By Anthony Suntay

THE media frenzy regarding the admission of Alex Rodriguez taking performance-enhancing drugs might have started to drop recently as teams get ready for the next season, but we shouldn’t forget that Rodriguez did something frowned upon in the sport of baseball.

Even as his manager and teammates have rallied behind him, and Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig openly criticized him for his actions, I just want to state for the record that he should never be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Manager Joe Girardi said that he would be behind the Yankees slugger, saying “I’m sure he’s got a lot of people in his ear but I’ll be there for him.”

That is commendable, but it will not repair his tainted image.

“Whether it’s this situation or any other situation, it’s important that teammates back teammates. They’re there for each other, and they know that during difficult times they can lean on each other,” he adds.

His peers were also vocal in their support.

“It was something, that to me, it’s in the past,” closer Mariano Rivera said, “It’s not right, but it’s the past. You can do nothing about what you did yesterday or 10 minutes ago. You can learn from it and move on. We all make mistakes. The one thing that we have good is we support each other.”

“I’m just going to try to help him as a teammate in any way I can to help him get through it,” says Andy Petite (who previously admitted using growth hormones in 2002 and is among the more than 80 players named in the Mitchell Report as users of performance enhancing drugs), “It’s a tough time for him right now but we’ll be here.”

On the other hand, Commissioner Selig took a different stance.

“What Alex did was wrong and he will have to live with the damage he has done to his name and reputation,” Selig stated. “While Alex deserves credit for publicly confronting the issue, there is no valid excuse for using such substances, and those who use them shame the game.”

Now that brings up my point of the Hall of Fame.

Rodriguez has definitely helped shape the way the game has grown this past decade and the way he has broken records along the way, has all but assured his inclusion in the Hall.

Until now.

I sincerely believe that the Hall of Fame is for those players who have made not just an impact on the sport, but a positive impact.

I believe, just like the record of Barry Bonds, should not be taken into consideration because these were not acquired by hard work and dedication alone, but with the help of banned substances.

Some will argue that one or two years of indiscretion should not tarnish an entire career, but I disagree.

The records would definitely not have been the same if not for the help of these drugs.

There are no ifs and buts.

Rodriguez should never be considered among the best of all time.

His mistake has hurt his career, tarnished his records, and will forever cast a shadow of doubt in all he does in the sport.

Listen to Real Sports later today at 2:15 p.m. on Wave 891! We talked about the Filipino sport of arnis with Master Roland Dantes!

Have a great weekend! God Bless!

E-mail me at realsports891@yahoo.com