D-Day For A-Rod

We're a little more than 2 hours away from A-Rod's press conference. I am really curious to see how this goes down. Stupid me forgot to set up the DVR so I'll have to settle for the highlights. I have the capability to set up things to record via the Internet but have no idea how to do it. They are carrying it on XM Radio so I'll at least have that. Hopefully the reception holds up.

This is going to be quite the interesting day. I really hope A-Rod just opens up and comes clean on everything. Failing to do so is only going to mean he'll be questioned about it until all the questions are answered. He needs to be open and honest about everything. The more honest he is, the less questions he'll get. Just admit to everything you did and end this matter once and for all.

Knowing A-Rod and how he operates, I don't see that happening. At least not to that degree. I'm sure he'll open up about somethings, but he won't be as up front and honest as he should be. I heard/read he's hired a crisis management team. Ugh. That to me says he's not ready to be honest. I'm guessing he's being coached on what to say and how to present himself. I'd imagine they've gone over every question they think he'll get and how he'll answer them. I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up wearing a microscopic earpiece and recites answers being read to him. That would be the worse thing he can do. I hate to be cliche, but he needs to speak from the heart. I don't know why he needs a crisis management team. Having one on the payroll just shows that Alex is more concerned about his image than anything else. Stupid. Just stupid.

I haven't gotten too into Spring Training yet. I thought I'd be more into it but so far it's been pretty tame. I haven't seen any video of the guys and the only pics I've seen are the crappy ones from Pete Abraham's iPhone. I am excited to see footage of Teixeira, CC, A.J., pretty much everybody. Work has also been pretty busy lately and that's kept me a little out of the loop. We had some staff changes from a re-org and I had to deliver 2 dozen performance reviews. Not fun.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Pitchers and catchers reported today. Spring Training is officially here!! The regular season will be here before we know it. The march to #27 starts today.

Position players officially report on Tuesday and that's when the whole A-Rod hoopla will kick off. I'm kind of getting tired of all the steroids talk. I just want it to go away so we can focus on the great game of baseball. To do that, I think they need to release the other 103 names that tested positive back in 2003. I've heard a few interviews from players in recent days calling for the names to be released so they can make sure people know they're clean. I think they (reporters) should put everyone on record as saying whether or not they tested positive in 2003, or were told they may have or may not have tested positive, like A-Rod claims he was by Gene Orza. The reporters down there should just flat out ask everybody. Give everyone the chance to say if they're clean or dirty. Guys would be foolish now to lie, even though most likely would. And I would think anyone who's clean, would want the world to know. Let's just get this whole ordeal out of the way. Let's move on.

Be back later with more thoughts.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Going Camping

For the moment, the A-Rod steroids scandal has dies down. I'm sure it will pick up again on Tuesday when he shows up at camp and throngs of reporters descend upon him looking for answers. Quite frankly, he has it coming to him.

This week's Sports Illustrated came out today and the feature article is of course about A-Rod. I have no interest whatsoever in giving SI my money so I doubt I'll read the article unless I happen upon it at the doctor's office or at my mechanics. And since I have no plans to visit either of those places, knock on wood, I doubt I'll check it out. If anyone has read it and wants to share their thoughts, please fire away. No real updates on the allegations Alex made about Selena Roberts. Lots o' sites, including yours truly, looked into it and everyone seems to come to the same conclusion: nobody out there can back up A-Rod's claims. Here's an article from the NY Daily News if you're interested. I'm pretty sure Alex wouldn't have made these things up on a lark. There has to be some basis to his claims, even if he's just blowing them all out of proportion. And I'd probably guess that Roberts was up to some shady dealings, despite what she's said in her gazillion interviews. The more I hear her talk, the more I don't like her. I'm sure she's not squeaky clean in all this. I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Oh well, let's move on, if only for a few days.

Lots of guys are showing up early to camp. Pete Abraham, Yankee beat blogger extraordinaire, has been providing lots of updates. Quick editorial on Pete: He has the best blog on the Yankees there is. Constantly updating with news as it happens. He loses me though when he starts dropping his thoughts on guys. He obviously dislikes certain people and it comes through quite regularly. I can live without that. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming! Here are some nuggets he dropped on us today:

• The Yanks invited 3 more guys to camp today: George Kontos, Kanekoa Texeira, and J.B. Cox. All 3 are RHPs and all 3 won't make the big league club when camp breaks. At one point, I really like Cox. (Mind out of the gutters pervs). But he's digressed in his development and I don't really think he'll ever materialize into much. I wouldn't mind being wrong.
• Jorge Posada is looking good. Pete reports he's "showing good pop in the cage" and is "throwing well." That's great news. Jorge is going to be a huge part of the offense this year. We saw what happened last year with his bat out of the lineup. I like Jose Molina and all, but he's nothing compared to JoPo. Jorgie needs to stay healthy. hopefully, they keep a watchful eye on his wing and don't let him do anything before he's ready.

