Is Alex Rodriguez the next asterisk?

No

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by Robert Lamber

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A-Rod Diculous Raking Over The Coals of a Talented Athlete

I have never met Alex Rodriguez personally, so I cannot be accused of favoritism. But my love of the game of baseball compels me to address the cloud that now surrounds him and quite possibly the game. I do not believe the game in and of itself will be hurt. The game will rise above controversy because it is a game played by humans with talent and flaws and those that know and love the game will understand the imperfections that all humans possess. The medical profession has had its insane doctors as well and yet it too survives its human frailties. Alex Rodriguez is a talented baseball player. No one can doubt that. He was talented before the steroids, during the phase when he admittedly took steroids, and he will be a talented baseball ballplayer years after this incident has run its course. Predicting his future is all but speculation at this time. What has become a media frenzy that is focusing on Alex, shows that very little matters to the media when if comes to sensationalism and creating opportunistic journalism. This headhunting', that seems to justify collecting a paycheck, comes at the expense of the same superstars' that the media themselves have created.

Talent like that of an Alex Rodriguez and those of our present and future Hall of Famers, that reach a level of accomplishment that we judge by the accumulation of extraordinary achievements over time, demonstrates that their exemplary skills are a gift given to them by nature. Their talent, when compared to others within their field, places them in the high end of the bell-shaped curve where very few athletes can hang their hatsAnd although Alex Rodriguez and others have made a decision to enhance their abilities by biochemical anomalies, these drugs did not give them the talent they were born with. If wanting to enhance that talent because the methods and products to do so are so readily available, then before we condemn them through accusations and half-truths, maybe we should examine the true significance of why the talented' such as Alex, reach beyond what we, the ordinary untalented' judge as cheating or abusive.

No pill, drug, or biochemical compound can create a human being that puts together the coordination to consistently hit a baseball, run a marathon, swoosh a basketball, or any one of a number of eye-hand, fast twitch muscular coordination activities it takes to excel in a given sport. Talent is inborn not drug induced. So let's get that image off the table and concentrate on the real issue: Getting better at what a good athlete already does so well.

Sports have become a business enhanced by science. Science has created better equipment, more aerodynamic clothing, better training methods, etc. In these progressive methods has also come the science of biochemistry. In our everyday non-athletic life, infomercials and advertisements tout vitamins and minerals for better health, supplements to enhance sexual stimuli, appearance, weight loss, longer life, more hair, etc., you name it, as long as there is a market for it, science and business will find a way into our pockets. Everyone has the opportunity to make the decision to enhance' themselves if they so choice. Not everyone does and those that do are we to consider them frauds? or cheaters? The argument here is these enhancement products are legal and steroids are not: A fair point that I have considered, although the credibility of the organizations condemning them are not above criticism as well.

I would like to know exactly what it is about taking these biochemical products that is so offensive to those that make an issue of using them? There are legal' and approved drugs prescribed by doctors that, upon closer examination, state serious potential health risks associated with their use that would scare the stripes off a Zebra! Some legal' drugs state that death and all sorts of hazardous conditions can occur with usage. So, where exactly is the difference? If, like Einstein has stated, energy cannot be created nor destroyed', that must also go for talent as well! You cannot create talent with drugs, (enhance it yes), though the media certainly can destroy it!

If the biochemistry of these Steroids is a danger to the athlete's well being while enhancing' his given talent (not creating it), whose choice is that? If a person fails to see the danger in not wearing a seat belt and winds up fifty feet across the road because of their ignorance, is that not a personal choice? It may be a stupid choice to ignore the danger in obvious situations, but as long as it doesn't put others on dangerous grounds, it is a personal choice that may be hazardous but is stupid at best. Now let me give you my opinion on Mr. Rodriguez and his unfortunate dilemma.

Alex knew exactly what he was doing when he took those steroids even though he denies it. He may have been making a stupid choice but not that stupid, based on what he believed to be important to him. (I doubt if anyone bought that excuse anyway). I also understand why he denied using it. Who wouldn't? Tell me you never hide the truth to protect something you regret doing? The odds are you got away with little lies now and then. Unfortunately he is a media magnet and can't hide his indiscretions as easily as most of us can. and that of

(Pg. 2 cont. Alex)

course, brings us to this ridiculous lynching of a human being with flaws just like the rest of us.

I do not condone nor condemn Alex for his foolish attempt at covering up his steroid use. There are still 103 others just like him, if not more, hiding in the shadows. Maybe we should examine the careers and stats established by that list of names and see if the banned substances made a difference in their careers? If he felt, as so many other athletes feel, it can only produce even better results and add to their abilities to perform a task they already do better than most, how do you condemn their effort? Taking aside the potential physical danger associated with their use as stated before, it is still a personal choice. The desire to be better at your trade than you already are should not be seen as fraudulent. The science and methodology is out there for everyone to explore. Those that make that decision do so based on personal desires. The economic fortune that is so appealing in professional sports creates an atmosphere that entices experimentation and looking for an edge.

Our culture, and the obsession with athletes and celebrities, should take blame for much of the abuse associated with stardom. When millions of dollars become incentives for performance, and the competition for those dollars are thrust upon athletes that have the potential to grab the golden ring', how do you blame them for wanting an edge? Kevin Costner, in the movie Bull Durham, tells how the difference from getting to the show' is in getting just 25 more hits in 500 at bats' which will take you from a .250 hitter to a .300 hitter. Just 25 more hits in 500 at bats tells you how significant the importance of improvement is to an athlete's career and fortunes. Do not condemn their desire to be better at improving their already gifted talent. Everyone has that choice to make. Those that do, risk the consequences of their actions based on the potential hazards that those choices bring. It will not produce talent or skills they never had before. So, let the achievements that they reach speak volumes for their abilities only if those achievements were made over time, and not condensed over a shorter period of time, where suspicion of those achievements can only have occurred during the time of steroid use.

Alex may have made poor choices and statements he regrets. But the talent he possesses is real and for a short period of time it may have been enhanced by his youthful belief in his invisibility, his own ego and biochemistry. Nonetheless, he deserves to continue his path to the Hall of Fame with society's watchful eye judging him according to the goals he reaches and the overall talent he brings to the game from his first at bat till his career reaches its final hoo-rah!

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