I’m writing this while watching tonight’s game, as Alex Rodriguez goes after his 600th home run. But a lot of reporters have been denigrating the chase, partly because of A-Rod’s admitted steroid use, partly because they just don’t like the guy, and partly because bashing A-Rod sells papers.
I can totally understand and respect if somebody doesn’t think this pursuit is anything worth discussing due to A-Rod being an admitted PED user. That’s the price A-Rod has to pay for juicing – that any record he achieves now is tainted. I’m okay if some Yankee fans don’t want to get excited about this.
But that means that reporters and fans have to hold the same standard with any other player caught using PEDS as well. Even when it’s a beloved figure like Andy Pettitte. Now, don’t get me wrong here – I’m not trying to bash Andy here. He was – and is – one of my favorite Yankees. Just saying that they should be treated the same way on the same issue.
You may remember that Andy got his 200th win as a Yankee last month. The New York Post, New York Daily News, Newark Star-Ledger, and The Associated Press, among others wrote about it, but none of them mentioned Pettitte’s admitted use of HGH as a Yankees. Nobody speculated how many of those wins might have been fraudulently obtained.
In a web search tonight, I could only find one article about Pettitte’s 200th win which even mentioned Pettitte’s HGH use. It was from Wallace Matthews of ESPN, who said those three letters would keep Pettitte from voting him into the Hall of Fame. Oddly, though, most of the rest of the column was about how A-Rod was selfish in somehow letting his aching hip overshadow Pettitte’s night.
If you’re going to hold A-Rod’s steroid use against him, you have to do the same for Pettitte’s HGH. And for David Ortiz. And for Manny Ramirez. And for anybody else out there who’s been caught. Don’t just put that scarlet syringe on Rodriguez. Even if it will help you sell a few papers.
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