As I am beginning to type it is 12:25 pm.

In approximately sixty five minutes, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, will give a press conference where he will likely admit to taking steroids in front of the international media for the first time.

A-Rod (Rodriguez’ nick name) is one of the biggest names in the sports world. He is arguably the best baseball player in the world and he might be the best baseball player of all time.  He is currently the highest paid baseball player ever. He has GQ good looks and he has always seemed to say the right things at the right times.

I am not a baseball fan, I watch the World Series and some of the playoffs, but to call me a baseball fan would be unfair to baseball fans who really care about the game.

But… I have been a fan of A-Rod since I can remember. I remember first hearing of him when ESPN’s Scholastic Sports America did a story when he was a high school senior living in Miami. I remember when he was drafted #1 overall by the Seattle Mariners and went to the big leagues far younger than most people expected. I remember Ken Griffey, Jr. getting all the press coverage as a young A-Rod started to build an amazing career. I remember when A-Rod signed something like a $252 million dollar contract. I remember when A-Rod was to become a Boston Red Sock when all of a sudden union rules prohibited that from happening and then he was NY Yankee. 

I can’t tell you how many home runs A-Rod has hit. I can’t tell you how many bases he has stolen, but I can remember the things I remember because A-Rod always handled himself with grace and dignity.

His image took a enormous hit with me when it became rumored and then confirmed that he had extra curricular activity outside of his marriage. Activity that lead to a divorce. With all the grace and dignity I had witnessed from A-Rod in his professional career, he fell short in his personal life. 

Now we have found out that A-Rod took steroids. All the major news outlets are going crazy with this story. ESPN will devote all their networks this afternoon to covering A-Rod’s press conference.

I guess it is news worthy and should be covered, but I want everyone to take a step back and ask what is the bigger deal:

1. A-Rod took steroids, or
2. A-Rod cheated on his wife

I have a 3 year old son who isn’t interested in sports yet and doesn’t have his sport heroes picked out yet. But when the time comes that John comes to me asking me why his favorite player is on the news not talking about the game, I will much rather have the talk about why steroids, or some other performance enhancing drug, is wrong, then have to talk to John about divorce and all that goes along with that.

To me, A-Rod’s personal failures are much bigger than his professional ones.

I still choose to root for Alex Rodriguez. I pray for him.

Dear Alex,

It doesn’t matter how much money you earn or you have. It doesn’t matter how many times you have been on the cover of GQ, Esquire or SI. It doesn’t matter if you took steroids. It doesn’t even matter that you cheated on your wife. God still loves you, and He has people out here praying for you and praying that you will somehow be a good role model for the thousands and thousands of children who want to be like you when they grow up. Your past has been impressive. Impressively good and impressively bad. Don’t let the past define you. Be who God made you to be. Live each day to the fullest, and be the man that you can be and should be.

In Christ,

Gil Allensworth