Yankees slugger Rodriguez hits 599th home run

[JetNation]

Alex Rodriguez has hit his 599th career home run, leaving him one shy of becoming the seventh major league player to reach 600.

Alex Rodriguez - Major League Baseball - Sports - Baseball - New York Yankees

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[SenorGato]

I was surprised to find out that both he and Bonds hit/will hit their 600th HRs in their 17th seasons.

ARod could mean alot of things to baseball in 10 years. He could be the great player who was caught doing steroids and then went on to be great anyway. Maybe it'll even help the jilted fans who take the steroid era personally realize the great talents they got to see growing up.

[CrazyCarl40]

I was surprised to find out that both he and Bonds hit/will hit their 600th HRs in their 17th seasons.

ARod could mean alot of things to baseball in 10 years. He could be the great player who was caught doing steroids and then went on to be great anyway. Maybe it'll even help the jilted fans who take the steroid era personally realize the great talents they got to see growing up.

A lot of what has been said and written about of the last few days leading up to number 600 for A-Rod is that it's going to happen and people are so desensitized to it, that there won't be much fanfare because nobody really cares. It will be interesting to see. As a baseball fan, it really doesn't matter to me and I could care less. If someone without the stigma of steroids was approaching big time numbers, it would be different. Now, it all seems like somebody pulled the chair out from underneath everyone.

[#27TheDominator]

There is no Santa Claus!

If you want the public to get over the stigma of steroids, give them all free access to the best cow and horse juice, GH and workout equipment. They'll all be shocked when they can't bench 500 lbs, run the 40 in 4.2 and hit 72 hrs in a season. Once people realizes the amount of work and natural athletic ability that it takes in addition to the juice they'll shut the **** up and enjoy the game.

The next ****ing moron that tells me how they would have gotten a D1 scholarship, but they insisted on staying clean is getting busted in the jaw. It's the modern equivalent of I'd be in the majors, but blew my knee out junior year.

[neckdemon]

hey jetnation.....do us a favor and quit with the a-roid hr countdown. it's not exciting....the guy is a proven cheat and his homeruns don't mean **** in most people's books.

[Klecko73isGod]

hey jetnation.....do us a favor and quit with the a-roid hr countdown. it's not exciting....the guy is a proven cheat and his homeruns don't mean **** in most people's books.

Please tell me right now exactly how many home runs A-Rod hit because of steroids.

Did steroids improve his reaction time? Did steroids improve his eyesight? Did steroids improve his reflexes?

Please give me a number. Was it 100, 50, 200? Exactly how many home runs did Alex Rodriguez hit because he did steroids?

If he hit a home run off a pitcher who was using steroids does that one count?

[NIGHT STALKER]

I'm of the belief that everyone in the steroid era has experimented with PED's at one time or another...when you have a gift to play this game and they're willing to pay you millions of dollars for it, the temptation is there. Some of these guys abused the temptation...you either accept it or not.

But, if you think because a player hasn't been caught means he isn't or hasn't used, you're the most naive person on the planet. Money people...that's what this is all about.

[#27TheDominator]

It's not like he's breaking the record of Mastro Lindo. He's cleaner than Bonds, that's for sure.

[Bugg]

Please tell me right now exactly how many home runs A-Rod hit because of steroids.

Did steroids improve his reaction time? Did steroids improve his eyesight? Did steroids improve his reflexes?

Please give me a number. Was it 100, 50, 200? Exactly how many home runs did Alex Rodriguez hit because he did steroids?

If he hit a home run off a pitcher who was using steroids does that one count?

Won't defend him, but suspect the percentage of PED users in MLB is close to Canseco's 90%. May be not every player, but how many like Any Pettitte cycled on to deal with nagging injuries. And further those numbers include pitchers like Pettitte.

Suspect the lack of power this year is going to be even more pronounced because of the banning of stimulants like greenies. Up until very recently, it was accepted that evey MLB clubouse had a coffee machine with greenies loaded right into the coffeepot. It's a long, grinding season and they play almost every day.

Also where does a drug cross from being a pain reliever to a steroid? Where is that line? Is it better to have a max dose of Advil or a small dose of some steroids?

[Scott Dierking]

Please tell me right now exactly how many home runs A-Rod hit because of steroids.

Did steroids improve his reaction time? Did steroids improve his eyesight? Did steroids improve his reflexes?

Please give me a number. Was it 100, 50, 200? Exactly how many home runs did Alex Rodriguez hit because he did steroids?

