I am growing weary of digging around for Rangers news and finding only clippings about steroids. So I am going to write about all the steroid issues in a single post, and, barring some other future steroid-related embarassment, I'll be done with it.
As expected, the news about Alex Rodriguez has everyone spouting off and casting doubt upon the Rangers teams of the early 2000s. An article, entitled "Rangers Organization at Heart of Scandal" just warms me up on these cold offseason days. Lucky for us, accusations towards the teams of the early part of this decade are easy to shrug off, since those Rangers teams sucked anyway. It was much more difficult to swallow when the buried truths about players like Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmeiro started to be unearthed--those teams included the only three playoff teams in Rangers history. To make sure to rub this in, the Dallas Observer comments on the Rangers "steroid sluggers".
Unfortunately, some people are starting to ask questions about players that played with A-Rod. A particular theory out there says that since Hank Blalock played next to Alex Rodriguez and is having a tough time with injuries, that he must be on steroids. This is frustrating to me. Blalock may very well have used steroids, we don't know. But the fact that he's drawing speculation because played 40 feet to A-Rod's right? I don't buy it.
Tom Hicks also claims to be irate, commenting that he is "shocked" about Rodriguez. I think this is a classic case of an owner trying desperately to convince everyone that he was as clueless as the fans about the whole steroid issue. The question is, does anyone really believe him?
Perhaps the most disappointing facet of this entire debacle: we are considered by many to be one of the most steroid-infested organizations in this era, and we don't have anything to show for it. That's it: the Rangers aren't even good at cheating.
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Excellent points, more importantly though I want to know about Rudy. For all the credit he's gotten...and the guys he's turned around...was his "teaching technique" a matter of watch this video and uh...heres the HGH. That makes me nervous, though I'm not sure why because no one really cares. Did you see the "Steroid All Star Team" in the news...
ReplyDeleteWatch that interview with A-Rod and really watch it. Its sickening to watch him lie through his teeth with every word that came out of his mouth. Unbelievable.
The problem with Hank isn't the injuries, its how weird his injuries are. A lot of very small nagging injuries and then other weird things (having a rib removed, Carpal Tunnel? Really? Was he typing too much?) I think he was one of those guys with a lot of talent, but used it to combat the wear and tear. When he dropped it you see all that catch up with him.
I imagine that Jaramillo had an idea of what was going on. I don't know if I'd go as far to say that he recommended or provided it though.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, that A-Rod interview was more awkward an episode of The Office.
I just laughed when Blalock was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel. Whether you think he was on steroids or not, that is just crappy. I have a soft spot for homegrown players like Blalock, though, so I hope he can pull it all back together soon.