Sports Illustrated journalist Selena Roberts claims to have “irrefutable” proof that Yankees Alex Rodriguez used anabolic steroids as a teenager baseball player at Westminster Christian High School in Miami. Roberts’ certainty is largely based on A-Rod’s self-reported weight gain and weight training progress during high school. The New York Daily News published excerpts from Roberts’ new book “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez“
“He said as a sophomore he could barely bench press 100 pounds,” Roberts said. “Six months later he’s bulked up 20-25 pounds and he had increased his level from 100 pounds to 310 pounds. That’s a pretty shocking leap for six months. That, in conjuntion with the reporting that I did with [his high school] teammates would make it irrefutable to me, not a ‘may have.’”
Selena Roberts’ credibility has taken a major hit from these comments. Roberts inexplicably ignores the dramatic weight gain that normally occurs in boys during high school without the use of steroids. The CDC growth charts reveal teenage boys normally gain 35-45 lbs. during high school. Roberts also appears unfamiliar with the dramatic increases in strength and muscle mass that novice weightlifters experience when first engaging in a resistance training program particularly when accompanied by a bodybuilding-type diet. Any male that has started bodybuilding during puberty knows that a 20-25 weight gain is not unusual without the use of anabolic steroids.
IFBB professional bodybuilder Victor Martinez is expected to win the 2009 Arnold Classic bodybuilding contest on March 7, 2009 according to pro bodybuilding analysts. In addition to the rigorous precontest demands of preparing for one of the most prestigious pro bodybuilding contests on the calendar, Victor Martinez also had to contend with false reports published in the New York Daily News.
During the course of the Alex Rodriguez steroid investigation,the New York Daily News sent sports writer Christian Red down to the Dominican Republic presumably to find out how easy it was to obtain the same anabolic steroids purported to have been used by Alex Rodriguez i.e. testosterone and Primobolan. Alex Rodriguez admitted using anabolic steroids which he alleged were purchased in the Dominican Republic by his cousin.
When Christian Red learned that A-Rod’s preferred steroid Primobolan was NOT legally available in Dominican Republic pharmacies, he searched for other sources of steroids in the Caribbean nation that included gyms and supplement stores. The quest to purchase steroids led Red to the Santo Domingo supplement store identified as “Gurabo” that allegedly sells anabolic steroids. The New York Daily News FALSELY reported that Victor Martinez owned the supplement store Read more
The aftermath of Alex Rodriguez’ steroid confessional press conference has been marked by an aggressive media steroid feeding frenzy in a race to uncover incriminating steroid connections. It is safe characterize journalists as obsessed with Alex Rodriguez admitted steroid use. White House correspondents covering President Barrack Obama’s first primetime presidential press conference were eager to learn President Obama thoughts on A-Rod’s steroid use. The New York Daily News sent a reporter to the Dominican Republic to purchase the same steroids as Alex Rodriguez; curiously, he failed, unable to obtain Primobolan, but that didn’t stop the story. But that was only the beginning of the insidious Alex Rodriguez witch-hunt.
Anabolic steroids generally improve the level of athletic performance. Improved performance is, by most accounts, good for sport. MLB umpire Tim McClelland recently questioned how one could fault an athlete for doing something that makes him a better player. Sidney Gendin, professor of philosophy of law at Eastern Michigan University, has even suggested that we should only ban those athletes who refuse to use steroids.
Janean Marti argues in an editorial that professional athletes have an obligation to their fans to use steroids to improve their performance. After all, how else can an athlete like Alex Rodriguez plausibly begin to justify his $275 million baseball contract to his employers and/or to his fans? Furthermore, Marti highlights the utter hypocrisy of society’s condemnation of the unacceptable dangers of steroids and criticism of the wrong message it sends to young people Read more
Timothy McClelland, one of Major League Baseball’s most respected and senior umpires, defended baseball players who have used anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing drugs at a university fundraiser last night. McClelland was the headline guest speaker at the sixth annual Iowa Baseball Lead-Off Dinner hosted by the University of Iowa baseball team. McClelland’s comments on steroids in baseball came on the same day as Alex Rodriguez’s steroid confessional at a press conference in Tampa.
