Thursday, April 30, 2009

SI's Selena Roberts Haunts A-Rod for Money, Fame: Are They So Different After All?

Word of a book destined to demoralize Alex Rodriguez and attack his credibility and character was common knowledge.

We all knew that the author was Selena Roberts, a relentless leech that could not quite be plucked away from Rodriguez’s skin. She continued to bite and suck until she felt there was enough damning evidence to profit off of.

Roberts, interestingly enough, chose to wait until A-Rod was about ready to return to the Major Leagues. God forbid her chances of a New York Times Best Seller were at all compromised.

Late last night, many tidbits and highlights of the text were released publicly to the media.

It was done in much the same way as The Yankee Years, a book co-authored by Tom Verducci and Joe Torre. The difference is, Roberts wanted it to be done, and in this exact manner.

Readers can take a look at the report produced through ESPN, as I do not want to spend the duration of the article discussing the bevy of accusations.

The problem that I have with Roberts is not at all related to her reporting techniques. It does not even stem from her authoring of an unfairly timed and inherently ill-natured piece of literature.

The issue here is that regardless of how offended Roberts would be to hear it, she is a clear example of ”the pot calling the kettle black.” She and Alex Rodriguez are not so different after all, though she chooses to vilify him for possessing similar motives.

A-Rod elected to use performance-enhancing substances in order to maximize his achievements and ultimately his fame. He essentially vowed to do “whatever necessary” to reach his goals, as well as to earn every dime of the league’s historically richest contract.

Does this at all sound like an aggressive and unapologetic reporter to you? Roberts goes about her craft in exactly the same way, vowing to do “whatever necessary” to generate eye-catching headlines or move books off of the shelves.

Roberts presumably has bended the rules or moral code of her profession to get to the bottom of a story, and her employer likely turned a blind eye to her tactics. This is more so an indictment of the nation’s mainstream media, as opposed to a personal attack on Roberts.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I find it worthwhile to express that I do not condone A-Rod’s actions, nor grant him reprieve for what he has done. In fact, I am generally left feeling uneasy as a result of his arrogance and the way he carries himself.

Regardless of these feelings and beliefs, I find much of Roberts’ “findings” to be entirely petty at this point. They appear to be derived from a personal vendetta against Rodriguez, and are generally either common sense knowledge or unnecessary public ridicule.

Roberts is pouring gasoline—as opposed to the normally accepted “salt”—on Rodriguez’s open wounds. Never before have I felt so remorseful for a man who has knowingly performed countless negative acts.

Any fan or follower of baseball understands the ramifications of A-Rod’s positive steroid test in 2003. Regardless of any further factual evidence, he would be forced to carry a black cloud over his head until the day he leaves baseball.

Speculation would run wild about what years he actually used performance-enhancers, and if he still does in some capacity. Additional hearsay about his likely continued use in New York is no more concrete than before. Without another positive test taken after 2003, nothing can be proven as fact.

Publicly describing Rodriguez’s tipping habits at a classy restaurant like Hooters, or offering intimate details into his propensity to gamble, engage in online sports betting, and carouse are simply redundant.

Everyone in the world already knows about his marital affairs, and tends to agree that he is not a very polite and upstanding citizen. Aside from generating income, as is every author’s motive, there is no benefit from displaying the information on a book’s pages.

Understanding full well that the story will snowball into an unstoppable avalanche, I still hope that somehow rationality will prevail.

Rodriguez used steroids, cheated on his wife, gambled, enjoyed the services of strippers, and lied publicly. He ran through the gauntlet for his vices, and does not deserve to again jump through fire for Selena Roberts’ benefit.

Please America, I ask you just this once…let it go.

Leave Rodriguez buried six feet under in the grave he has already dug for himself. He at least deserves that courtesy.

5 comments:

  1. You're worse than A-Rod when he made his "that woman" comments. If freedom of the press ever rolls back in the spirit you suggest when you speak of legit journalists as leeches, this site will go under before Roberts does.

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  2. I appreciate your comments and input, and you have every right to express your dissention and beliefs. Like I said in the article, if you read it in its entirety, I do not fault Roberts for writing a negatively-toned book or for her tactics. What upsets me is the sense of "beating a dead horse" and kicking a man while he's down. He has already suffered for his vices/mistakes, and deserves slightly better than "double jeopardy" in the court of public opinion.

    Roberts could have done a great thing here with a tell-all attack on A-Rod. She could have used her publicity and knowledge to show kids the dangers and side-effects of steroids and use A-Rod as an example. Instead, she is only writing the book for personal gain.

    The "Exploding Bicep" piece on ESPN will do more in 5 minutes for children/young adults in regards to deterring them from steroid use than Roberts' book. That is what bothers me.

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  3. Well written and good points made Stephen. The person who left the comment defending Roberts obviously reads your blogs and must have a crush on her. I too wish it would go away due to the overkill of what we already know, lack of new evidence and the fact that if these people actually did their jobs we would have real stories to learn from instead of selfish individuals taking advantage of people when there down.

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  4. Thank you very much for the insight, read, and support Daniel, I am glad to hear that you agree with me on this, and truly wish we could put this all behind us. Until people can provide concrete evidence that the "tipping pitches" episodes occurred, this entire book is fruitless and unnecessary in my eyes.

    I Hope to hear from you again soon Daniel, and take care!

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  5. I hate Roberts. She is a evil evil woman... she should know firsthand about making mistakes.... DUKE LACROSSE Team! The only reason I might buy the book would be to burn it!

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