I was going to write today about some of the reaction to Alex Rodriguez' Tuesday press conference. I will still get to some of that, but I have to digress.
What kind of a moron is Commissioner Bud Selig? And how stupid does he think baseball fans really are?
Seems the Bud-ster says he shoulders absolutely no blame for Rodriguez' troubles, or for the entire Major League Baseball steroid era.
"I don't want to hear the commissioner turned a blind eye to this or he didn't care about it," Selig told Newsday in a Monday phone interview. "That annoys the you-know-what out of me. You bet I'm sensitive to the criticism.
"The reason I'm so frustrated is, if you look at our whole body of work, I think we've come farther than anyone ever dreamed possible," he said, adding, "I honestly don't know how anyone could have done more than we've already done."
Sure, Bud. It didn't happen on your watch. You didn't turn a blind eye to it while Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were breathing life back into the sport you had been screwing up. You acted so quickly and forcefully to bring an end to it -- long before BALCO happened or Jose Canseco started writing books.
You're a friggin' hero, Bud. At least, I'm glad you think so.
"A lot of people say we should have done this or that, and I understand that. They ask me, 'How could you not know?' and I guess in the retrospect of history, that's not an unfair question. But we learned and we've done something about it. When I look back at where we were in '98 and where we are today, I'm proud of the progress we've made." ...
"Starting in 1995, I tried to institute a steroid policy," Selig told Newsday. "Needless to say, it was met with strong resistance. We were fought by the union every step of the way."
You just go right on thinking that, Bud. Keep right on blaming everyone else. Your lack of willingness to accept any responsibility is, to me, just as embarrassing as McGwire's refusal to talk about the past, the denials by Rafael Palmiero and Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa's sudden inability to speak English.
Real leaders worthy of respect accept responsibility for the things that happen while they are in charge. Instead, Bud, you just want to run for cover and play the blame game.
Sure, maybe some folks will say A-Rod "shamed the game." And, maybe in some ways that is right.
If Selig really wants to know who has shamed the game, though, all he needs to do is look in a mirror.
As for A-Rod and what he said during his Tuesday press conference, what did you think?
Personally, I thought he raised as many questions as he answered.
ESPN's Jayson Stark put it this way.
His friends told him the truth would set him free. But is that what Alex Rodriguez told Tuesday?
The truth? The whole truth? And nothing but the truth?
Ehhhhh … it didn't feel that way.
I would tend to agree with that. I give him credit for trying, but after listening to Rodriguez Tuesday I am still not sure what the story is. I am pretty sure he hasn't told all of it, though. Maybe he doesn't even know what the real story is.
Other reactions
- A-Rod needs to get his story straight. Jon Heyman
- Rodriguez offered spin, not remorse. Ben Reiter
- Did A-Rod actually just become more likeable? AOL Fanhouse
- Not a good day for Rodriguez, or the Yankees. Big League Stew