Let the Piling On Begin

Alex Rodriguez admitted on video with Peter Gammons that he took substances from 2001 to 2003. He was apologetic and emotional and seemed aware and devastated that this will forever cloud his career. Good enough. Thank you, Alex. We wish you were a bit more forthright at what you were taking and where you got them, but we understand that you won't throw other players and their pushers under the bus. At least you manned up and admitted what you did. Now, because you are Alex Rodriguez, here comes the moralists and their headlines:

• Rob Neyer - A-Rod sorry he got caught
• Buster Olney - A-Rod tarnished forever
• Jayson Stark - Game's history destroyed
• Howard Bryant - Future king tainted
• Jeff Passan - Narcissitic A-Rod couldn't resist juicing
• Richard Justice - Like Bonds, A-Rod never will escape this shame

Oh brother. ESPN.com's fan poll shows that 68% of the fans either forgive A-Rod or believe he doesn't need forgiveness. Only 32% (roughly about the same that thought Bush did a good job as president) said he wouldn't be forgiven.

The fans get it as does this Fan. A-Rod wanted an edge. Saw other players getting an edge. Took the stuff. Got caught. Admitted it. Okay, move on. The game was crazy and out of whack for a number of years. We all get it. But we know the problem now and if the union and MLB is smart enough, we'll make sure we get this stuff out of the game and move on. At least A-Rod, or his agent, was smart enough to come clean and admit it. Now if only Clemens and others would do the same. Oops. Clemens can't or he'll go to jail.

So to those high-minded sports writers everywhere, the Fan says to:

• Neyer: At least he's sorry, give him that.
• Olney: No he isn't. Not to most fans anyway.
• Stark: Not it isn't. It will work itself out.
• Bryant: Tainted maybe. It will be a black eye for sure.
• Passan: Do you even know what that word means? Do you have the appropriate degree to make that call?
• Justice: It's not like Bonds. A-Rod admitted it and apologized. Perhaps because he got caught. Okay, but still. Bonds will never apologize.

It's a sad day. Agreed. It's disturbing. Agreed. But it's also understandable considering the culture of the day. Athletes are uber-competitive and if others are getting an edge, then the temptation is there. NASCAR catches cheats all the time. Big time athletes will always look for an edge. The key is to be ahead of them and get the playing field as level as possible and keep it that way.

Thanks again, A-Rod. The Fan appreciates you not pulling a Nixon on us.