ARod's 2015 season

PSASAP

Before this season began, I, and countless other MLB fans outside the Big Apple, wished that ARod would just go away. Still another large percentage of fans hoped that he would embarrass himself with stats that came nowhere near what he was putting up durning his juicing days, which would have reinforced the notion that steroids made his career. Add to the fact that he was approaching 40, things did not look to be in his favor. A poor season would have justified his exclusion from the HOF, which may be in his future anyway. But this year, ARod has made an emphatic statement that he is still deserving of consideration when discussing the all-time greats. I didn't think he had it in him, but he has answered his critics in a resounding way.

galaxy27

Which begs the question, why juice in the first place? If you have the requisite bat speed at 40, what was going on in your nonpareil prime that led you to believe an enhancement was necessary?

orioles93

Arod, just like Bonds and Clemens were good enough without steroids to have hall of fame careers. That always stands out for me with those 3 players. People tend to forget that they played in times when majority of players were doing it, and if you did not participate there was a chance you could fall behind your peers, no matter how good you were originally. Money also talks. I guarantee that almost everyone on these boards if given the opportunity to take steroids and put up better numbers and in return get a $100 million plus contract, you would do it. Arod is having a great season. I was never a big Arod fan but I am glad he is doing well and showing people that even at age 40 and without steroids he is still capable of playing at a high level. I think it really shows that steroids did not define his playing career, but that he was actually one of the all time great players.

grote15

I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL..

jay0791

As a yankee fan for years I couldn't stand A-choke.

When we needed a run he popped out.

I watched his recent 3 HR game. There is absolutely no doubt he still has what it takes.
After John Ryan Murphy homers to get the Yanks the lead Arod genuinely goes over and lifts him up in celebration.

He seems happier and more relaxed this year. Much more of a team player.
I am getting to like the new Arod.

lanemyer85

so Biogenesis was the only supplier of PEDs in the world or something? The guy spent part of his off-season training with Barry Bonds and consulting with Victor Conte.

perkdog

Arod is just grown up and more mature, it had to happen at some point. He is probably still on some type of PED though, or he is using a great fitness regime to keep his gains that he got from them. Either way I still hate ARod and the Yankees

lawnmowerman

<< <i>or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>




Yep. My thoughts as well

Piggs

<< <i>

<< <i>or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>




Yep. My thoughts as well >>



I also agree with this. Never trusted the guy, never.

larryallen73

<< <i>I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>



Really? How good steroids not provide a huge advantage? Would Brady Anderson have hit 50 without it? Sosa v. McGwire? Bonds big year?

As for the second part I really wonder about that. I think Alex was always a great player and I think he's clean. His biggest years would have been a little less big is all.

sparky64

His swing does look amazing this year.

hyperchipper09

<< <i>I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>



I've always wondered how much steroids help. There's actually no way of knowing how much they help a player, helped players. It's all speculation. I know of zero studies conducted on baseball players + PEDS + numbers = how much improvement was gained. Just rhetoric directed at the "evil PED users". Unless someone can give me concrete proof that steroids was the be all / end all for a number of players stuck with the PED albatross, I'll continue to believe it was one factor among many during the 94 - 03 time frame that led to huge numbers offensively for some. And nobody in MLB during that time cared. One reason why I take the stats of all during that era at face value. Steroids/ PEDS weren't the only reason for the jacked numbers ....

perkdog

<< <i>

<< <i>I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>



I've always wondered how much steroids help. There's actually no way of knowing how much they help a player, helped players. It's all speculation. I know of zero studies conducted on baseball players + PEDS + numbers = how much improvement was gained. Just rhetoric directed at the "evil PED users". Unless someone can give me concrete proof that steroids was the be all / end all for a number of players stuck with the PED albatross, I'll continue to believe it was one factor among many during the 94 - 03 time frame that led to huge numbers offensively for some. And nobody in MLB during that time cared. One reason why I take the stats of all during that era at face value. Steroids/ PEDS weren't the only reason for the jacked numbers .... >>



I dont care if players use PEDS or not, also I think pretty much all ( or most of ) the players during the PED era were on it to put them on a fair playing field with most star players. That being said the fact that the HR's went drastically up tells me that it does help. What other reason could anyone think of for the inflated numbers?

hyperchipper09

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>



I've always wondered how much steroids help. There's actually no way of knowing how much they help a player, helped players. It's all speculation. I know of zero studies conducted on baseball players + PEDS + numbers = how much improvement was gained. Just rhetoric directed at the "evil PED users". Unless someone can give me concrete proof that steroids was the be all / end all for a number of players stuck with the PED albatross, I'll continue to believe it was one factor among many during the 94 - 03 time frame that led to huge numbers offensively for some. And nobody in MLB during that time cared. One reason why I take the stats of all during that era at face value. Steroids/ PEDS weren't the only reason for the jacked numbers .... >>



