Add Alex Rodriguez To The List* Of Players Who Wanted It Too Badly

Some might revel in the knowledge that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids during his MVP run in 2003. Some might use it as another chance to bash him, whether by calling him A-Fraud, like his Yankee teammates, or attempt to discredit all of his accomplishments.

However, much like the Bonds test results, has it gotten to the point where many people simply don't care anymore. Every new revelation of steroid use is hardly even news anymore. It has gotten to the point where people aren't shocked by the news, but instead feel like they knew this was coming eventually.

For me, it's disappointing. As much as I love to rip the Yankees, this is the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. When Barry Bonds broke the all time home run record, everyone outside of San Francisco knew he was juicing. It was a sad day in sports when one of the most hallowed records in sports fell to someone who cheated to get it. The one saving grace, however, was that Alex Rodriguez had a chance to break it cleanly. So much for that.

The other issue that comes to mind is Jose Canseco. He claimed that Rodriguez took steroids years ago. Everyone laughed it off, but at this point, Canseco has been right. Every time, it seems. When should he start being regarded as a credible source? His claims have been as accurate as any drug test out there, and he appears to be more than willing to take anyone down anyone. Is it time to start taking Canseco seriously, and stop thinking of him as a desperate B-lister who's just desperate to keep his name relevant? He might be that, but his track record on this has been rather impressive so far.

With the revelation that A-Rod tested positive, there is no doubt whatsoever that this era will forever be marked with an asterisk, at least in the eyes of the public. From 2000-2007, there were 16 MVP awards given out between the AL and NL. 9 of them went to a player that was eventually linked to steroids. Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez (3 times) and Barry Bonds (4 times). There's also 1996 and 1998 when Ken Caminiti and Sammy Sosa won MVP's. There are also, of course, Roger Clemens' 4 Cy Young awards since 1997. Whether or not steroid use is ever proven to have a positive influence on a player's performance, the circumstances appear to hint that it's true. With so many awards going to players who were juicing, it appears to be undeniable that it DOES affect performance, and does indeed enhance it.

In 6-7 more years, Alex Rodriguez might break Barry Bonds' all time record for home runs. Unfortunately, it won't mean anything once again. Instead of being a symbol of clean athletes being able to overcome the efforts of those who cheated to boost their accomplishments, it will simply be one cheater beating out another.

This should be a fun year for Rodriguez. As if there weren't enough things for opposing fans (and even Yankees fans) to harass him about, here's one more thing that they can put in their repertoire. Madonna, A-Fraud, steroids... this will be a wonderful year for A-Rod haters.