Throughout the aftermath of baseball’s Steroids Era, there has been a line drawn.  On the outside has been the obviously juiced-up behemoth villains.  Bonds (Darth Vader), McGwire (Kingpin), Palmeiro (The Evil Mustache).  On the inside, our side, have been the clean ones…the ones who are throwbacks and get colognes named after them.  Cal the Iron Man, Junior Griffey The Kid, Jeter The Captain.  And there was a controversial hero, but a hero nevertheless, who was going to win baseball’s most prestigious record back to our side.  A hero that said, “Yeah so what if a 20 years past her prime Madonna is my soulmate, gotta problem with that?”.  Alex Rodriguez was going to save baseball.

Now it’s not that he is going to save baseball, it’s that he already has.  For years, everyone hated A-Rod.  He had the label of great regular-season player, a guy who could hit 50 meaningless homeruns a season, and come up empty in the playoffs.  He makes more money than an entire payroll of many teams…and he’s a Yankee besides.  Still, he was going to pass Barry Bonds, seemingly on pure talent, and that made him ok.

Today, he’s ok because of what he told Peter Gammons.  A-Rod straight-up admitted that yes, he took steroids.  No finger wagging like the Evil Mustache, no denying the past like Kingpin, and no reality tv like Darth Vader.  Just honesty.  Now that A-Rod has been exposed as a cheater, there is no reason that MLB can justify not releasing the other 103 names on the list of players guilty of using.  Now that A-Rod is on the table, every player over the last 20 years is on the table…the cat is out of the bag.  Sure, there are other cats, but Rodriguez is no doubt the biggest.

If MLB does the right thing, and releases the names, then that will be the 104 players that we KNOW are guilty.  If, for instance, Sosa or Clemens are not on the list, they might walk into the Hall-of-Fame someday.  If players like that are on the list…well then Jeff Reboulet takes a step closer to the Hall.  The point is, if the list is released, then we’ll know…and the “did he or didn’t he?” arguments should end.

JACK BAUER tries to get MATT WILLIAMS to confess to using steriods.

I liken A-Rod’s actions today to the career of another great hero, Jack Bauer.  Jack Bauer could be making a crapload of money writing books, developing computer programs to secure government firewalls, and maintaining a relationship with his own daughter.  That way, he could sorta still protect America and not have to risk his own life.  But does he do that? No!  He bites the jugular vein out of terrorists on a daily basis.  Sure it tastes pretty good, but the point is he puts his own life on the line to protect America, instead of sitting behind book deals. He even got himself addicted to heroine one season- that’s commitment, people!.  (I know it’s just a tv show, but I think I make my point.)  A-Rod could have come out and denied it (not that he would have a leg to stand on), or he could have at least made something up like Bonds, Sheffield, or others have done.  He certainly didn’t have to admit he used for three years- he could have said he just tried it once.  He could have even just not commented at all.  Call me naive, but I believe him when he says he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and that he gave in to pressure.  We can’t forgive him for his crimes against baseball, but we can forgive him for being human.

Alex Rodriguez saved baseball because he forced The List to come out (I mean, it has to right?).  Finally we will know who deserves to be in the Hall-of-Fame and who doesn’t.  Alex Rodriguez didn’t fall in line with the other villains of baseball, he went rogue like Jack Bauer.  For that- he is still a hero.