http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RgCDpqTJYw
This second clip (also compliments of YouTube and ESPN) is yesterday's interview in which Alex Rodriguez admits to using performance enhancing drugs to Peter Gammons...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20h9hY0IDo4
Your thoughts? Do you "buy" his explanation? Do you think that he only apologized because he got caught? Does this sully his reputation? Should this change the way we view his performance / stats? Does this hurt his chances at getting into the Hall of Fame? Does he immediately fall into the same category as the others accused of steroid use? Should he be punished? etc. (DUE 2/12)
I believe that not only should he not be allowed in the Hall of Fame, but he should be viewed as what he really is. He shouldn't be viewed as bad as those who have confessed because he lied for far too long. He is a liar and a cheater and there should be no tolerance for his actions. If he would have convessed earlier than maybe we could allow some leniancy, however he didn't and therefore he should be punished.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy into this expanation. I think he only apologized because he got caught. In the other video he was taking them and never fessed up. I think that he would have kept doing this if he didn't get caught.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tim, he shouldn't get into the hall of fame because he cheated to get there. He cheated to get good. He didn't work as hard to get where he is now. It's not fair for everyone else that worked so hard. He does fall into the same catagory as the rest of them because their all the same. I think thats how he should be punished.
ReplyDeleteI think that any player that takes performance-enhancing drugs should be barred from the Hall of Fame. They should work just as hard as the greats that have come before them and their fellow teammates that choose to do the right thing and stay clean. Although I think A-Rod does fall into the same category as other players who have taken steroids, he should not be punished by the MLB unless he is currently taking them, because during the season in which he was tested, it was not against MLB rules.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ksilvers. Since it took a release of the results five years later to get him to confess, I don't think he would have ever confessed had it not been leaked.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Alex R. confessed he took these drugs because he got cought. Just because you are a new face on a team and you want to impress everyone, gives you the right to cheat.I believe this hurts his reputation some what, but doesnt kill it. His fans will still be his fans. I believe that this will hurt his chance to get into the Hall of Fame, but they will look at his whole career.
ReplyDeleteHowever, on jennys comment saying they should be banned from the Hall of Fame, i believe that would be wrong. Now he is drug tested and faced up to his wrongdoing. I believe you should look at a persons career, and not the one point in there life when they made a bad decision.
ReplyDeleteI think he only confessed because he was caught. There were other interviews he took part in where he denied all accusations of using any sort of substances. I believe this ruins his career. In my opinion, a true athlete is successful without the help of performance enhancing drugs. Alex also took a long time to confess his mistake and this should also be held against him.
ReplyDeleteBaseball was more loose back then. However, if her was a good enough player to start with and had any common sense he would have known that taking an illegal substance was wrong. I do believe that he only apologized because he got caught. His reputation has been denter, but not destroyed. His fans may be disappointed in him, but they will continue to watch him and root him on because that is what fans do. Athletes are held to a higher standard. He should not be in the Hall of Fame because he does not deserve credit for something that was gained using an unfair, not to mention illegal, drug. Even thought these drugs were not banned from the MLB at the time he used them, they were illegal under US law and he should be punished by the government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Abby. He did deny taking drugs in different interviews. He denied it very strongly, in fact. So I do think that the only reason he is apologizing is because he got caught.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tim. I don't think he should be allowed into the Hall of Fame. He didn't reach his success fairly like many other athletes. He cheated his way there and should be put into the same category as the others who have used steriods. He needs to be punished for what he has done. Putting him into the Hall of Fame wouldn't be fair to the other athletes who worked hard to get there without using performance enhancing drugs. I think if he had confessed earlier he would have more support or leniancy, but he waited five years.
