I'm not a huge baseball fan, though I do enjoy the playoffs.
I also don't enjoy watching mentally weak players fold in the clutch. I've talked about problems I've seen Peyton Manning fix in his play in the clutch. I disagree when Bill Simmons writes the same thing about Kevin Garnett. So I always kind of disliked Alex Rodriguez.
I have no side in the whole Yankees-Red Sox thing but I did think A-fraud's slap at the ball in 04 was lame.
I also had A-Rod steal a girl from me by simply standing 20 feet away in Miami a few years back.
So I'm in no way an Alex Rodriguez fan.
Still this news makes me sad.
I want to believe that we live in a world where athletes are successful because they work harder, and are more gifted than I am physically. I want to believe in " The Natural", Lebron James and guys who naturally run a 4.4 forty yard dash at 250 lbs.
But with the money, fame and adoration available in sports, we've officially entered the era of no boundaries. It doesn't matter how talented a player is they're always looking for a competitive edge. Even all time talents like A-Rod, Bonds and Clemens.
It's funny how we praise competitiveness in athletes. As long as it's by the rules. And as long as it's not for personal gain. Michael Jordan(whom I love) punched at least 2 teammates (both of whom were white) and ruined the career of so many backup shooting guards that the Bulls had to stop drafting them. He also ruined Clyde Drexler's career. But he did it within the rules. Brett Favre has cost his teams SEVERAL legitimate chances at the Super Bowl with stupid interceptions, but again he's praised for just wanting to win so badly. Again within the rules.
But what happens when the athlete who isn't as mentally strong, or who craves attention, or is just a sociopath, hears that they have to do anything they can to get ahead. I can understand why these guys did it. Especially Clemens and Bonds who had seen the game pass them by. And despite having already had hall of fame careers they would have had to accept at least slowing down a little, until eventually they have to give the game up. Which is much better than what happened to Bonds last season, when the game gave him up. Left him on the sidelines all year reiterating how he wasn't retired.
A-Rod, makes less sense. He doesn't seem to care that much. Isn't that what everyone(myself included) criticizes him for? He's was supposed to be this incredible talent who worked as hard as anyone. He didn't seem to have Bonds, or Clemens work ethic. But he worked hard, always put up numbers when it didn't count and folded when it did. What made him decide to juice? Especially on a Rangers team that wasn't going anywhere... He already had a 252 Million dollar contract. What made him do it?
Some people say A-Rod wants everyone to love him. That he needs constant validation and praise. That he's sensitive. I don't know if any of that is true. But it seems like he expects people to see him as he isn't. It seems like he wants to be someone like Jeter who is strong, silent, respected, clutch, a winner. And the truth about Rodriguez at this point in his career is that he's none of those things. And it's my theory that maybe he was trying to be who he thought we wanted him to be. He was trying to be the hard worker, the gym rat, the compeititor.
Or maybe he just wanted bigger arms and pecs... It is ARod.
T
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2 comments:
I've never had a quarter billion dollar contract, so I can't really say that I know what it feels like to be him. He's also never stole a girl from me so I can't say I have any hard feelings against him. I'm not condoning the use of PED's, but it's really easy for us fans to crucify and burn offenders at the stake. I don't think that A-Rod deserves to be the whipping boy of these 2004 failed drug test subjects. I agree with analyst Joe Morgan. If one person from that list gets outted, open up the box and expose everyone.
But yeah, I think he's always been insecure and comes of as a try-hard. Shut your mouth and just play hard.
My feelings towards A-Rod aside (I think he's pretty lame), these steroids don't even phase me anymore.
I'm not the biggest fan of baseball, but is it not PAINFULLY obvious that half the league was doping up between 2000-2004 not because of crooked players but because the league turned a blind-eye to it and even indirectly fostered it (The McGwire/Sosa HR race, Bond's record, etc.)?
I don't care if Bonds doped up anymore. I don't care if A-Rod did either. Half the damn league was at the time -- guys were doing it to keep up with the competition. If the sport is tarnished, it's because of Bud Selig and the player's union's silent approval of everything that happened.
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