Not many blogs make headlines on ESPN. In fact, unless its by a paid columnist, it is extremely rare. However, JRod, a blogger from MidWest Sports Fans posted speculation about Raul Ibanez using steroids.Disgusted, Ibanez was asked about the posts and had some words for the blogger and basically asked for a drug test to prove his innocence.
“You can have my urine, my hair, my blood, my stool- anything you can test,”
Ibanez said. “I’ll give you back every dime I’ve ever made [if the test is
positive.]"
The only counter argument the blogger had going was the ball park factor before he stated:
"Any aging hitter who puts up numbers this much better than his career averages
is going to immediately generate suspicion that the numbers are not natural,
that perhaps he is under the influence of some sort of performance enhancer."
Ibanez went to as low as you can critize a blogger calling him a "42-year-old in his mother's basement" and said:
“It’s unfair because this story should be about how hard work, determination,
and desire trumps chemicals and shortcuts,” he said. “That should be the
message: desire, character, work ethic. But some guy who doesn’t know me - one
idiot - says something like this. They should be held accountable. It’s
cowardly.”
Today, JRod had some sort of an apology to Ibanez.
"I'll accept some level of accountability and offer a sincere apology to Raul
Ibanez for advancing a public debate that, in his specific case, is very likely
unfair and perhaps even unnecessary. However, I'm not accepting complete blame
and accountability for being the person who started this. I just tried to do my
homework and write a cogent response to speculation I had heard from other
sources."
The blogger certainly received an increase of page views to his site, but also a bunch of nasty e-mails.
The Fightins and Gonzo have the full story.
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