ReplyDeleteI do not buy his explanation. I also don't think he should be allowed in the Hall of Fame. That is his punishment for lying for so long and even lying period. He should get no special treatment that anyone else accused of the same thing didn't get. I also think that the only reason that he confessed was because he was caught. I think that if they still hadn't caught him, he would still be denying it to this day. I think this will affect his whole career.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tim and Abby. He thought that to make himself look good on his new teams that he felt the need to take those pills. Therefore he needs to be punished because he cheated and lied about his performances. He should not be allowed in the Hall of Fame because there are many other athletes out there who have put so much time and effort to get where they are and didnt use any pills to help them. I think it would be very unfair to those athletes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Abbey and Tim's comments. I feel he would not have confessed had he not been caught. America holds atheles in high esteem and it is dissappointing to learn they lie and use performing enhancing drugs. I do not "buy" the story and he should be treated the same as others who have broken the rules. These guidlines are put in place not only to make the atheletes at the same level of benefit, it is also for their own health. Young atheletes are looking at these guys as herod and examples. Putting him in the Hall of Fame overlooks the priority of moralality and ethics in sports. An apology is not suffient.
ReplyDeleteIF you admit you are doing performace enhancers that are not approved by the goernment or MLB then you should be either get kicked out of the league for fined. If he id viewed as one of the greatest heros of the game then that what that person thinks.
ReplyDeleteI beleve that he confessed because he got caught but the way that everyone found out was the wrong way he took the under the idea that his name wouldn't be told to the whole world. This does destory his rep like the press is making it sound. He is an athlete trying to get ahead in the sport where steriods are as common as a team having a left handed pitcher.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with almost everyone here I think that this will have little affect on him getting into the hall of fame. The guy is one of the best player the country has seen in the last 20 years.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy his explanation. He is a liar. Who would want someone to be in the hall of fame if they cheated their way to get there? It is not fair to other althletes who arent preformance enhancing drugs. If he does get accepted it is a bad example for all of the young boys who are fans of watching baseball. They probably looked up to him, he disappointed a lot of his fans, and it is unjust for him to be in the hall of fame.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anna. There are so many other athletes who may not be as good as him, but those athletes havent cheated. He only admitted to it because he god caught. This guy is a horrible rolemodel for kids, and if he gets on the hall of fame, everyone knows he cheated.
ReplyDeleteI think that they definitely should take him out of the hall of fame. He gave himself an advantage over the other players and doesn't deserve it because he basically cheated. Maybe punishing him so hardly will set an example to other baseball players.
ReplyDeleteI think that he is only apologizing because he got caught. Obviously because he lied to America in his first interview. It does sully his reputation because no one would knows how good or how bad he would have been. It should hurt his chances of the hall of the fame because he cheated and cheaters should never win. He should be punished but not that severely for his realization at the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tim that he should be punished however i do not agree that he should be treated so harshly. He quit before he got caught. Everyone deserves a second chance and it should be given to him.
ReplyDeleteI do believe his apology and i believe he should still be in the hall of fame. His drug use was only for a short period of time and it was a while ago. Even though he did use drugs he is still an amazing athlete with a lot of talent. This small mistake should not punish the rest of his career. He made a mistake and he is now sorry. He should not be punished. There probably are other people on the hall of fame who previously took drugs, he should not be the only one to have this taken away.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy Alex Rodriguez's excuses for the use of his performance enhancers. In the first video, Rodriguez appeared offended that Katie would even think to ask that question. He came off rude and denied it constantly, saying he would never even do that. Everything becomes contradicted and erased after the second video was aired. Because Rodriguez not only took them, but lied and denied he ever did, he disgraced the game and every effort he put into making himself a great player. People have since lost respect for him, and I believe it will hurt his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame because of his actions.
ReplyDeleteI do think that the only reason he came clean was because he got caught. However, I don't think his name shoulded be ruined. He only used the steriods for 2 years. Steriods don't make a player, how that player plays it what makes a player. I don't believe that he should be put into the same collum as other steriod users because he only used them in the early stages of his career. He should be suspened some games but no leagal charges should be brought up.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kassie, he is a great player and you can't take that away from him. He is on course to break almost every hitting record there is. He can't do all of that with steriods. Ya he made a stupid choice but his entire career, what he worked so hard for, shouldn't be tarnished.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelsey that it's unjust for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. There are other players who got there solely on hard work, dedication, and heart. With Rodriguez, it's debatable what he actually accomplished on his own, without performance enhancing drugs. Also like Kelsey, I believe his apology is all bogus. He never would have admitted to it if he hadn't gotten caught. He only felt the need to fess up because people found out about it.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Tim. He did lie about it but he also only used it for a short period of time and hasnt used it since 2003. This shows he feels bad for using it and knows it was a mistake. Apologizing would only make the situation worse and destroy his future before he could prove he was truely sorry.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that he only apologized because he got caught. Let's be honest, that's how most people in today's society are, they are only sorry when they get caught. And then they aren't sorry for what they did necessarily, they are only sorry that they got caught. I do think that he should be punished for his actions because he is a cheater. Also, I think that this will hurt his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame because his records now cannot be trusted.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenny. I think that A-Rod should have to work just as hard as the baseball greats. The baseball legends of the older generations did not take performance enhancing drugs and played the sport with class and grace. This should be the standard for all professional athletes.