Tim McClelland has worked as an umpire in Major League Baseball for over 25 years. He has been around long enough to witness the beginning of the so-called steroid era in baseball. He acknowledged that rampant steroid use was obvious in the MLB for a period of at least 15 years and hopes that fans and probably also sports writers and grandstanding politicians move past the hysteria that has overtaken baseball. After all, how can you fault an athlete for seeking to improve himself as a player and maximize his performance? (”McClelland: Steroids part of era,” February 18).
“They used it to make themselves better,” McClelland said. “I can’t fault a player for doing that. It was not against the rules of baseball, so I can’t fault a player for trying to make himself better.”
Tim McClelland has established a strong reputation as being fair and consistent. The major league crew chief is always among the top-rated umpires in the league among players and managers. He explains that cheating has always been part of baseball. Read more
President Barrack Obama commented on anabolic steroids during his first presidential press conference in response to a question by Washington Post reporter Michael A. Fletcher. Fletcher surprisingly asked President Obama about Alex Rodriguez’ admission of anabolic steroid use during his Major League Baseball career, “What is your reaction to Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids as a member of the Texas Rangers?” (”Obama’s First News Conference Covers A Range Of Issues,” February 9)
“I think it’s depressing news on top of what’s been a flurry of depressing items when it comes to Major League Baseball. And if you’re a fan of Major League Baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era to some degree. And it’s unfortunate, because I think there are a lot of ball players who played it straight.
“And the thing I’m probably most concerned about is the message that it sends to our kids. What I’m pleased about is Major League Baseball seems to finally be taking this seriously, to recognize how big of a problem this is for the sport, and that our kids, hopefully, are watching and saying ‘You know what? There are no short cuts.’ That when you try to take short cuts, you may end up tarnishing your entire career. And your integrity’s not worth it. That’s the message I hope is communicated.”
The Washington Post asked the only question that did not involve domestic or foreign policy and was widely criticized as being inappropriate given the importance of other issues discussed during the prime-time presidential press conference. Read more
Baseball player Alex Rodriguez allegedly tested positive for Testosterone and Primobolan (methenolone) in 2003 when he was the American League’s Most Valuable Player according to a Sports Illustrated (SI) report this weekend. The media and public attention has since largely focused on the accusation of steroid use itself rather than the more troubling concerns that government officials may have illegally leaked the name of Alex Rodriguez in violation of a court-imposed gag order. Furthermore, it appears more and more likely that the federal government illegally obtained the testing sample and results in the first place (”A-Rod leak might have been a crime,” February 9).
The judge in the Barry Bonds perjury case could find BALCO prosecutors, investigators or officials in contempt if evidence connects them to the leak of formerly anonymous 2003 Major League baseball drug tests that resulted in allegations that Alex Rodriguez took steroids.
A source familiar with the proceedings between the government and MLB players union said, “It is not possible this was leaked without there being a violation of the law.”
The list of name of 104 MLB baseball players who tested positive for anabolic steroids as part of Major League Baseball’s “non-disciplinary and anonymous” steroid testing in 2003. The seizure of the list and testing samples is the subject of a lawsuit by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) against the federal government. A gag order has been imposed on all parties involved in the case preventing the leaking of names under the penalty of contempt of court. Read more
Joseph Dion, currently a Miami-based personal trainer, told two Sports Illustrated reporters that he was the individual identified as “Max” in Jose Canseco’s book Vindicated. Canseco claimed that Max was a steroid dealer who provided baseball player Alex Rodriguez with steroids.
Dion has refuted Canseco’s claims and told Sports Illustrated that he is completely anti-steroid (”The man behind the Max,” April 18).