According to the countdown clock on the Yankees website we're 1 day, 13 hours and 34 minutes away from pitchers and catchers reporting. Man I'm excited. I always equate P&Cs reporting to the first day of school. You're so excited to see the friends you've missed and get back to hanging with them every day. It'll be good to get back together with the 'ol gang and welcome some newbies into the club. One of these days, I'll get down to Tampa to check it out for myself. The wife and I talk about going every year but it's tough when you've got an 18-month old and another on the way. She's a teacher and her mid-winter break always falls at the opening of camp so it'd perfect. But like I do every year, I'll be keeping up on things here in sunny old Buffalo. Ugh.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

An Update On A-Rod's Trespassing Allegation From My Unnamed Source

As I mentioned in my last post, I sent an e-mail to a few people at the University of Miami to see if I could find anything out about the allegation that A-Rod made against Selena Roberts. For those that have been living under a rock since yesterday, A-Rod stated in his interview with Peter Gammons that, "This lady (Roberts) has five days ago just been thrown out of the University of Miami police for trespassing."

In my e-mail to the university, I asked if Selena Roberts had been escorted out of the facility and if the campus police were involved in any way. I received a response via e-mail and my "unnamed source" says, "Jay, the university has no record of any such incident."

Now I trust this source. I would think this person would definitely know if something went down. Considering "the university has no record of any such incident," I'm concluding that Alex is likely making this up. Now I can't say with 100% certainty that the response I received is on the level, but I have no reason not to believe it.

Yesterday, or should say late last night-early this morning, I explained the remark he made about her breaking into his house. From what I gathered, it didn't sound like that was the case. And now the U of M comes out with no record of any incident. I'm inclined to believe that if the campus police were involved, an incident report would have been filed. Based on the information provided to me by my "source," I'm now believing Roberts' more than A-Rod when it comes to his allegations. I'm having trouble understanding why he'd make these allegations up if they weren't true. Alex would have to know he'd get caught in that lie. Maybe he believes it. Maybe he has a different view on things. Either way, as of now, I'm not buying what he's selling.

When I was out on my lunch break today I was listening to the Jim Rome show. A-Rod of course dominated the calls and e-mails. One person called in and mentioned something that I totally missed the day before. At one point, he said, "I get to start a new chapter in my life where I can only focus on baseball, my team, the fans of New York, and recommitting a hundred percent of my focus. I can't wait to get to spring training. Because to play with -- going through a divorce, this gorilla on my back, not being 100 percent honest and forthright and being transparent, I get to play baseball, the game I love most. That's my savior, the game of baseball." Alex also said in the interview, "To be quite honest with you, the first time that I knew I had failed a test 100 percent was when the lady from Sports Illustrated [Selena Roberts] came into my gym just a few days ago and told me, 'You have failed a test.'" He further remarked, "In my mind I assumed that, OK, whatever I was experiencing in Texas perhaps was OK, I'm OK. And in my mind, as I did my interview with CBS last year, I felt I haven't failed a test ... And that was my belief."

I am going to piggy back off the caller and ask this question: How have you been playing with a gorilla on your back if you didn't know you tested positive until just a few days ago, and honestly believed you hadn't failed a test? It makes no sense and just furthers the belief that he's being disingenuous. I appreciate the fact that he owned up to it, but I'm getting more and more agitated at how hollow and fake his response was. There are a lot of inconsistencies in his interview. He's going to report to Spring Training in a matter of days and he will no doubt get grilled about his interview by the horde of reporters that will undoubtedly flock to Tampa to try to get the story. He should have been as up front and forthright as he could have in his interview, answering the questions so he doesn't need to get asked them. The team doesn't need this and that's what pisses me off the most.

This had the makings to be a really great and fun year and I don't like the way it's starting.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

My First Attempt At "Investigative Reporting"

I'm still puzzled by the allegations A-Rod made about Selena Roberts in his interview yesterday. I don't really know who to believe and I kind of what to know the truth. Based on the number of stories being run in newspapers, and the number of posts/comments being made on blogs, I'd say a lot of people are curious to know the truth.

Now, there's not much I can do from my little corner of the world, but what I did do is e-mail some people at the University of Miami, asking if they could comment on her visit, specifically how it ended. I doubt I'll be the one to figure it out, but it doesn't hurt me in the least to send a few e-mails. I think it would be cool to get a response and come across some kind of info. I'll admit it. I just really want to post a story where I can use the phrase, "according to unnamed sources with knowledge of the subject." That's really what I want.

