A-Rod Found to Have Tested Positive for Steroids

Photograph of Alex Rodriguez throwing a batting glove at fans earlier this week, in the Dominican Republic, by Kena Betancur/AP

Sports Illustrated is reporting that Yankees megastar Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003. Multiple sources are telling the magazine that Rodriguez's name appears on a list of players whose lab results from that year had been seized by federal agents as part of the BALCO investigation. 2003 was the final season A-Rod played for the Texas Rangers before coming to the Yankees, the year he won his first MVP award and his third consecutive home run crown. (It also happens to be the last season the Yankees went to the World Series.)

When asked about the results earlier in the week, A-Rod told a reporter, "You'll have to talk to the union. I'm not saying anything." Union reps did not respond to SI phone calls. There are 104 players on the list who tested positive in 2003—more than 5% of the league. It was the last year before it became a punishable offense.

Rodriguez tested positive for Primobolon which SI says "improves strength and maintains lean muscle with minimal bulk development...and has relatively few side effects." Players began turning to Primobolon because it was more difficult to detect since it passes through the system quicker than other drugs.

Among the controversy surrounding Joe Torre's recent criticism of A-Rod in the new book "The Yankee Years," one testimonial Torre has continually come back to is that he has never seen a ball player who trains to the degree that Rodriguez does.

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By Billy Parker in News on February 7, 2009 11:30 AM

Comments [rss]

Frederick Puccini

Another victim of steroids.. This is really very bad on hearing this kind of news.. I wonder why they take the wrong path to prove themselves..

steroids effects

NannyState

Now I know why Madonna has such a thing for A-Rod: she's always wanted to know what tits feel like.

jaycjay

A little find-and-replace experiment:

Selig is part of the issue - the real issue is the owners - they never wanted testing - you saw how hard it was for Selig to introduce not just testings but suspensions with the owners.

The owners also wanted more homeruns - more home runs = more money - longevity = more money.

If a player that was retiring and had warning track power but all of a sudden can hit home runs as a DH well the owners love that - they will never get rid of the DH.

The owners are more to blame for this than Selig.

Yep. I thought that would work.

Quenepa

It actually does! :-) fantastic jaycjay! Blame all around.....

(do you find it odd that only A-roids name is posted out of the 104 caught? just asking)

matty

Selig, the Steinbrenners and the NY Yankees have pretty much ruined baseball for everyone.

Thanks assholes.

Quenepa

Selig is part of the issue - the real issue is the Players Union - they never wanted testing - you saw how hard it was for Selig to introduce not just testings but suspensions with the Players Union.

The Players Union also wanted more homeruns - more home runs = more money - longevity = more money.

If a player that was retiring and had warning track power but all of a sudden can hit home runs as a DH well the Players Union loves that - they will never get rid of the DH.

The Players Union is more to blame for this than Selig.

ANGRYGOD11

Baseball paid Commissioner Selig 17 million dollars in 2008. That's more than all but less than 5 of the top paid players.

Sounds like they (the team owners) think he's doing a great job. Selig is nice enough to agree with them all the way to the bank.

blablanyc

Baseball needs a new commissioner. It's a shame Selig has let all of these great players ruin themselves because he is unwilling to take strict action against steroids. Selig only cares about the dollars and not the players.

bagelman

there was that year when the expos were going to win it all. then, the strike ended it. since then, it's been raining home runs for ticket sales.

as for A-Roid, he belongs in a city like LA.

blablanyc

I'm getting a #13 A-Rod Yankees jersey with C27H42O3 on the back.

Who isn't on steroids in baseball?

Toby von Meistersinger

We really need to invalidate all of these tainted baseball season's records and the tainted players who played in them. Bud Selig is no doubt complicit in this nonsense and knowing the kind of person he is probably encouraged it for the "betterment" (read: profits) of the game.