A-Rod, A-Knob, A-Fraud, A-Cheat

Today I'm sad about the state of my beloved sport of baseball. Sure, I'm a die hard Red Sox fan. I watch 140+ games each year, I've got the license plates, and as anybody that knows me can attest I wear my grungy Sox hat every day.

Being a Red Sox fan you might think that I hate the Yankees with every ounce of my being. This may come as a shock, but indeed I do not. As I've stated publicly and privately, the Yankees are a big part of what makes being a Red Sox fan so captivating. They are the Ying to our Yang. They are the Goliath to our David. They are our [redacted to keep politics out of a discussion about sports.]

Today it was reported through various media outlets that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003.

For those readers who may not be familiar with baseball nor the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees, buckle down the media hatches. There will be much vitriol spewed nationally, but especially in Boston over the next few days. Rodriguez (most commonly called "A-Rod") is an unquestionably talented baseball player. The Red Sox tried to have him play for us. The Yankees ended up landing him at a contract approaching the dollars in the recent Congressional stimulus package.

As a Sox fan, I have to hate the man. Even bigger than my love of the Red Sox is a love for the game of baseball. This is precisely why it pains me to hear that one of my team's arch enemies has been shown to be a cheater. I hated him because he was really really really goddamn good. I would prefer that he had not cheated, and just been a pain in our ass fair and square.

ESPN's Buster Olney makes an excellent point about the overall implications for the purity of a sport when he said

.... remember, in the summer of 2007 as Barry Bonds was chasing down Hank Aaron's record there were a number of columns written that [said] 'boy won't it be great when Alex Rodriguez eventually breaks Barry Bonds' record because then that record will be pristine again. That legacy is certainly changed forever.'