I'm pretty sure she mentioned in her interview with Bob Costas that she was escorted out, and if that's the case, it suggests some people of authority were involved in getting her to leave. I also e-mailed the MLB Network requesting a transcript of the interview so I could look to see if I heard what I thought I heard. If she was escorted out, maybe she wasn't given a ticket or cited for trespassing, but it would, in my opinion, give a little bit more credence to A-Rod's claims. If it doesn't, than I have to wonder what A-Rod is talking about. I really want to believe Alex here. He doesn't need to be found any more of a liar than he already is. And right now, like I said yesterday, I'm about 51/49 on the side of the reporter.

If and when I get a response, I'll definitely post about it. I'm not holding my breath. I wouldn't hold yours. If anyone comes across any information confirming or denying A-Rod's claims, let me know.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Even More On Selena Roberts

I was laying in bed, trying to drift to sleep, thinking about the events from the day. I kept coming back to the allegations A-Rod made about Selena Roberts in his interview with Peter Gammons. Specifically, he said, "I mean, what makes me upset is that Sports Illustrated pays this lady, Selena Roberts, to stalk me. This lady has been thrown out of my apartment in New York City. This lady has five days ago just been thrown out of the University of Miami police for trespassing. And four days ago she tried to break into my house where my girls are up there sleeping, and got cited by the Miami Beach police. I have the paper here. This lady is coming out with all these allegations, all these lies because she's writing an article for Sports Illustrated and she's coming out with a book in May."

Roberts responded to those allegations, calling them "absurd." So that got me thinking. Who's telling the truth? In my earlier blog post, I wrote that I sided with A-Rod on that one, only because I can't see why he'd lie, and I can see why she'd do what he's alleging. I remembered something from her interview earlier in the week with the MLB Network and I decided to get up and see if I could find it. I didn't but it did lead me to and an interview she did tonight with the MLB Network. They gave her a chance to respond to Alex's allegations and she referred to it as "pure fabrication on his part." She said, "I've never set foot in the lobby of his New York apartment. I've never spoken to the University of Miami police, being on their campus. I've never set foot on his home property, or been cited by the Miami police for doing so." The classic he said, she said. Who am I to believe?

Before I get to the thought that caused me to get out of bed, I'll start with the part about "trying to break into his house." A-Rod lives on a public island in Miami. The island has a guard shack. Roberts went to the guard shack and the guard didn't know if the island was public or private, so they called the police to verify it. The police came out, said it was a public island, and said she could drive in. She says Alex's car wasn't there, so she left, and she then went to the weight room. The MLB Network obtained a copy of a Miami Beach police miscellaneous incident report that supports her claim. They made it sound like the police filling these reports out are a formality. If true, and it sounds like it is according to the police report, that's a far cry from someone trying to break into your house. Now I don't necessarily buy that she drove up and just looked for his car, and left when she didn't see it. I don't think it's a stretch to think she might of gone peering in a window or two and maybe was seen by a groundskeeper or something. If that's the case, I'm sure it'll come out.

But what originally got me out of bed was something I remembered from her interview on Saturday with Bob Costas. I remember her talking about her meeting with Alex in the University of Miami gym. I had hoped to find video or a transcript of the interview, but as of now, no luck. I've found clips of the interview, but not the part I'm looking for. It was in the latter part of the interview. I remember her talking about how A-Rod felt when she confronted him in the gym. She talked about how she thinks he felt violated because the gym was his "sanctuary." He told her he wasn't saying anything, put his headphones back on, and went back to working out. I vaguely remember her saying she had him escorted out and that's what my mind was focusing on.

In her interview today with the MLB Network, she had a different, less confrontational account of how their meeting in the gym ended. She said she walked back there, talked to him for a few minutes, and then left. She said she didn't even see the police and none were involved. She said in the interview, "When I left Alex on Thursday, umm, you know he was not happy I was there. He was getting a little agitated so I said, 'Hey listen. I'm going to leave. But here is my card.'" What happened to the being escorted out part? I know I heard that. The phrase "escorted out" to me means that someone in a position of authority was involved in removing you. Could it have been the campus police? Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Man, I wish I could find video of that interview. Who knows? To steal a word from Roger Clemens, maybe I'm mis-remembering it. But if it does in fact mention being escorted out, I'm inclined to believe Alex on that claim. And that would then make the other claims he made even more believable. Like the other instances Alex mentioned, I'm sure someone will verify it.