ReplyDeleteI don’t like how he denied ever using steroids, and how he said that Berry Bonds shouldn’t have his award taken away. He didn’t receive that without the steroids. Alex Rodriguez only confessed because he got caught. I don’t think he would have ever confessed unless he was caught guilty. He is a bad influence for all the little kids who look up to him as a role model.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Patrick; I think he should be banned from the hall of fame. I don’t think he would have been as good at baseball without the steroids. Confessing to doing these wrong things don’t make everything better, he still committed the crime and now I think he should have to pay for it.
ReplyDeleteI think that he probably did apologize because he got caught. I think that this will hurt his reputation. I think that it will hurt his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame. They realize he had to use those drugs and then he played really well. He does fall into that category because he is no different they all used steroids and they all cheated. I don't think he should be punished because they did the test back when it was not required.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Briana that he only apologized because he got caught. He was only sorry because he felt it was the right thing to do once he got caught. Yes he is a cheater. So that will hurt his chances of getting into the Hall of Fame.
ReplyDeleteI think that this dark spot on baseball does sully A-rod's reputation and puts a bad name out there for his teammates and coaches. I believe that this steriod use greatly hurts his chances of being in the Hall of Fame. Ever since 1994 when he debuted with the Mariners, there was talk about how he was going to be one of the greatest baseball players. Now, it's not the fact that he is not a great player, it's his steriod use that makes him not a great person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Briana and Jenny. Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron didn't use steriods to make their histories in baseball. The only way that A-rod will be remembered is the infamy that will swallow his career from the banned substances he was using.
ReplyDeleteKirkhoff, doing 'roids was not his biggest mistake. His biggest mistake was made every day that he insisted on lying about it. Now, because of those lies, he's dug himself into a deep hole and it's extremely difficult to respect someone who insists on lying about their wrongdoing.
ReplyDeleteNo I don't buy his explanation because he never took full responsibility; he kept blaming it on the era/culture. No because I think he had some time to think about it and decided that he would let everybody hear it from him and not someone else. As long as he's been clean since I don't think it would ruin his rep. I don't think it can help his chances a lot as long as he's been clean. If he is truly sorry and doesn't plan on using them again then I don't think he needs to be punished.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Brittany because if you look at his career before the steroids you will see that he was an excellent player. I think that if they look at his whole career he will have a chance at the Hall of Fame. I don't think anyone who took steroids would have been good without them. What you have to look at is the duration that the steroids were being used.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe his explanation at all. He only apologized to us all since he got caught with steroids. He would have continued his use enabling him to be known as one of the greatest baseball players to ever play and earning a top spot in the Hall of Fame. His total baseball career was a complete and utter hoax.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Claire, numerous players earned their legacy the hard way. Through endless hours of blood, sweat and tears they gained our respect. They didn't take the easy way out by taking performance enhancing drugs. He should've came out with all his lies a long time ago, sparing all his dedicated fans of false hope.
ReplyDeleteI dont buy this explanation because he used the steroids until he got caught. Its not right in one interview to confess, and the other to justsit and lie about it. i dont believe this will hurt him getting into the hall of fame at all, but it still wasnt right
ReplyDeleteI also agree with hallie at the fact that many players earned there hall of fame spots the hard way. Not taking steroids and sport enhancing drugs. Its not right and unfair to those who did it fairly.
ReplyDelete