A-Rod cries that he is sorry

http://www.lohud.com/article/2008902100371

Two days after Sports Illustrated reported that he failed a drug test in 2003, Rodriguez sat for a lengthy interview in his Miami Beach, Fla., home and admitted to breaking baseball's rules, starting in 2001 after he signed with the Rangers.


"I felt an enormous amount of pressure. I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level, every day," Rodriguez said.


"It was very loose. I was young. I was stupid. I was naive. And I wanted to prove to everyone that, you know, I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."


Rodriguez averaged 52 home runs and nearly 132 RBI during those three seasons. In his 10 other full seasons, he has averaged 39 home runs and 119 RBI. Of his 553 home runs, 156 came during those three seasons - 28 percent.


Rodriguez was once considered the player who would erase the name of Barry Bonds from the top of the career home run list. Bonds is scheduled for trial next month on charges that he lied when he told a federal grand jury that he never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.


In a 2007 interview with "60 Minutes," Rodriguez denied ever having used performance-enhancing drugs.


Rodriguez has long been a polarizing figure among baseball fans. His admission drew a variety of responses.


"From what it sounds like, he's still not being completely truthful," said John Reilly, a Mets fan from Yonkers. "I think he'd be better off if he came clean and told the whole truth of what he did."


But Ron Walker, a Yankees fan from Pomona, praised Rodriguez.
"It takes a big man to come out and say, 'I did it,' " he said. "I respect him for that."
The Yankees have not been to the World Series since Rodriguez was acquired from the Rangers. Though he has twice been named the Most Valuable Player in the American League since joining the Yankees, he also has performed poorly in the postseason and been regularly featured in gossip columns. He is signed through the end of the 2017 season.