I dont care if players use PEDS or not, also I think pretty much all ( or most of ) the players during the PED era were on it to put them on a fair playing field with most star players. That being said the fact that the HR's went drastically up tells me that it does help. What other reason could anyone think of for the inflated numbers? >>



Quality of pitching following expansion during that era sticks out for me and could be argued by someone far better than me as one solid reason. With pitching quality taking roughly a decade, little more, to correct itself. Always the possibility of "1987 style unknowns" as well. Granted it would have been over a longer period than 87 but baseball was hurting post 94 work stoppage and I wouldn't put it past MLB, and Bud Selig, to manipulate a few things here and there. Strike zone, tighter wound baseballs, different material inside the balls during games. My main point being lots of unknowns, lots of things to speculate about, other than steroids. Maybe I'm wrong and steroids were the magic elixir and I would have hit 45 HR's a year from 96 - 00 LOL. We'll never know. And MLB will never want to know.

SDSportsFan

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>I am beginning to think that steroids don't provide the huge advantages that most fans envision them providing..

That, or Arod has found a suitable substitute that MLB is presently unable to detect in testing, LOL.. >>



I've always wondered how much steroids help. There's actually no way of knowing how much they help a player, helped players. It's all speculation. I know of zero studies conducted on baseball players + PEDS + numbers = how much improvement was gained. Just rhetoric directed at the "evil PED users". Unless someone can give me concrete proof that steroids was the be all / end all for a number of players stuck with the PED albatross, I'll continue to believe it was one factor among many during the 94 - 03 time frame that led to huge numbers offensively for some. And nobody in MLB during that time cared. One reason why I take the stats of all during that era at face value. Steroids/ PEDS weren't the only reason for the jacked numbers .... >>



I dont care if players use PEDS or not, also I think pretty much all ( or most of ) the players during the PED era were on it to put them on a fair playing field with most star players. That being said the fact that the HR's went drastically up tells me that it does help. What other reason could anyone think of for the inflated numbers? >>



Quality of pitching following expansion during that era sticks out for me and could be argued by someone far better than me as one solid reason. With pitching quality taking roughly a decade, little more, to correct itself. Always the possibility of "1987 style unknowns" as well. Granted it would have been over a longer period than 87 but baseball was hurting post 94 work stoppage and I wouldn't put it past MLB, and Bud Selig, to manipulate a few things here and there. Strike zone, tighter wound baseballs, different material inside the balls during games. My main point being lots of unknowns, lots of things to speculate about, other than steroids. Maybe I'm wrong and steroids were the magic elixir and I would have hit 45 HR's a year from 96 - 00 LOL. We'll never know. And MLB will never want to know. >>




I can not help but think back to all the commercials Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux were in where their line was "Chicks dig the longball", after the 1994 strike. MLB WANTED MORE HOMERUNS, so they did what they needed to do to get more homeruns! Tighter wound baseballs, smaller ballparks.......... They wanted to make money, and the way to do it was to hit more homeruns!

Commercial

Steve

timpatg

If you don't believe that steroids helped with power numbers, you are wearing blinders. Expansion? Expansion has never previously caused that dramatic of an increase in homeruns. Tighter wound balls? Those same balls are still in use and HR totals are way down since MLB "cleaned" itself up.

Why does it matter? Major League Baseball has always been about stats and revered the players that accomplished certain feats. When people cheat to accomplish those feats, it scars the whole game. The NFL doesn't care or get the black eye that baseball does because 20 sacks in a season isn't as big of a deal as 60 homeruns.

mlbfan2

<< <i>I can not help but think back to all the commercials Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux were in where their line was "Chicks dig the longball", after the 1994 strike. MLB WANTED MORE HOMERUNS, so they did what they needed to do to get more homeruns! Tighter wound baseballs, smaller ballparks.......... They wanted to make money, and the way to do it was to hit more homeruns! >>



Did they wait until 1996 to juice the balls, and then didn't juice them in 1997 or 1998?

1994 - 1.03 HRs per team game
--------------strike-----------------
1995 - 1.01 HRs per team game
1996 - 1.09 HRs per team game
1997 - 1.02 HRs per team game
1998 - 1.04 HRs per team game

Did they juice them again in 2015?

2014 - 0.86 HRs per team game
2015 - 0.98 HRs per team game