Give Alex Rodriguez credit for coming clean about his use of performance enhancing drugs. But, did A-Rod really have any other choice?
He's witnessed what repeated denial has achieved for slugger Mark McGwire and pitcher Roger Clemens. Clemens could one day faces accusations of perjury by the Justice Department. McGwire, who danced around the issue before Congress, will likely never be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
It is Cooperstown, that I think Rodriguez had in mind, when he came clean in an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons.
Rodriguez has Hall of Fame credentials right now. His 553 home runs place him 12th on the all time list. He is within reach of Barry Bonds' 762 career home runs.
I would say A-Rod is a long shot for induction into the Hall of Fame. 14 months ago, in an interview with 60 minutes, he denied steroid use. And, in the last 8 years, since 2001 A-Rod has hit 364 homers, an average of 45 per season.
It was in 2001, as a member of the Rangers, that Rodriguez said he began used PED's. He said he used them into 2003.
In the meantime, I laugh when people say baseball is in trouble. The sport has severe credibility issues. But, in the midst of it all baseball continues to flourish at the box office. We hear so much about baseball's payroll imbalances allegedly leading to domination by handful of clubs on the field.
That isn't so. Since 2000, baseball has had 8 different champs in 9 years. The Red Sox won in 2004, and repeated in 2007.
Baseball is a great game. It will flourish, despite the latest admission by Alex Rodriguez.