My thoughts on A-Roid
First of all, let me state that I do not condone what A-Roid did. It tarnishes my view of him in the context of the great players, which is a shame because the guy was a total natural without all of that and before all of that. However, I’m already tired of what is being done to the man. The Cliff Notes (in my words) of the interview with Peter Gammons, and the natural breaking point is as follows:
Gammons: So, A-Roid, you are accused of using PHDs. What do you have to say about that.
A-Roid: Yes, Peter, I took PHDs. I signed a big deal with Texas and I felt the pressure to live up to that contract and I took a banned substance. I should not have done it and am sorry for doing so.
THE END
But, no, the interview can’t be over just like that. Gammons has a marquee player sitting in the same room with him. So the interview goes on….and on….and on. Soon A-Roid, simply with nothing else to say, starts to make excusey-sounding statements and pretty soon the public perception of the interview is that A-Roid isn’t sorry for what he did but instead making excuses for it. The thing is, if the interview ends where I wish it would, A-Roid probably has said his genuine part and the diarrhea of the mouth has not yet begun.
Again, I’m not defending A-Roid, but there is nothing else he could have said beyond my natural ending. There is nothing he can say that will make people feel better about this than “I’m sorry for taking the PHDs.” As Kenny once sang, “You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” Gammons didn’t allow A-Roid to quit while he was “ahead.”
As for A-Roid’s legacy, this is a killer. He was such a natural, coming up at 18 or 19 years old and tearing it up in the majors, on a team with Griffey, Unit, Edgar and Tino, and more. I think he could have done a lot this on his own. How much? We’ll never know. That is the crushing reality.
