Fair enough, but a hypocrite should choose his words carefully.

Lupica harshing on ARod is nothing new and Lupica is 100% correct. ARod's steroid use tarnishes the pursuit of 600, 700, 800 homeruns.

Yes, ARod has managed 38 HRs in the past season or so since coming back from injury, but he plays his home games at tiny Yankee Stadium and, frankly, Michael Kay is caught saying "DEEP to left!" for fly balls that die at the track.

It's more of an subjective observation than an objective measure. ARod seems to have less power:

"It means Rodriguez could be at 600 homers before the month is out, at which point the city and the Yankees will be expected to come to a dead stop, mostly because there is money to be made off a magic number like that."

I wouldn't expect the city to come to a dead stop about ARod's 600th any more than they came to a dead stop for his 500th. I remember it was against the Royals and, you know, he stood at home plate like a putz.


"A-Rod is an admitted user of steroids, even though he never actually used the word when he went to his media confession in the spring of 2009. 'We knew we weren't taking Tic Tac's," he said at the time, talking about the 'Boli' he says he took in Texas - but only in Texas! - and the phantom cousin who administered it to him over three full seasons."
Fair enough.

ARod has no credibility.

If that's what you believe and this bothers you, then you have a right to your opinion, author of Summer of '98: the Year a Steroid-Fueled, Fraudulent Homerun Race Helped Me Establish a Relationship With My Son.


"Bonds only admits to accidentally using a steroid called 'The Clear,' saying he thought he was only taking flaxseed oil, because, hey, who hasn't made a simple mistake like that?

...

Then there is Sosa, who hit 60 home runs three times in four seasons and sits at 609 career home runs. He says he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs, no sir, swear on a Bible. And if you believe that, you believe that it's only a coincidence that his appearance starts to make the name 'Lady Gaga' come to mind."

Lady Gaga!

You've updated your pop culture references after five years of "Dancing With The Stars." Well done!


Anyway, so far you've taken down ARod, Bonds, Sosa. Who's next?:

"Oh sure, all has been forgiven with A-Rod and he will experience the same kind of lovefest at 600 that Roger Clemens - another big legendary star of baseball's steroids era, and steroids culture - experienced when he got to 300 wins. As a Yankee. You know how it goes. These are practically religious experiences."

That's fine, Clemens is next. ARod, Bonds, Sosa, and Clemens. Easy targets, all.


"Even though you have to say that The 600 Home Run Club ain't what it used to be. The way The 500 Home Run Club ain't what it used to be. And never will be again."
Of course.

Or the 100-rbi club, 40-homerun club, etc., etc., etc.

The offensive stats are inflated everywhere, even in this so-called year of the pitcher.

The Yankees are still going to score 900 runs and, well, it's just not the '70s anymore.


"Nothing against Jim Thome, who's currently sitting at 569 home runs, which means 17 behind Frank Robinson and four behind Harmon Killebrew, but have you watched Thome for one minute of his career and thought you were watching one of the great sluggers of all time, and a future Hall of Famer?"

When somebody says "nothing against," it is invariably followed by something against.

Since you asked, yes, I think Jim Thome will make the Hall of Fame, and deservedly so. Every time I watched Jim Thome play, I thought I was watching one of the greatest sluggers of all time because that's what he is.

"This list, these inflated numbers that go with the inflated bodies, is as much a record of this time in baseball as George Mitchell's report. Bonds. Sosa. McGwire. Rafael Palmeiro, the drug cheat who pointed a finger at Congress and said he'd never used steroids and then turned up positive. Manny Ramirez got busted eventually for a taking a female fertility drug, a known companion to steroids.

Hall of Famers, Hall of Shamers. Same club."

Hall of Shame: ARod, Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Clemens, Thome, Palmeiro, Manny ... ummm ... where's David Ortiz on you list of Hall of Shamers?


Now, look, I'm not saying that David Ortiz necessarily flows from this article. Lupica is talking about players with 500+ homeruns and Ortiz is nearing 400.

The problem is that Lupica seldom hides his ejaculatory enthusiasm for Big Papi. About 200 articles in a row, Lupica has gone out of his way to praise Big Papi, as recently as June 8th.

Two days before writing the article where steroids users are placed in the Hall of Shame.


Lupica, you are a hypocrite and there is nothing worse than a hypocrite.