2 Weeks of Baseball Roid Issues

I've been away for a couple of weeks and was passing through San Francisco on Tuesday looking forward to get the latest blow by blow details of the Barry Bonds trial, but when I picked up my copy of the San Francisco Chronicle, not one mention of the trial; an appeal delayed the start of the trial until the summer.

In other roid related developments during my break, the A-Rod alibi unraveled further. Memo to all: tell the truth the first around. You'll feel much better and not come off as such a dimwit.

His cousin, Yuri Sucart, who allegedly supplied the banned substances was identified. The explanation did not hold water since A-Rod said the substances were purchased over the counter in the Dominican Republic, yet during that time period, 2001 - 2003, one could not obtain the substances he reportedly tested positive for over the counter in the DR back then. It was also revealed that A-Rod was associated with the trainer Angel Presinal. If one wants to be associated with roids, work out and hang out with Presinal. He has been accused of distributing steroids to major league players and has been barred from major league clubhouses since 2001. He was also mentioned in the Mitchell Report. That checkered past didn't appear to bother A-Rod since he trained with him as recently as 2007.

Derek Jeter stepped up to the plate and came to the defense of his teammate while at the same time professing his innocence at the beginning of spring training. Jeter said, “One thing that’s irritating and really upsets me a lot is when you hear people say that everybody did it. Everybody wasn’t doing it.”

Unfortunately for DJ, his calls of "playing the right way" are falling on deaf ears. Why? Because his teammates have said similar things in the past such as A-Rod, Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Jason Giambi only to have their assertions either be false or seriously questioned. DJ can tell me all about how not everyone was cheating and that your father was a drug counselor, but all the lies from your teammates who have uttered the same exact thing have made all players guilty until proven innocent.

Lastly, it was being reported that many players are reporting to spring training much smaller. George Vecsey labeled this phenomenon, The Incredible Shrinking Baseball Player, reporting that players are now turning to yoga, athletic video games, nutritionists, getting more sleep and giving up beer and or soda to be more nimble and athletic. Sceptics would say it's the polar opposite of five years ago when players were showing up bulked up claiming that they were cranking the weights.

Don't be shocked when home run totals dip this year at least the players will be more nimble and athletic stretching singles into doubles.