“That’s really, really funny because I am the one person that hates steroids,” Dion said. “I’m against it 100 percent. And, A-Rod, at the time that I trained him — and this I swear to God — was 100 percent against steroids. He was one of the hardest working guys, and most natural guy, that I’ve met in my life. He hated steroids. We talked about it.”
It remains to be seen how this latest revelation will affect the steroid witch hunt in baseball. Federal investigators are scheduled to meet with Jose Canseco on Tuesday to discuss steroids in baseball; investigators are expected to ask Canseco about Joseph Dion, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, and other Major League Baseball players.
While Canseco is only expected to testify as a witness, it is possible the steroid witch hunt could take a turn in another direction (”Identity of Max revealed: Rodriguez may face questions from investigators,” April 19).
When he meets with investigators on Tuesday, he could be in a vulnerable position, said Daniel C. Richman, a professor of law at Columbia University and a former federal prosecutor.
“It sounds like the government is looking at Canseco as just a witness,” Richman said. “But a witness who proves uncooperative can easily turn into a subject or even a target if the government wants to push hard. And the range of statements that Canseco has already made in his book and to Congress will make it easier for investigators to pin him down, forcing him to either reaffirm past claims or explicitly deny them. He has far less wiggle room than witnesses who can fairly claim not to remember.”
Federal investigators are going to ask Jose Canseco about the true identity of a steroid dealer identified as “Max” in his latest book on steroids in baseball, Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball
In the case of Canseco, federal authorities are hoping that his unapologetic use of steroids will lead them not only to Max, but to other suppliers, according to the lawyer familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Canseco’s lawyer, Greg S. Emerson, plans to ask federal authorities for immunity so that Canseco does not risk incriminating himself. If a grand jury convenes in the Roger Clemens’ perjury case, Canseco may be subpoenaed to testify under oath.
Jose Canseco appeared on the David Letterman show last night to promote his new book Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball
“We trusted each other, we played a lot of golf together,” Canseco said. “His family knew my family. His wife and my wife at the time talked a lot and we shared private information, and, yeah, we kind of jested and joked about using steroids, but I never injected him, never supplied him, never saw anyone give him steroids and he never tried to acquire steroids from me. And I would try to actually give him information about myself, but he never seemed like he used it at all.”
Canseco then goes on to tell about the wonderful comraderie and high morality in Major League Baseball by explaining how Alex Rodriguez may have slept with his wife at the time. Read more
Jose Caseco is writing “Vindicated,” a new book about anabolic steroids in baseball. It is the sequel to the bestselling book “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big” that ignited the steroids in baseball scandal. It has sorta become a historical document in baseball for its role in baseball’s steroid scandal. Canseco claims he will include information about additional baseball players, such as Alex Rodriguez and likely Roger Clemens, not included in his original expose of steroid use. Canseco identified several professional baseball players as users of anabolic steroids in Juiced including Mark McGwire, Jason Giambi, Rafael Palmeiro, Iván Rodríguez, and Juan González.
The new steroid book, scheduled to be released on Opening Day of the Major League Baseball season, was originally to be co-authored by former Sports Illustrated reporter Don Yaeger. He was the ghostwriter for Canseco’s Juiced. After Yaeger took a look at Canseco’s materials, he quit the project telling the NY Daily News:
I’m passing… I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco (material) that he provided me. I don’t think there’s a book there. I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t think he’s got what he claims to have, certainly doesn’t have what he claims to have on A-Rod… There’s no meat on the bones.
Officially, the publisher has diplomatically cited “editorial delays” as the reason for not publishing the book.
By mutual agreement with José Canseco, we have decided not to publish his book ‘Vindicated…’ After much consideration, we have agreed to part ways due to editorial delays that made it impossible to maintain our original publishing schedule.
So, Jose Canseco has been forced to changed publishers and find a new ghostwriter selecting Pablo F. Fenjves, a former National Enquirer writer; Fenjves was the ghostwriter for O.J. Simpson’s book outlining how he would have killed Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/sports/baseball/17canseco.html?ref=baseball
