Alex Rodriguez: I Was Pretty Naive … Young and Stupid

Anybody catch the A-Rod press conference? Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post asked a very good question: Why if you didn’t think what you were taking was wrong, why were you so secretive and so reluctant to ask about proper procedure during the 2001-03 seasons? Rodriguez paused for a while before answering: “That’s a good question. I knew what we were taking weren’t Tic-Tacs. I knew that it was, potentially could be something that perhaps was wrong.” Was Alex Rodriguez credible at today’s press conference?

TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez expanded on his admission last week that he used a banned substance earlier this decade, saying a cousin injected him with an over-the-counter drug designed to give an “energy boost.”

The New York Yankees star third baseman said using the banned drug that he said he obtained from the Dominican Republic was a “stupid mistake.”

“I knew we weren’t taking Tic Tacs,” Rodriguez said.

Ready to ask questions — many questions — were the 150-200 reporters on hand at Steinbrenner Field, where satellite trucks for live transmissions already were set up at dawn. At the outset of the news conference, Rodriguez said he was “a lot nervous” and quickly added he understands the long road ahead toward earning back others’ trust in him.

Sports Illustrated broke the story on its Web site Feb. 7 that Rodriguez tested positive for a pair of steroids during baseball’s anonymous survey in 2003. Two days later, baseball’s highest-paid player acknowledged that fact in an interview with ESPN.
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McConnell picks baseball’s best ever

Jim McConnell, who writes a weekly Then & Now column, writes about the San Gabriel Valley’s best baseball players of all time. It’s a must read.


Above: The great Jackie Robinson would bat leadoff on McConnel’s all-time SGV team. Hey Orange County folks, why don’t you try coming up with a better team than this? That’s what I thought.

Here’s the starting lineup for “your” San Gabriel Valley All-Stars:

1. Jackie Robinson (Muir Tech, PCC) 2B
2. Jim Edmonds (Diamond Bar High) CF
3. Nomar Garciaparra (Whittier) SS
4. Mark McGwire (Damien High) 1B
5. Ralph Kiner (Alhambra High) LF
6. Fred Lynn (El Monte High) RF
7. Cecil Fielder (Nogales High) DH
8. Darrell Evans (Muir, PCC) 3B
9. Lance Parrish (Walnut High) C
Starting Pitcher: Ewell Blackwell (Bonita High)

Here’s the remainder of the roster:

Starting pitchers: Hank Aguirre (Keppel); Mike Garcia (San Gabriel); Mike Krukow (San Gabriel); Mike McCormick (Keppel).
Relief pitchers:Rick Aguilera (Edgewood of West Covina); Bill Campbell (Mt. SAC); Jim Gott (San Marino); Jim Merritt (West Covina); Dan Quisenberry (University of La Verne); Todd Worrell (Maranatha).
Reserve infielders: Jack Clark (Gladstone); Bobby Knoop (Montebello); Bobby Lillis (Pasadena).
Reserve outfielders: Tom Brunansky (West Covina); Johnny Lindell (Monrovia); Irv Noren (Pasadena); Albie Pearson (El Monte).
Reserve catchers: Andy Etchebarren (La Puente); Jamie Quirk (St. Paul).

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Robledo: CIF tweaks playoffs, again

FRED ROBLEDO

It’s time to scratch your head again, because the CIF-Southern
Section tweaked the boys and girls basketball playoffs in the first
of another two-year trial run. For many years the Southern Section playoff divisions were
organized by enrollment, which brought its share of problems.
Remember a few years back when Keppel had one of its best boys teams
ever, only to run into the unfair challenge of having to face Mater
Dei early in the playoffs because their enrollment numbers were
similar? There were many other cases like that, too.

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Boys Soccer: 10 area teams headed to the playoffs

Wild-card games begin Wednesday. First-round games begin Friday. All games 3 p.m.

DIVISION I
St. Francis (Mission 4) at Tesoro (South Coast 1)

DIVISION II
Alhambra (Almont 3) at Quartz Hill 1)

DIVISION IV
Winner wild-card G (Rio Mesa-Oak Park) at Pasadena (Pacific 1)

DIVISION V
Blair (Rio Hondo at-large) at Righetti (Pac 7 1)
Arroyo Grande (Pac 7 3) at Monrovia (Rio Hondo 1)
Temple City (Rio Hondo 3) at Pacific (San Andreas 1)
San Gorgonio (San Andreas 3) at La Canada (Rio Hondo 2)

DIVISION VI
Thacher (Condor 2) at Pasadena Poly (Prep 2)
Maranatha (Alpha 3) at Chadwick (Prep 1)
Beaumont (Mountain Pass 2) at Rosemead (Mission Valley 2)

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Girls Soccer: FSHA earns top-seed, Alverno gets bye

Wild-card games begin Tuesday and first-round Thursday.

DIVISION II
Winner WC “A” (Beckman-Eisenhower) vs. Flintridge Sacred Heart at St. Francis High
Arcadia (Pacific 2) at Valencia/V (Foothill 2)

DIVISION III
Estancia (Orange Coast 2) at Westridge (Prep 2)
Flintridge Prep (Prep 3) at ML King (Big VIII 2)

DIVISION IV WILD CARD

La Salle (Del Rey at-large) at Cabrillo/Lompoc (Los Padres 4), Tues., 3 p.m.

DIVISION V
Monrovia (Rio Hondo 2) at Marymount (Sunshine 2)
Ramona Convent (Sunshine 3) at Maranatha (Olympic 1)
San Marion (Rio Hondo 3) at Garden Grove (Garden Grove 1)
Orange (Golden West 3) at La Canada (Rio Hondo 1)
WILD-CARD
N. Torrance (Pioneer at-large) at South Pasadena (Rio Hondo at-large), Tues., 3 p.m.

DIVISION VI WILD CARD
Keppel (Almont 3) at Xavier College Prep (Freelance), Tues., 3 p.m.

DIVISION VII
San Gabriel Mission (Horizon 2) at Duarte (Montview 2)
Alverno bye. Next: St. Matthias-Rolling Hills Prep winner at Alverno, Feb. 24

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