A-Rod Doesn't Want You To Take Everything Literally

I wasn't around on Wednesday when Alex Rodriguez made his comment regarding drug testing in Major League Baseball, so it's hard to tell exactly how he said it. Was he presenting it in a serious way, or was he sort of joking around? I'm not sure. But what I am sure of is that someone contacted him, and told him he needed to clarify his statements. Because yesterday is was "nine or ten" drug tests last year, and today it's just an illustration of how stringent the MLB drug testing policy is.

Alex Rodriguez says he was exaggerating when he claimed he was given nine or 10 drug tests last year. Rodriguez made his original statement Wednesday, before the Yankees' first full-squad workout of the year.

If A-Rod had been tested that many times, either he was selected for an unusually high number of random checks or he might have been subjected to additional tests - which would happen, for instance, if a panel decides there was reasonable cause or a player tests positive for a banned stimulant for the first time.

"I know it was more than one," Rodriguez said after Thursday's workout. "It's a few. The lesson is, you've got to be very, very specific with what you say because everything then will come back and people are going to ask you. I learned my lesson."

My guess is that his agent cringed when he heard the remarks, and instantly placed a call to A-Rod telling him to revise his statements. I'm guessing it's so that Rodriguez doesn't come under suspicion for possibly having an unusually high number of tests. Without him telling the public, there's little chance that we would know how many times he was tested. And with the steroid stigma firmly attached to pro baseball, no one wants their name connected with performance enhancing drugs. Especially not a superstar like A-Rod.

Is Michael Vick Really Just An Idiot?

By now we all know about Michael Vick's involvement with dogfighting. He pleaded guilty to being involved so there's no denying that. However, something we haven't figured out is does he do stupid things because he has no regard for the consequences of his actions, or because he's an idiot?

That question got a little harder to answer this afternoon seeing as how Michael Vick tested positive for marijuana.

A federal judge placed tighter restrictions on Michael Vick on Wednesday after he tested positive for marijuana.

Because of the result, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson placed special conditions on Vick's release, including restricting him to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and ordering him to submit to random drug testing.

The urine sample was submitted Sept. 13, according to a document by a federal probation officer that was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday."

So, here's Michael Vick, with the spotlight firmly on him, yet knowing that his every move will be scrutinized he violates a condition of his pretrial release.

You can look at this situation much the way Vick's other situation could be looked at. Did he really think that if he was caught engaging in this illegal behavior that nothing would happen? Or, did he think that there was nothing wrong with smoking some weed?

The two sound similar, but they are indeed very different. If it's the first, then Vick has decided that at a certain point the law does not apply to him. He's conducting his life under the assumption that he's above the law, and he should be punished accordingly. If it's the second, then obviously Michael Vick has no grasp of the concepts of right and wrong and punishment. In that case, he probably should undergo some type of mental evaluation and testing to determine just how impaired his judgment is.

I can't believe that someone who is severly impaired mentally could function as an NFL quarterback, but Michael Vick's actions have definitely brought that into question.

Forget The 'Roids! Bring On The Blow!

Sure, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire might have tainted their sport, but they've got nothing on Canadian wheelchair racer Jeff Adams.

Adams, a decorated Paralympian who won five medals(2 golds, 1 silver and 2 bronze) at the 2000 Olympics, tested positive for cocaine last year during an "in-competition test" at the wheelchair marathon championships in Ottawa.

Testing positive for drugs is not something new in the sports world. In fact, I'm pretty sure that at one point Darryl Strawberry was sprinkling cocaine on his Wheaties like it was powdered sugar. Adams' "excuses" regarding the positive test, however are a bit new, to me at least.

His first "defense" was that it was due to a contaminated catheter. This sounds fairly reasonable. Perhaps a nurse who was in charge of changing it hung out with Lindsay Lohan the night before, and came straight from a car wreck party.

The second and third "defenses" came via Adams' lawyer, Tim Danson, and were that "cocaine is not prohibited out-of-competition and has no performance enhancing qualities".

That's right, apparently cocaine use among wheelchair athletes is perfectly fine as long as you're not snorting the nose candy right before the race. Adams' lawyer added to this by stating that "the banned substance was not in Adams’ system at the time of the race". So, before the race is a no go, but afterwards, especially if you've won, you can party it up like you're best friends with Tony Montana.

Also, I would personally rather race a sober wheelchair racer than a coked up one. I don't know if Danson has ever seen "Murderball", but facing any of those guys after they've gotten on the white horse is not something high(pun very much intended) on my list of things to do.

Looks Like Ricky Gets To Extend His Vacation For A Few More Months

Chris Mortensen is reporting that Ricky Williams, of visor interviews and CFL fame, failed another drug test in April, and that he won't be elligible for reinstatement until at least September. Williams had been scheduled to speak with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this week concerning his reinstatement in the NFL.

Of course he tested positive for marijuana again. If he ever plays in the NFL again they might as well stitch "Marley" on the back of his jersey.

Though, the league doctors that have been overseeing his rehab program seemed understanding of his situation.

"Falling off the wagon is part of rehab," a source said. "Based on the medical evidence in Ricky's case, the doctors say it's too early to come back. He had the positive test last month. Remember, he's been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder -- that's a real disease and a good percentage of those folks self-medicate with substances like marijuana, often at the moment they are about to have a high level of social interaction."

Falling off the wagon? Ricky has been floating above it for the past 5 years. Seriously, he might as well move to Amsterdam and open his own hash bar. It can't be much different than what he's got going on right now.

Oh well, it gives Commissioner Goodell some more free time to spend with PacMan this week. Chompa chompa!