described it as amateur hour, they didn’t even know if he was taking it right.
- He was young and stupid and didn’t care to know what he was taking.
- Stopped because of neck injury and MLB started implementing testing.
- Didn’t regret taking it at the time, didn’t think anything was wrong with it, still kept it a secret.
- Described effects were mostly placebo and only gave him more energy
- Admitted to taking “Ripped Fuel” a lot in Seattle days, which is Ephedrine, was a permitted substance, now banned.
- Said he didn’t lie about Selena Roberts getting arrested for breaking into his house, he thought they gave her a citation, instead only a police report was filed, didn’t explain why cops had no idea what he was talking about.
- When asked if he would undergo more testing he said the system in place now is as good as it gets, no need.
- He said he didn’t give specifics during Gammons interview because he was just trying to get an admission out.

Now the biggest question is: who is his cousin? For all we know he could be made up. Although I could see the reason for not giving out his name. I’m sure there would be a couple of federal agents who would like to speak with him about drug trafficking if he was bringing drugs from the Dominican Republic into the U.S.

Also of importance, during the interview he kept saying that he was very young, 24, when he started taking steroids. The problem with that is that during the 2001 season, he was 26. Was that just a slip up? Or was he actually admitting to taking steroids as far back as 1999?