bronson arroyo, my new favorite baseball player

Bronson Arroyo pitches for the Cincinnati Reds, and, to be honest, he’s not pitching all that well. But after reading this article, he’s my new fave:

Reds’ Arroyo is gambling on supplements despite the risk

“I can see where guys like Hank Aaron and some of the old-timers have a beef with it,” Arroyo says. “But as far as looking at Manny Ramirez like he's (serial killer) Ted Bundy, you're out of your mind. At the end of the day, you think anybody really (cares) whether Manny Ramirez's kidneys fail and he dies at 50?

“You were happy if the Red Sox won 95 games. You'd go home, have a cookout with your family. No big deal.” …

"You don't want me to get Albert Pujols out? Give me a break. If you give me (the amphetamine) Adderall, and I strike out Pujols in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, there's a pretty good chance I'm going to want to take that Adderall the next time." …

"You think this country really cares about what ballplayers put in their bodies?" Arroyo asks. "If we really care, why are we pumping Coca-Cola in every kid's mouth, and McDonald's, and Burger King and KFC? That (stuff) is killing people….

"I don't regret a thing," Arroyo says. "Neither should anyone else."

Comments

[gabby]

Ditto. When I heard this yesterday I decided he's the first freakin voice among players with some honesty and the right perspective. No way does Selig die soon enough.

[Phil Dellio]

I give him credit for honesty too, but otherwise, this seems no different than any other kind of ends-justify-the-means self-exculpation. "I know I'll one day be a great lawyer, so if my cheating on the bar benefits hundreds of people down the road, I'm okay with that;" "Our guy'll be ten times the president as that other creep, so it's important that we do whatever we need to to make that happen;" "Fans want me to strike out Pujols. I'm doing this for the fans." And I think his words about Ramirez are creepy. I really don't think baseball fans are that callous.