Response to A-Rod Interview

One topic that stuck with me during Peter Gammon’s interview with Alex Rodriguez was A-Rod divulging a burning desire to win a World Series. The more I thought about it, I came to the conclusion that throughout the steroid era, no real juicer ever tasted total victory. Barry Bonds got close in 2002 but came up short in an uninspired Game 7 against the Angels, Sammy Sosa faced the wrath of Bartman in 2003, and Mark McGwire would only lift a championship trophy as a skinny amateur in Oakland. Jason Giambi, another self-proclaimed juicer has also played in October many times but never representing the last team standing. Supposed performance enhancers and key pieces of championship Marlin teams Gary Sheffield and Ivan Rodriguez helped the south Florida ballclub to titles prior and after links to using banned substances during their championship seasons. Sheffield only had 21 home runs and 71 RBIs in Florida’s 1997 title year. Ivan Rodriguez left rumors of steroid consumption with his previous team in Texas behind and became a spray hitter during his 2003 title run with Florida by hitting .297 and going long 16 times, a far cry from his 35 home run/113 RBI campaign of 1999. Is it Karma that these anabolic users failed to see their career seasons that were aided by performance drugs blossom into championships? One can only hope. Maybe their blatant using caused teammates to feel disenfranchised from their respective team, causing valued team chemistry to become absent? Either way, cheaters on the offensive side of the plate have failed to achieve total success for their ball clubs.