02/17: Liveblogging A-Rod Press Conference
Posted by: Seamus
I'm not too sure we're going to be hearing anything we haven't heard already, but I am going to liveblog the press conference that A-Rod will be holding at 1:30 p.m. ET, which is about three minutes from now. My guess is that this is going to be pretty much a repeat of the Peter Gammons interview plus a few familiar faces in the background, but we'll see.
1:35 PM: Still no Yankees at the podium, but there is quite a crew of reporters as you might expect. Over 100 people at George M. Steinbrenner Field, as Bob Lorenz reports.
1:40 PM: The conference is expected to be delayed just a few minutes longer, as Rodriguez has arrived at the ballpark a bit later than scheduled.
1:45 PM: Apparently they are waiting for Rodriguez to complete his physical, so now it's not expected to start for another 5-10 minutes, according to Lorenz.
1:48 PM: A-Rod is now being seated at the podium. He's joined at the desk by GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi. Quite a few of his teammates are supposedly there as well, but I can't see them on-screen.
1:53 PM: Alex has given a written statement. Basically, he is thanking the Yankees and their fans for their support and hoping that he can move forward and hopes this will be looked at as a "stupid mistake and a lesson learned."
Rodriguez says that Gene Orza had informed him in 2004 for that it "might have been concluded" that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in an anonymous survey.
Rodriguez says he used the banned substance with his cousin twice a month, starting in 2001. Rodriguez sticks with his claim that he has not used the substance since 2003.
1:57 PM: YES showed a quick shot of A-Rod's teammates attending the conference. Among those I was able to make out were Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in the front row.
2:00 PM: Bruce Beck of NBC asked Rodriguez why he discontinued the use of the banned substance in 2004 even though he was entering an even more pressure-filled situation in New York. Rodriguez answered that he was curious in 2001 and had simply grown up.
2:02 PM: Rodriguez claims that he does not know how much the banned substance enhanced his performance. A-Rod claims that the substance was injected into him.
2:03 PM: When asked if he believes that he was "cheating," Rodriguez says that it is not up to him to say.
2:04 PM: A-Rod says he was not aware of Jamie Moyer's comments, but is "sorry he feels that way."
2:06 PM: Rodriguez claims he did not believe the substance he took was a steroid. He claims that the substance was obtained over the counter in the Dominican Republic.
2:09 PM: Rodriguez says that the Yankees are a family and hopes that this situation will help bring them closer.
Rodriguez denies he has ever used HGH. He claims that in Seattle he took a substance that is now banned in baseball but was legal at the time.
2:13 PM: Rodriguez claims that the misinformation over a possible police citation stating that SI reporter Selena Roberts had been stalking Rodriguez was a mistake. Rodriguez says that he did file a police report, however.
2:15 PM: Rodriguez says that the current MLB drug testing system is good and reminds reporters that he will be blood tested before the WBC.
2:17 PM: Rodriguez says he never saw any other player on the Rangers using steroids, and never heard any conversations about it. That may contradict Rodriguez's claim that he was a part of a "loose culture" in Texas.
2:20 PM: Commenting on speculation from others who believe he had used steroids before or after the 2001-03 period Rodriguez states, "People are always going to say things."
2:25 PM: Rodriguez says that the last 15 months have been "tough" because of his divorce and all the tabloid stories. He says he misses playing baseball and hopes that the American people will judge him starting from this day forward. This concludes the formal press conference.
----------------------------
Well, I'd have to say that from the surface it at least seems that Rodriguez did a better job in this press conference than he did in the Peter Gammons interview. He looked quite a bit more comfortable and gave a little more detail than he did in the Gammons interview.
It's hard to say whether I believe the guy or not, but he definitely did a better job of making what he said sound more believable. I will say though that while I've never been to the DR, I still find it somewhat hard to believe that he would inject something into himself and not think he was taking something anything more than an over the counter supplement.
Stay tuned for another nine years of speculation and tabloids concerning steroids and Madonna...
And for the record, I watched the entire conference on YES.
1:35 PM: Still no Yankees at the podium, but there is quite a crew of reporters as you might expect. Over 100 people at George M. Steinbrenner Field, as Bob Lorenz reports.
1:40 PM: The conference is expected to be delayed just a few minutes longer, as Rodriguez has arrived at the ballpark a bit later than scheduled.
1:45 PM: Apparently they are waiting for Rodriguez to complete his physical, so now it's not expected to start for another 5-10 minutes, according to Lorenz.
1:48 PM: A-Rod is now being seated at the podium. He's joined at the desk by GM Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi. Quite a few of his teammates are supposedly there as well, but I can't see them on-screen.
1:53 PM: Alex has given a written statement. Basically, he is thanking the Yankees and their fans for their support and hoping that he can move forward and hopes this will be looked at as a "stupid mistake and a lesson learned."
Rodriguez says that Gene Orza had informed him in 2004 for that it "might have been concluded" that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in an anonymous survey.
Rodriguez says he used the banned substance with his cousin twice a month, starting in 2001. Rodriguez sticks with his claim that he has not used the substance since 2003.
1:57 PM: YES showed a quick shot of A-Rod's teammates attending the conference. Among those I was able to make out were Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera in the front row.
2:00 PM: Bruce Beck of NBC asked Rodriguez why he discontinued the use of the banned substance in 2004 even though he was entering an even more pressure-filled situation in New York. Rodriguez answered that he was curious in 2001 and had simply grown up.
2:02 PM: Rodriguez claims that he does not know how much the banned substance enhanced his performance. A-Rod claims that the substance was injected into him.
2:03 PM: When asked if he believes that he was "cheating," Rodriguez says that it is not up to him to say.
2:04 PM: A-Rod says he was not aware of Jamie Moyer's comments, but is "sorry he feels that way."
2:06 PM: Rodriguez claims he did not believe the substance he took was a steroid. He claims that the substance was obtained over the counter in the Dominican Republic.
2:09 PM: Rodriguez says that the Yankees are a family and hopes that this situation will help bring them closer.
Rodriguez denies he has ever used HGH. He claims that in Seattle he took a substance that is now banned in baseball but was legal at the time.
2:13 PM: Rodriguez claims that the misinformation over a possible police citation stating that SI reporter Selena Roberts had been stalking Rodriguez was a mistake. Rodriguez says that he did file a police report, however.
2:15 PM: Rodriguez says that the current MLB drug testing system is good and reminds reporters that he will be blood tested before the WBC.
2:17 PM: Rodriguez says he never saw any other player on the Rangers using steroids, and never heard any conversations about it. That may contradict Rodriguez's claim that he was a part of a "loose culture" in Texas.
2:20 PM: Commenting on speculation from others who believe he had used steroids before or after the 2001-03 period Rodriguez states, "People are always going to say things."
2:25 PM: Rodriguez says that the last 15 months have been "tough" because of his divorce and all the tabloid stories. He says he misses playing baseball and hopes that the American people will judge him starting from this day forward. This concludes the formal press conference.
----------------------------
Well, I'd have to say that from the surface it at least seems that Rodriguez did a better job in this press conference than he did in the Peter Gammons interview. He looked quite a bit more comfortable and gave a little more detail than he did in the Gammons interview.
It's hard to say whether I believe the guy or not, but he definitely did a better job of making what he said sound more believable. I will say though that while I've never been to the DR, I still find it somewhat hard to believe that he would inject something into himself and not think he was taking something anything more than an over the counter supplement.
Stay tuned for another nine years of speculation and tabloids concerning steroids and Madonna...
And for the record, I watched the entire conference on YES.
