Dear Alex Rodriguez,

It has finally happened; the cat is out of the bag, the worms are out of the can. The fact that you are in the tabloids more than Britney Spears already isn't going to help things either. The ever-present booing is going to get louder, the fans are going to get nastier. And let's face it, most fans already hate you too. Sportswriters are tearing you down and many are predicting difficulty with you and the Hall. You are one of the best infielders to ever set foot on a diamond. Where did you go wrong?

Do you remember back in your Seattle days? You were baseball's golden boy. You were polite to and respected by the fans and the media. You were hailed not only as the next Cal Ripken Jr., your childhood idol, but also as a kid who had to the potential to be the best ever. That's quite a bit of hype to live up to. Somehow, you managed to live up to the hype. You are undoubtedly one of the best baseball players of all time. Where did you go wrong?

Then came the free agent days and you came our way. Boy, was I excited. My Dad and I danced around the kitchen chanting "We got A-Rod!" One of the greatest players of all time was going to be a Texas Ranger for 10 years. The Rangers hadn't made a free agent signing of a player of your magnitude since Nolan Ryan. You were exiled by the rest of baseball for your monumental contract, of course, but you were always cheered at the Ballpark in Arlington. And how could you not be? Your numbers are astounding. Problem was, you and the "24 kids" you were playing with didn't chalk up many wins. Apparently you decided that you did not want to be a part of our sinking ship any longer (and especially not for the remainder of your contract), so you found a way out. Where did you go wrong?

Then you went to New York. Finally, you must have thought, a team that knows how to win the World Series. It certainly seems appealing; the Yankee tradition, being surrounded by other highly paid superstars. There were two things you most likely noticed after a few years of playing for the New York Yankees. One, you were now exiled by fans of every team, even by your hometown fans. If you went oh-for one night, Yankees fans aren't going to remember if you had went 4 for 5 with 2 HRs the night before. If you don't have a game like that, Yankee stadium transforms into a pressure cooker. Two, you still haven't gotten that World Series ring. You have had some of your best seasons in New York, maintaining your title as the best player in the game, but the press and the fans never let up. Where did you go wrong?

And now it has been made public that you used steroids. After countless reports of denying using them, including telling Katie Couric that you never used because you "never felt overmatched on a baseball field," the truth finally exposed itself. This certainly feels like the bottom, doesn't it? For fans to consider you "tainted," as if they didn't despise you enough. Where did you go wrong?

To tell you the truth, I don't think anyone but you knows the answer to this question. We can speculate about your contract, about feuds with Jeter, and your relationship with Madonna. But we don't know for sure where you went wrong. You might think that we will never understand why you took those steroids. And for the greater part of the public, that might be true. But you know what we hate more than steroid users? Steroid users who are liars. Just look at the demise of the once revered Mark McGwire, or Barry Bonds, or Sammy Sosa, or Rafael Palmeiro. We will not tolerate being lied to. I hope you took this opportunity to make amends for the game of baseball, and more importantly, yourself.

Probably the most heart-wrenching thing about this particular truth is that I think a lot of people were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt on this one. Maybe because you simply don't look all that "big" like Barry Bonds, or maybe, just maybe, because some of us remember a young Alex Rodriguez. But that doesn't matter now. You have given your side of the story, and I'm going to take you on your word because I can't imagine you being blind to the opportunity with which you are being presented: starting over. It's the American Dream, right? Sure, it won't be completely starting over. People will still hate you, you will still be in the tabloids, and you will always be criticized for your contract. No one else will ever truly know. This is the kind of starting over that will not only be the best for the game of baseball, but it is best for you. It will set you back in the right direction, back towards the polite, well-spoken wonderkid everyone loved who played for Seattle. And then, who cares what anyone else thinks?

Thank-you, Alex, for being honest. Maybe the next time you come to Arlington, I won't be booing as loud.

John Paul