I'm not sure why I care so much about this. To be honest, I'm kind of tired of writing about Selena Roberts. I hate that I'm giving her so much "air time" if you will. But something is off and I'd just like to know the truth. Whether it's her or Alex lying, I want to know. It's painful to admit, but as of right now, I'm about 51/49 on the side of Roberts in terms of who I believe. But I just don't see why Alex would make this up. He has to know this stuff could be verified and the last thing he wants to do is get caught lying about something.

Is it time yet for pitchers and catchers to report?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

A-Rod Opens Up But Questions Still Remain

I just got done watching the full interview A-Rod did with Peter Gammons. Wow. I didn't think I was going to get all that. I don't know the exact running time of the interview, but it had to be close to 30-35 minutes. I'm glad Alex "came clean" and admitted to using PEDs. It was the right move. hopefully, we can all move on from this and get back to bantering about baseball.

As for the content of the interview, Alex gave me more than I expected, but left me puzzled a few times.

• Alex claims to not knowing exactly what he used. I find that hard to believe. Athletes don't put random crap in their bodies. I'm pretty sure A-Rod knew exactly what he used. I was hoping Gammons would ask him if he ever injected himself with anything, but I'm not surprised he didn't. It seemed like a very structured interview. There weren't really any follow up questions to Alex's answers. I'm sure some reporters are going to throw those questions at him at some point.
• I don't quite follow the timeline. He said he stopped using in spring training of 2003 but admitted to using from 2001-2003. I don't get what he meant when he said that the timeline was "pretty accurate." And again, Gammons didn't follow-up on the answer. He wasn't sure of the timing of the 2003 test and when he stopped using. I would have expected him to know the answer to that question.
• He said that Gene Orza told him he may or may not have failed a test back in 2004 and that he hadn't heard anything about failing until Roberts bumrushed him Thursday in the gym. Since he hadn't heard anything about the test from 2004 until 2 days ago, he took that to mean that he wasn't on the government's list of those who tested positive. He also said he hasn't seen the test results and would like to, so he can see what he took. Now here's where I get confused. If he hasn't seen the test and didn't know until 2 days ago that he had failed, what's he admitting to? Based on his feelings for Selena Roberts, I wouldn't think he would take anything she says as the truth. Yet, he's admitting to using banned substances based on her report. That doesn't add up. The conclusion I'm drawing is that he knows what he took (see bullet point #1) and he knows it was a PED. I appreciate him coming out and admitting to using, but I don't think he was 100% on the level in his responses.
• He said he's been tested randomly 8-10 times since 2004 and has been clean since leaving Texas. I believe that 100%. He said this was the biggest regret of his life. It may not be the biggest regret of his life, but I imagine it's up there. Gammons said post-interview that it was a very emotional day for A-Rod. I could sense that a little bit. At one point I thought he was tearing up. I felt he tried to be as genuine as possible, even though as i mentioned in my last bullet point, not everything seemed on the level.
• I noticed at times he had trouble making eye contact with Gammons. There were also some instances where he took his time in thinking of his response, which I took to be a good thing. I'm sure some newspaper out there will have a body language expert review the interview to try and prove whether or not he was genuine. Look for that tomorrow because I'm sure it's being worked on.
• Alex wasn't afraid to tell us how he feels about Selena Roberts. He mentioned how SI basically pays her to stalk him. She was thrown out of his NYC apartment. She had a run in with the University of Miami police. She tried to break into his house. I immediately pictured her trying to climb through an open window. It was probably more like she climbed the gate and trespassed on his property. Roberts has denied these allegations, calling them "absurd." This is interesting. It's something that you'd think is easy to verify so why would either one lie about it. I have to believe Alex here. I can see Roberts being overzealous in her pursuit of confronting A-Rod. There are definitely reporters out there who will do anything for a story. I don't know why but I can picture her doing the things Alex said. Alex mentioned in his interview he had a copy of the citation she was given. I guarantee you somebody is already looking into this. I can't think of a reason why A-Rod would make this up. This could get interesting.

I'm glad Alex stepped up to the plate and owned up to what he did, even if there are still a few questions surrounding his answers. He admitted it, and that's the bottom line. I'm disappointed in him, but I can get past it pretty easily. I believe that he's clean and has been clean since he's been with the Yankees. I still think he's the best player I've ever seen play the game and that's not something that his steroid use will change. It's very easy of us non-athletes to blast these guys for doing what they did. I'm not condoning the behavior. It's wrong, no doubt about it. But who are we to pass judgement on these guys? Alex pointed out in his interview that it was the culture of the game. I can understand that. It wouldn't be called the "steroid era" if a handful of guys were using. 104 people tested positive in 2003. It doesn't make me like the guys that got caught any less. It makes me appreciate those that didn't even more. If only, I knew who those guys were.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Alex's Interview @ 6pm On ESPN

Alex's interview with Peter Gammons will air tonight during the 6pm edition of Sports Center. They played a little sound clip from the interview on XM and he admitted to taking a banned substance. A friend of mine called me and mentioned he said he took the PEDs from 2001-2003. I'm glad Alex did the right thing and fessed up. It's too bad he only did it because he got caught and didn't have a choice.

