February 2009

Issue 1, Volume 7

With one test, a career is ruined. Recently, information was leaked about the New York Yankees’ third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, testing positive for two anabolic steroids - testosterone and Primobolan - in 2003. The positive test came after one of Rodriguez’s best seasons with the Texas Rangers, where he won the American League MVP and home run crown.

In an era riddled with steroid users, Rodriguez was supposed to be the antithesis to the notorious user, Barry Bonds. He was playing the “golden boy” who achieved everything in his career through hard work and dedication. When Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron’s all-time record for most career homeruns, all the weight fell on Rodriguez’s shoulder to one day shatter what Bonds had tainted.

During the 2007 season, Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 500 home runs and is 209 home runs short of Bonds’ record heading into the upcoming season. However, the golden boy image will soon vanquish as the details of his drug use surface.

Seeing an icon like Rodriguez fall to steroid use is really hard to grasp, if simply for the fact that he’s been a role model for so many youths. Testing positive leads everyone to question his ethics and persona, making the general public wonder when and for how long Rodriguez actually used the enhancers.

According to Rodriguez, he only used the anabolic steroids during his 3-year stint with the Texas Rangers. During those 3 seasons with the Rangers, Rodriguez hit 156 of his 553 career home runs. After those 3 seasons with the Rangers, Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees, who reportedly knew about his positive steroid test in 2003. Rodriguez states that he has been clean of steroid use since he joined the Yankees in 2004, but is he even worth trusting at this point?

After the 2003 MLB season, Rodriguez’s statistics steadily declined, with spikes in 2005 and 2007. In 2005, Rodriguez was entering his second season with the New York Yankees organization, coming off of a 2004 season that was his worst since 1997, when he was with the Seattle Mariners. It is very possible that Rodriguez took steroids again in 2005 to get the relentless Yankee fans off his back and finally get on their good side.

The 2005 season did bring Rodriguez some acceptance as he won the American League MVP award with 48 home runs and 130 runs batted in. After gaining his first MVP with the Yankees, there is a possibility that he stayed clean in 2006. While the statistics do not show it, the 2006 season was by far the roughest season for Rodriguez. He was constantly booed when coming to bat or when he made any of his 24 fielding errors, the second most in the American League. The season turned so sour that in the American League Divisional Playoff Series, manager Joe Torre moved Rodriguez from his clean-up spot to batting eighth in the order.

Rodriguez’s career was heading in a downward spiral as he began to gain a reputation of having a soft personality and not being able to withstand the New York criticism. Entering the 2007 season, Rodriguez was in his final year of his 10-year, $252 million contract. At this point Rodriguez possibly took steroids again for two reasons, the first being to get that big-time contract again, which he did, and the second to survive the season before Yankee fans swallowed him alive for the second straight year.

The 2007 MLB season proved to be Rodriguez’s best, as he posted 54 home runs, 156 runs batted in, and a .314 batting average. The outstanding season gained Rodriguez his third American League MVP award, his second with the Yankees. Most importantly, the 2007 season won Rodriguez another 10-year, $275 million contract.

Now entering the second season of the 10-year contract, Rodriguez is probably feeling the pressure of 8 more years. Now that the information has been leaked to the general public, Rodriguez has repeatedly stated that he is regretting the decisions he made in the past. But who cares if he regrets taking steroids? He ruined his legacy and reputation with this one and nothing he can do or say will change his mind.

Ironically, this report comes after the Hall of Fame inductions, which spurned steroid users such as Mark McGwire. Other notorious users such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds will never make the Hall of Fame either, proving that Rodriguez dug his own grave in his pursuit of baseball immortality. Rodriguez will probably never make the Hall of Fame now, which is a shame for someone who was supposed to lead baseball out of the steroid era. Now baseball will have to find another Superman to save the sport from its crippling kryptonite. Until then, never presume that anybody is playing clean, as we have just seen the “golden boy” of baseball turn into a cheater.

Adam Carver is a sophomore English major and Editor and Chief of the Prospect Magazine.