If he hit a home run off a pitcher who was using steroids does that one count?

75

yes. yes. yes.

75

no.

[Klecko73isGod]

75

yes. yes. yes.

75

no.

Prove it.

And steroids don't have any effect on your reflexes or eyesight.

So pitcher on steroids vs hitter on steroids just doesn't count period?

So in your mind, ARod still has 524 legit home runs. Pretty damned impressive.

[Scott Dierking]

Prove it.

And steroids don't have any effect on your reflexes or eyesight.

So pitcher on steroids vs hitter on steroids just doesn't count period?

So in your mind, ARod still has 524 legit home runs. Pretty damned impressive.

You asked for things that obviously no one can prove, so I took a stab.

If you are going to ask rhetorical questions, and then bitch when you get a response, maybe you should think before you post them in the first place.

I gave A-Rod the benefit of only doing steroids for 5 years. I factored 5 years of stimulated performance equating to approximately 15 homeruns each year, that otherwise would have been warning ball fly outs. By my own reckoning, for an elite player who would have been close without stimulants, that is a fair number.

Athletes train to help their reflexes and reaction. Steroids helps in training by allowing quicker recovery time (among other things), so it is no stretch to say ARod was helped in those areas.

Yes, Arod is an elite baseball player, without stimulants. It is a shame he had to go that route, because we can no longer accurately measure him among the greats in the game.

[Lil Bit Special]

Please tell me right now exactly how many home runs A-Rod hit because of steroids.

Did steroids improve his reaction time? Did steroids improve his eyesight? Did steroids improve his reflexes?

Please give me a number. Was it 100, 50, 200? Exactly how many home runs did Alex Rodriguez hit because he did steroids?

If he hit a home run off a pitcher who was using steroids does that one count?

Whether he hit 1 HR or 600 HR on steroids doesnt matter. He cheated. His legacy is forever tainted.

Whether every player or no other played used doesnt matter. He cheated.

Sad thing is he would have been the greatest player of our generation without it.

[neckdemon]

Please tell me right now exactly how many home runs A-Rod hit because of steroids.

Did steroids improve his reaction time? Did steroids improve his eyesight? Did steroids improve his reflexes?

Please give me a number. Was it 100, 50, 200? Exactly how many home runs did Alex Rodriguez hit because he did steroids?

If he hit a home run off a pitcher who was using steroids does that one count?

yeah defend a proven cheater because he wear pinstripes......tell us how you feel about bonds. btw, i'm not the only one who feels this way. just read the daily news. the guy is a cheater. get over it. how do you feel about bill belichick's cheating? is that ok too? exactly how many teams did he really have game tape and defensive signals on? if he had game tape on a team that had steroids users on it does that count? give it up dude. cheating is cheatinf and a-roid was caught and his accomplishments are tainted. if you can sit here and tell me you give belichick and the patriots a pass, bonds a pass, mcgwire and sosa a pass etc......then i'll take this argument of yours seriously.

[Scott Dierking]

yeah defend a cheater because he wear pinstripes......tell us how you feel about bonds. btw, i'm not the only one who feels this way. just read the daily news. the guy is a cheater. get over it. how do you feel about bill belichick's cheating? is that ok too? exactly how many teams did he really have game tape on? if he had game tape on a team that had steroids users on it does that count? give it up dude. cheating is cheatinf and a-roid was caught and his accomplishments are tainted. if you can sit here and tell me you give belichick and the patriots a pass, bonds a pass, mcgwire and sosa a pass etc......then i'll take this argument of yours seriously.

You are right, you can't have it both ways.

[Matt39]

yeah defend a proven cheater because he wear pinstripes......tell us how you feel about bonds. btw, i'm not the only one who feels this way. just read the daily news. the guy is a cheater. get over it. how do you feel about bill belichick's cheating? is that ok too? exactly how many teams did he really have game tape and defensive signals on? if he had game tape on a team that had steroids users on it does that count? give it up dude. cheating is cheatinf and a-roid was caught and his accomplishments are tainted. if you can sit here and tell me you give belichick and the patriots a pass, bonds a pass, mcgwire and sosa a pass etc......then i'll take this argument of yours seriously.

Everyone used steroids though.

Its all about how serious you take these records. In all honestly, they really mean very little to me. All I care about is the Yankees/Jets/Knicks winning games. I dont watch sports for individual records.

Lets be honest, in the 90's I think its fair to say 80%+ guys were using.

