A-Rod, Steroids, and a whole lot beating.

Check out this article by Boston Globes, Dan Shaugnhessy, And I think in part is true, I don't like A-Rod a bit, I think the guy is full of himself, but the press is taking this to whole 'nother level.

By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | February 11, 2009

"Why all the hate for Alex Rodriguez?

OK, he cheated. He juiced for at least the three years he was with the Texas Rangers. And he got caught. He has put his Hall of Fame chances at risk and cast doubt on all of his gaudy offensive numbers.

But why so much hate? Why so much glee at the sight of another superstar with feet of clay?

As Wade Boggs famously stated while in the middle of his paramour scandal, "It's not like I killed the president or something."

Hating on A-Rod has been a parlor game in Red Sox Nation since February of 2004. Sox fans never will forgive Rodriguez for getting traded to New York instead of Boston.

We all love the photograph of Jason Varitek stuffing his mitt into A-Rod's mouth. Rodriguez cheated like a girly-man when he slapped the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove in the 2004 playoffs. It has been a gas watching A-Rod fail in the postseason with the Yankees.

But why do they hate him so much in New York ("A-Fraud") and everywhere else across this great land?

In the early hours after Sports Illustrated broke the news that A-Rod failed the drug test, we all wondered about his post-scandal strategy. Would he dummy up like Mark McGwire, fess up like Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi, or deny-deny-deny like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens?

Pettitte and Giambi were applauded for their confessions. McGwire became a recluse after pleading the fifth. Bonds and Clemens have been vilified for insulting our intelligence by perpetuating the Big Lie.

Predictably, A-Rod took the Pettitte-Giambi path. He invited Peter Gammons to his home and confessed his sins - like Clint Eastwood in "Gran Torino." No doubt Rodriguez supplied something less than the whole truth (he told some whoppers about SI reporter Selena Roberts and tried to make us believe he bought Primobolan at a GNC store), but it was a lot more than we got out of most sports cheaters. In case you've forgotten, Giambi never even admitted what it was he was so "sorry" about.

And remember how quickly New England forgave Rodney Harrison when the beloved safety explained he was just trying to get back on the field to help the team?

No slack for A-Rod. The New York Post, which labeled him "A-Hole" on its front page Monday, came back with "Liar, Cheat" in yesterday's edition. The Daily News splashed down with "Body of Lies!" one day after vaunted columnist Bill Madden recommended that the Yankees release Rodriguez and eat the remainder of his 10-year, $273 million contract (approximately $250 million). A Daily News editorial summed, "He is a scoundrel. He is a disgrace. He has no business wearing Yankee pinstripes . . ."

So much hate. So little time.

Sorry, I just can't get into hating the guy that much. We ripped into Bonds and Clemens for denying the obvious and treating us like stooges, now we tear into Rodriguez for admitting his guilt and saying he's sorry?

He's not really sorry, the saying goes. He's only sorry he got caught. How does that make him different from the rest of us? Any of you ever call the IRS to mention that you forgot to report some of your income from your 1998 tax return? Bet you'd tell them you were sorry if they caught you.

Red Sox fans, gleeful over this A-Rod scandal, need to remember that there are 103 other players who tested positive in 2003. Someday, those names could be released. There's a pretty good chance that one or two of the Sox stars from 2003 will be on it. What do you say about A-Rod when that happens?

Which brings me to another point in defense of Rodriguez. Sure he can be arrogant, his teammates seem to hate him, and there's no question he's a master poser . . . but you have to admit he has taken his public beating like a man.

Put yourself in A-Rod's spikes. Six years ago, your union told you it was OK to take a drug test because the results never would be public. There would be no penalties if you failed. It was simply an exercise to establish that testing was needed.

Now Sports Illustrated breaks the news that 104 players failed the test. But you are the only one named.

It must be temping to say, "Hey, why me? What about those other guys?"

But A-Rod has not pointed the finger. He told Gammons he had no interest in seeing the other players outed. He hasn't threatened to sue for breach of confidentiality. He's taking one for the team.

A-Rod has done irreparable damage to his image and his coveted numbers, but he faces no penalties from Major League Baseball. He may never make it into the Hall of Fame and he has crushed innocent fans who want to believe there are ballplayers who play by the rules. Like so many others, he was a participant in the rampant fraud that tarnished an entire era of baseball and left us with a book of skewed statistics.

But he has not broken the law. It's not as if he killed the president. He was not alone, and he has taken more responsibility for his actions than most of the other cheats".

Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist.