Come To Think Of It: Bronson Arroyo's Actions Dubious, But Honesty Refreshing

Well, at least no one can claim that Bronson Arroyo is afraid to state his opinion. While you may not agree with the things he says or does, you have to admire his refreshing honesty.

He is open and accountable for his actions, and he doesn’t care what you or I think.

And apparently, he doesn’t care what the baseball world and the Commissioner's office thinks.

In a baseball world full of denials, finger wagging, and cries of conspiracies, Arroyo’s admittance that he is taking supplements not on the approved list is quite bold.

“I have a lot of guys in [the locker room] who think I'm out of [my] mind because I'm taking a lot of things not on the [MLB-approved] list," Arroyo told USA Today. "I take 10 to 12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there's four more things. There's a caffeine drink I take from a company that [ex-Boston Red Sox teammate] Curt Schilling introduced me to in '05. I take some Korean ginseng and a few other proteins out there that are not certified. But I haven't failed any tests, so I figured I'm good."

Arroyo also goes on to admit to having taken androstenedione, the infamous supplement seen in Mark McGwire’s locker during his historic home run competition with Sammy Sosa in 1998.

"Man, I didn't think twice about it," he said, according to the report. "I took androstenedione the same way I took my multivitamins. I didn't really know if this was a genius move by Mark McGwire to cover up the real [stuff] he was taking, but it made me feel unbelievable. I felt like a monster."

Arroyo also compares taking speed to eating candy.

"That stuff's like bubblegum compared to steroids," he said, according to the report. "You're playing [night games] in L.A., you fly across the country, and you're pitching a day game at Wrigley [Field in Chicago]. You telling me you don't want something to wake you up? You have half this country, maybe more, that can't function without a cup of coffee."

Now, this isn’t the kind of talk you want your teenage son or daughter hearing, especially if they’re into sports.

It almost legitimizes and even glamorizes the use of potentially dangerous substances. The kids might figure, “Hey, if a pro athlete says it’s OK, I might as well do it.”

But Arroyo is right when he says that the danger element is not what most fans and owners of teams are concerned about. It’s all about cheating and whether precious and sacred records are being tarnished.

"I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it," Arroyo said, according to the report. "But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he's [serial killer] Ted Bundy, you're out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really [cares] whether Manny Ramirez's kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

He’s right; most of us probably don’t even stop to think about that.  But if it was someone we knew and loved, what would we think?

Still, it’s not Arroyo’s job to raise our children and he is not worried about the risks to his own health.

"It might be dangerous," he said, according to the report, "but so is drinking and driving. And how many of us do it at least once a year? Pretty much everybody."

Um, no, hopefully that is not true Bronson, but thanks for that anyway.

Meanwhile, he may want to look at this a little closer, because the benefits don’t seem to be worth the risk for Arroyo, at least judging by his performance.

The Cincinnati Reds pitcher is 10-11 with a 5.04 ERA.

If the supplements are indeed helping him, imagine how bad he would be without them? It’s ugly to think about. Perhaps it’s the only thing keeping him in the majors.

Look, there is a lot of money at stake for professional athletes, so they often figure the risk is worthwhile. In fact, I’ll bet that someone who thinks like Arroyo wouldn’t shy away from taking steroids. So maybe he isn’t coming as clean as we think?

In any event, it is certainly more honest than anything we’ve heard from A-Rod, Manny, or Rafael Palmeiro, for example. Or the whole Brian “I only took one shot” Roberts' fictional account.

The only way this mess will finally go away is for players like Arroyo to step up and take accountability. I only wish that he thought his actions were wrong, come to think of it.