[Scott Dierking]

Everyone used steroids though.

Its all about how serious you take these records. In all honestly, they really mean very little to me. All I care about is the Yankees/Jets/Knicks winning games. I dont watch sports for individual records.

I have serious doubts that "everyone" did steroids.

[Thor99]

if you can sit here and tell me you give belichick and the patriots a pass, bonds a pass, mcgwire and sosa a pass etc......then i'll take this argument of yours seriously.

The big test? I'd like to hear his thoughts on David Ortiz.

[neckdemon]

Everyone used steroids though.

Its all about how serious you take these records. In all honestly, they really mean very little to me. All I care about is the Yankees/Jets/Knicks winning games. I dont watch sports for individual records.

Lets be honest, in the 90's I think its fair to say 80%+ guys were using.

cheating is cheating......the mode of cheating is inconsequential. does it matter if you stab someone to death or shoot them dead?

[Klecko73isGod]

The big test? I'd like to hear his thoughts on David Ortiz.

Ortiz's homeruns count just as much as A-Rod's do. Whether we like it or not, the era was allegedly dirtier than others.

If people think baseball players started using steroids in the 90s they are nuts. Performance enhancers have been around for a long time.

In the 60s players took speed because they thought it gave them an edge. Do all of their homeruns count? Of course they do.

In the 70s, just about every athlete was experimenting with something. Steroid were neither illegal nor outlawed by the leagues then. Do those numbers count? Of course they do.

To sit there and think that the 90s and early 2000s were somehow dirtier than others is truly naive.

I may not like what Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Ortiz, Manny, A-Rod or any of the others did. But it doesn't change what they did what they did on the field.

I think baseball was absolutely complicit in this whole thing. I think that after the strike they juiced the ball and turned a blind eye to players using PEDs because they needed to sell tickets and generate interest in the game again and a home run record chase was the perfect prescription.

To sit here and simply damn the players while managment knowingly turned a blind eye and pretend that no one used any PED of any kind prior to 1998 is just silly.

It happened. Hopefully it's over. You can't change history now. Anyone who pretends that they didn't think McGwire or Bonds were using something with the way those two animals looked is kidding themselves. Nobody was complaining when they were caught up in the moment though. Remember that.

[Scott Dierking]

Ortiz's homeruns count just as much as A-Rod's do. Whether we like it or not, the era was allegedly dirtier than others.

If people think baseball players started using steroids in the 90s they are nuts. Performance enhancers have been around for a long time.

In the 60s players took speed because they thought it gave them an edge. Do all of their homeruns count? Of course they do.

In the 70s, just about every athlete was experimenting with something. Steroid were neither illegal nor outlawed by the leagues then. Do those numbers count? Of course they do.

To sit there and think that the 90s and early 2000s were somehow dirtier than others is truly naive.

I may not like what Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Ortiz, Manny, A-Rod or any of the others did. But it doesn't change what they did what they did on the field.

I think baseball was absolutely complicit in this whole thing. I think that after the strike they juiced the ball and turned a blind eye to players using PEDs because they needed to sell tickets and generate interest in the game again and a home run record chase was the perfect prescription.

To sit here and simply damn the players while managment knowingly turned a blind eye and pretend that no one used any PED of any kind prior to 1998 is just silly.

It happened. Hopefully it's over. You can't change history now. Anyone who pretends that they didn't think McGwire or Bonds were using something with the way those two animals looked is kidding themselves. Nobody was complaining when they were caught up in the moment though. Remember that.

You are just all over the board here.

First, you challenge us to show that sterouds even improve performance.

On your next tangent, you tell us there has been performance enhancements throughout sports, affecting performance.

What exactly are you trying to say?

[#27TheDominator]

Whether he hit 1 HR or 600 HR on steroids doesnt matter. He cheated. His legacy is forever tainted.

Whether every player or no other played used doesnt matter. He cheated.

Sad thing is he would have been the greatest player of our generation without it.

I agree with this for the most part. I'm pretty sure most of these guys are using and I'm certain that it is much worse in the NFL despite the alleged testing. I've been playing and working out long enough to know the difference. I gave up on having a huge problem with it, but I don't blame people for tainting the legacy of these guys and being upset by it.

The real reason people don't care is because A-Rod just isn't that likeable. He's had huge contracts since the Rangers and with the money he is making people feel like he should be breaking all these records.