I tried to transcribe what he said in the little sound clip they palyed and here's what I got: "I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth...umm....(long pause)...being one of the greatest players. I am deeply regretful." I may not have it 100% right but it's close.

The interesting part of that clip is the pause. I had the same thoughts about it as the hosts of XM's show. It was as if he was about to say, I wanted to prove I was worth the $250 million dollar contract, but instead he shifted gears mid-sentence and went down the "greatest player" road. It sounds to me that Alex felt he couldn't live up to his contract and used the "juice" to prove his worth. I'm inferring he decided to use because of the pressure of the contract. Based on the small audio clip I heard, that's what I'm inferring. The full interview should shed a little more light on things and I can't ait for 6pm to roll around.

J-Boogie

A-Rod Speaks: Guilty As Charged

I've been listening to XM Radio's MLB channel all day. It's pretty much been A-Rod around the clock. They just read a statement from him or from ESPN. In short, he admitted in an interview with Peter Gammons that he used steroids. That interview will air sometime tonight and I'll post my thoughts about it once I've seen it.

Kaboom!

Can't wait to hear that interview.

J-Boogie

My E-Mail To Selena Roberts

I don't know why I'm on such a Selena Roberts kick. I'm just trying to make heads and tails of all of this and most of my questions lie with Selena Roberts, the reporter at SI.com who broke the story about A-Rod testing positive for steroids back in 2003. So I drafted an e-mail of my questions and sent them off to Ms. Roberts. Now, I have no idea of my e-mail was sent to the right address. After several attempts at different addresses, I finally didn't get one returned as undeliverable. So fingers crossed it made it to her. Here is what I sent:

Ms. Roberts-

Hello. I author a New York Yankees fan blog called Baseball & The Boogie Down. I would first like to start by congratulating you on breaking this story. It's a bombshell to say the least. My readers and I do have some questions though about your article and we'd certainly be appreciative if you could take the time to review and answer our questions. Your role in this matter has been pivotal, and suggests you have a sincere desire to share the information. We thank you in advance for your response.

1)In the Q&A you did with SI.com, one of your answers mentioned that while working on a profile piece on Alex, you began to hear whispers of his steroid use. What were the specific things you heard and where did you hear them?

2)You also mentioned in that Q&A you and David Epstein went through a "meticulous process" when verifying and re-verifying the information you had. Can you outline that process and explain what steps were taken to verify the authenticity of the information?

3)You have mentioned that you confronted Alex with the evidence you had about a positive test. From what I've been able to gather from your article and interviews you've done, it sounds like the basis of your report is based on the information given to you by 4 independent sources. What evidence do you have? Do you have, or have you seen, physical evidence that supports their claims that Alex tested positive, or is it purely based on statements they made to you about a positive test? You use the term "hard evidence" in one of your responses. The term "hard evidence" implies you have something physical and more than the statements made by 4 people. I haven't seen anything from you that I take as "hard evidence." Can you clarify what evidence you have, or have seen, to back up your claims?

4)How did you come into contact with your sources? Did you find them or did they seek you out? Do sources receive any form of compensation for their information?

5)You mentioned that you do not have any of the other 103 names that tested positive in 2003. Do you know if your sources know these names, and if so, why wasn't that information pursued by you, or any of your colleagues?

My readers and I again would like to thank you for taking the time to review and respond to our questions. We appreciate your efforts in breaking this story and look forward to receiving your response. Thank you.

I'm not setting out to try to disprove her claims. I don't doubt that Alex's name appears on that list. I'm just working to get a better understanding of her process and what went in to breaking a story like this. I haven't convicted him yet and part of that is because right now all of the dots aren't connected. I'd just like to know more and since Alex hasn't yet responded, I figured why not send Roberts an e-mail. Speaking of a response from Alex, XM Radio is reporting he is supposed to speak to ESPN sometime today. I don't have any more info other than that. But I'll share it if I hear something.

It's been about 15 minutes and I still haven't gotten the undeliverable e-mail. I'm taking that to mean my e-mail found its intended recipient. And now we wait.......

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie