A-Rod Explains

Alex Rodriguez apologized to fans and teammates going more into depth about his steroid use on Tuesday. Calling it a stupid mistake, A-Rod claimed that his unidentified cousin injected him with a foreign substance.

"I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs," he said. "It was pretty evident we didn't
know what we were doing," Rodriguez said. "We did everything we could to keep it
between us, and my cousin did not provide any other players with it. I stopped
taking it in 2003 and haven't taken it since."

A-Rod, who tested positive for Primobalan in 2003, also admitted to taking the product Ripped Fuel, which eventually became banned by MLB.

"It isn't lost on me the good fortunes I've received playing baseball. I [was in
the Major Leagues] right out of high school, and I thought I knew everything. I
clearly didn't. I've made mistakes in my life, and the only way I know to handle
them is to learn from them and move forward. One thing I know for sure is that
baseball is a lot bigger than Alex Rodriguez."

Rodriguez has lost the respect of many people in the baseball world including Jamie Moyer, who recently expressed his thoughts on his former Seattle Mariners teammate.

"I don't see how he has a chance [to make the Hall of Fame]. "Who in their right
mind would vote for anyone who got caught taking that stuff?"

"It's about respecting the game," Moyer continued. "I'd be disappointed in anybody in
that situation. When people have had an impact on your life, you want to feel
for them. But how can I feel for him? To me, if you're doing it, you know it's
illegal. I commend him for coming out and saying it, but why didn't he say it
seven years ago?"

Raul Ibanez, also a former teammate of A-Rod, said along with Ken Griffey Jr., A-Rod was one of the most talented players he ever played with.

"He's acknowledged that fact that he did the wrong thing," Ibanez added. "It's a bad
day. I think it's a bad day, but at the same time, I know the human element,
because I know Alex personally. We were teammates in Seattle. Normally, as a
player you see something happen with a guy that you don't really know and you
think that guy did something wrong. Because I know him, I feel for him. I know
he's hurting, and he's acknowledging it."

Current teammates of A-Rod, such as Derek Jeter, support him. It wasn't too long ago where other Yankees such as Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte were in the same boat as Rodriguez.

"We're here to support him through it. We don't condone what he did. Alex
doesn't condone what he did. At this point now, it's our job to help him be as
comfortable as he can on the field and try to move past this."

A-Rod knows there is no other way to gain respect back but by finishing his career cleanly.

"I know that I am in a position where I have to earn my trust back," Rodriguez
said. "And over time, I am confident that at the end of my career, people will
see this for what it is -- a stupid mistake and a lesson learned for a guy with
a lot of baseball to play."

A-Rod claimed he hasn't taken steroids since, regularly taking blood and urine test. He is ready to start the season, proving he's still a great player steroid free.



QUOTE SOURCE: MLB.com