Rant #1,121: Juiced!

Still no car, they told me maybe by the middle of this week.

I have returned the rent a car--which was costing me an arm and a leg--and will now drive my mother's jalopy until I get my own car back.

Woe is me.

I sound like Alex Rodriguez, don't I?

What can you say about what transpired over the weekend?

His suspension from baseball for PED use was reduced to 162 games from 211, but he says he never took anything and looks to go to federal court to file a stay against this ruling.

He says he never failed a drug test, and hasn't taken anything since he admitted taking PEDs earlier in his career.

An arbitrator made this ruling, and usually, federal courts do not overturn such rulings, but who knows, what has he got to lose at this point?

Yes, even as a Yankees fan, I do think the Rodriguez should go out to pasture, and take his banishment like a man. They probably had some incredible evidence against him, and he is lucky he didn't get an even loftier ban.

But I think baseball is missing the mark here.

To me, there is something so obvious that they are missing, that I cannot believe that they can be so blind to this.

It seems that just about every player who has been caught or suspected of doing PEDs--less higher profile players like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Ryan Braun--is Hispanic or of Latin background.

Now, I realize that that Biogenesis clinic where Rodriquez and many of the others--including teammate Francisco Cervelli--obtained the PEDs is in Miami, and there is a huge Hispanic population there, but it just seems that the preponderance of those caught are players of Latin origin.

Even prior to Biogenesis, the majority of those caught or thought to have used these things were Hispanic players, including former Rodriguez teammate Melky Cabrera.

Biogenesis users included Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Jesus Montero, Antonio Bastardo, and several other major and minor leaguers, all of Hispanic roots.

This tells me that these players must be educated at the perils of using these things--it seems almost an epidemic in these players' community.

I remember a local sportswriter went to the Dominican Republic, and was able to buy these substances right over the counter.

Who is to say that players aren't doing the same thing?

When is baseball going to take a stand on this aspect of the use of PEDs in their game?

Other than availability, why are Hispanic players drawn to use these things? It it a cultural thing, peer pressure, or what?

Sure, Major League Baseball doesn't want to single out one group, especially in this PC era. Hispanics have always embraced the game as their own, and you don't want to ruin that.

I get that part of it. But when you look at those doing this to themselves, you see that a majority of the players, including Rodriguez, are Hispanic.

There has to be a reason for this, and I just wish Major League Baseball would look into that and take action on it.

Sure Rodriguez may, in fact, be a scapegoat of sorts, but he is certainly not the only Latin player who has done this.

There has to be a set of reasons, and I wish that would be looked into as vehemently as this case was handled, because I think if you would find out some things in relation to Hispanic ballplayers, you might be on the road to eradicating this use from the sport forever.