FWIW I don't think A-Rod is that hardcore of a user. Not at the Clemens, Canseco, Giambi, Bonds level, but the truth is that doesn't make much difference and it's just my opinion.

[NIGHT STALKER]

cheating is cheating......the mode of cheating is inconsequential. does it matter if you stab someone to death or shoot them dead?

It matters to the person getting stabbed or shot...you're still dead, but I'd take a bullet to the head any day rather than go the Nicole Simpson route...j/k of course, but I get your point.

[Matt39]

I have serious doubts that "everyone" did steroids.

Why?

In the 90's, there were no rules against it. It improved your play, ultimately getting you paid more money. Hell, you'd be dumb not to take them at that point, especially if you were a fringe big leaguer.

[#27TheDominator]

Yes, Arod is an elite baseball player, without stimulants. It is a shame he had to go that route, because we can no longer accurately measure him among the greats in the game.

Could you really measure him anyway? We just had a discussion comparing eras in football and discussed how players from different eras can't be compared, well it's the steroid era. You probably couldn't compare them to other eras anyway, but amongst themselves they're all a bunch of juicers.

[Matt39]

Could you really measure him anyway? We just had a discussion comparing eras in football and discussed how players from different eras can't be compared, well it's the steroid era. You probably couldn't compare them to other eras anyway, but amongst themselves they're all a bunch of juicers.

Exactly, you cant compare eras at all.

Segregated baseball, dead ball era, higher mounds....the game has changed drastically.

[Scott Dierking]

Why?

In the 90's, there were no rules against it. It improved your play, ultimately getting you paid more money. Hell, you'd be dumb not to take them at that point, especially if you were a fringe big leaguer.

If everyone (100%) did them, then you can compare players.

If a fraction did them (most likely), then you don't know who did and who didn't, and you lose the perspective of fair comparison.

That is what AROD loses, the ability to compare him fairly against the game's greats.

[Scott Dierking]

Exactly, you cant compare eras at all.

Segregated baseball, dead ball era, higher mounds....the game has changed drastically.

But, in those eras the effects were for EVERY player.

Not ALL players (100%) did steroids.

That clouds this greatly

[Matt39]

If everyone (100%) did them, then you can compare players.

If a fraction did them (most likely), then you don't know who did and who didn't, and you lose the perspective of fair comparison.

That is what AROD loses, the ability to compare him fairly against the game's greats.

Well, you can compare him against his peers from the 90's and 2000's. He's definitely a top 5 player of this era numbers wise.

Bonds, Manny, Pujols, Thomas and Arod in whichever order.

[Klecko73isGod]

You are just all over the board here.

First, you challenge us to show that sterouds even improve performance.

On your next tangent, you tell us there has been performance enhancements throughout sports, affecting performance.

What exactly are you trying to say?

No I'm not. Read jackass.

[Klecko73isGod]

I agree with this for the most part. I'm pretty sure most of these guys are using and I'm certain that it is much worse in the NFL despite the alleged testing. I've been playing and working out long enough to know the difference. I gave up on having a huge problem with it, but I don't blame people for tainting the legacy of these guys and being upset by it.

The real reason people don't care is because A-Rod just isn't that likeable. He's had huge contracts since the Rangers and with the money he is making people feel like he should be breaking all these records.

FWIW I don't think A-Rod is that hardcore of a user. Not at the Clemens, Canseco, Giambi, Bonds level, but the truth is that doesn't make much difference and it's just my opinion.

According to Canseco, Clemens never touched PEDs and FWIW, Jose's never been wrong.

[Klecko73isGod]

If everyone (100%) did them, then you can compare players.

If a fraction did them (most likely), then you don't know who did and who didn't, and you lose the perspective of fair comparison.

That is what AROD loses, the ability to compare him fairly against the game's greats.

Then what would you do for the guys who popped greenies like candy in the 60s?

Not everybody was doing it.

If you really think no one used steroids in baseball in the 70s and 80s I got a bridge to sell you.

[Scott Dierking]

No I'm not. Read jackass.

Oh, in that case, you just make very poor arguments.

[Matt39]

But, in those eras the effects were for EVERY player.

Not ALL players (100%) did steroids.

That clouds this greatly

I just assume everyone did. Is it flawed? Sure....but I think it s safe to assume most players did at some point.

[Scott Dierking]

I just assume everyone did. Is it flawed? Sure....but I think it s safe to assume most players did at some point.

Say it is 60%.

That makes comparisons pretty difficult to do.