Baseball's hall of shame gained a new superstar yesterday as Alex Rodriguez outed himself as a drug cheat, admitting he muscled up with illegal steroids from 2001 to 2003, when he unleashed the greatest three-year power surge of his career.
Backed into a corner by a blockbuster report Saturday that he tested positive in 2003 for anabolic steroids, the three-time American League MVP acknowledged plying himself with illicit performance-enhancing substances after signing a 10-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers in 2001, then the richest deal in baseball history.
While juiced on steroids, Rodriguez hit .305 while averaging 52 home runs and nearly 132 RBIs over the three years, all with the Rangers. He led the league in home runs all three years and was the MVP in '03.
"I was young, I was stupid, I was naive," he told ESPN's Peter Gammons. "I wanted to prove to everyone that I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time. I did take a banned substance, and for that I'm very sorry."
Rodriguez waited less than 48 hours after Sports Illustrated's damaging report before he confessed his wrongdoing and began rehabilitating his image. In doing so, he borrowed a page from Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte, who regained much of their popularity after admitting they used banned substances.
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