A-Rod: 'I Knew We Weren't Taking Tic-Tacs'

During MVP 2003 campaign

(NEWSER) - Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids during his 2003 MVP season, sources tell Sports Illustrated. A-Rod was one of 104 players to test positive that year, in a survey test conducted to determine whether the league needed tougher drug policies. Asked about the results this week, Rodriguez replied: “You’ll have to talk to the union. I’m not saying anything.” More»

MLB closing investigation into whether he lied

(NEWSER) - MLB will not discipline Alex Rodriguez after investigating whether he lied to baseball officials about using steroids, the New York Times reports. In March, Rodriguez admitted to investigators and the public that he had used performance-enhancing drugs, but only from 2001 to 2003. After a book published in April suggested he continued using well after that, baseball officials opened an investigation into A-Rod's truthfulness. More»

(NEWSER) - Manny Ramirez has tested positive for a banned substance and will be suspended for 50 games beginning immediately, the Los Angeles Times reports. Reports have identified the substance as HCG, a drug commonly used to treat female infertility but also taken to raise testosterone levels at the end of steroid treatments. The substance is intended to boost sex drive and "is not a steroid and it is not human-growth hormone," a source told Yahoo Sports. The suspension runs through July 3 and will cost Ramirez nearly $8 million. More»

Sources tell author slugger used in high school and after NY transfer

(NEWSER) - An explosive new book probing deep into A-Rod's career suggests the slugger has failed to fully come clean about his steroid use, the New York Daily News reports. Rodriguez insists he only used steroids as a Texas Ranger, but the book quotes sources who believe he was juicing both as a high school player and after coming to New York. More»

Endorsements dry up as advertisers avoid risky baseball stars

(NEWSER) - A lot of people will pay for Alex Rodriguez’s admission that he used steroids—and A-Rod isn’t one of them, writes Jeremy Mullman in Advertising Age. A-Rod’s already shallow pool of endorsements isn’t likely to dry up, but by bringing steroids back into the spotlight, he’s cast a shadow over young, scandal-free superstars who should be getting deals. More»