Did A-Rod Implicate Himself?
Alex Rodriguez may have implicated himself unintentionally in a performance-enhancing drug scandal.
Rodriguez, attempting to praise MLB’s policy, told reporters that he had been tested “9 to 10 times” during the past season. He later changed his estimate to “7 to 10″ tests.
“My quote from earlier today was taken literally,” Rodriguez told reporters. “I was not tested 9 to 10 times last year. My intent was simply to shed light on the fact that the current program being implemented is working.”
All 1,200 MLB players are tested at least twice during the season. The league conducts an additional 600 regular season tests at random and another 60 tests during the post-season.
Players who fail steroid tests - all of whom are publicly identified - receive additional tests. Amphetamine users, who are not identified publicly for a first positive test, qualify for increased testing. MLB may also - with the approval of a small committee - subject players it suspects may be using performance-enhancing drugs.
When asked if he had tested positive for amphetamines, Rodriguez called the allegations “100 percent false.”
Rodriguez automatically received two tests during the season. The odds of the league testing a player an additional five times at random are 1 in 4,200. For eight additional random tests, the odds fall to 1 in 9,000,000.
“The third baseman” produced the best season of his career in 2007, hitting .314 with 54 HR and 156 RBI. He also had a .422 OBP and a career-high 1.067 OPS. With Yankee Stadium’s dimensions taken into account, his season may be the best ever from a right-handed hitter.
ummm…. you forgot to mention the part where he said he would want his daughter to marry andy pettite…. VERY AWKWARD.
-elliot