Here, in part, is how A-Rod attempted to rationalize and excuse his use of steroids yesterday afternoon in an interview with ESPN:
When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day. It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time.
I did take a banned substance. And for that, I am very sorry and deeply regretful. I was stupid for three years [2001 – 2003]. I was very, very stupid… I started experimenting with things that, today, are not legal, that today are not accepted… Ever since … I realized that I don’t need any of it.
And here, in part, is how President Obama addressed A-Rod’s admission last night during the first news conference of his presidency:
[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…
The thing I’m most concerned about is the message it sends to our kids… 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 that your integrity’s not worth it.’
Alas, Obama’s remarks about the depressing state of affairs in baseball seem to have drowned out the alarms he sounded about the state of depression in the U.S. economy. Though, admittedly, this is probably because Obama seems fated to the curse of Cassandra when it comes to the ongoing financial crisis.
All the same, just as America’s favorite pass time will recover from the scourge of cheating baseball players and enabling team owners, its economy will recover from the menace of cheating financial professionals and feckless government regulators.
Related Commentary:
Alex Rodriguez is a steroid junkie…
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