This editorial appeared in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Some things that Texas Rangers fans might be wondering now that Alex Rodriguez has been outed by Sports Illustrated as a user of illegal steroids during his overpaid, overrated stint in Arlington:
"When I arrived in Texas in 2001, I felt an enormous amount of pressure," Rodriguez told ESPN’s Peter Gammons in a televised confession after the news broke that he'd tested positive for a banned substance in 2003. "I felt like I had all the weight of the world on top of me, and I needed to perform, and perform at a high level every day."
Question: Who forced you to sign the obscenely rich ($252 million, 10 years) contract that you say squeezed you under so much pressure that you needed artificial additives to perform?
"I was young. I was stupid. I was naive," he said. "And I wanted to prove to everyone that, you know, I was worth being one of the greatest players of all time."
Question: How, exactly, does perpetrating a fraud qualify you as a great player, much less one of the greatest?
"You know, it was hot in Texas every day. It was over a hundred degrees. You know, you felt like, without trying to over-investigate what you're taking, can I have an edge just to get out there and play every day? And that's what it came down to."
To read the complete editorial, visit The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.