Baseball is a game that’s reliant on its numbers, which is why the steroid cloud hanging over the careers of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez and many other players is so damaging. Those home run kings will likely be denied entry into the Hall of Fame, which is a shame, especially in the case of Bonds, who is MLB’s all-time home run king.
One name, however, may be more damaging to the sport than them all if it’s linked to performance-enhancing drugs – Derek Jeter. A recent New York Times report did some digging into the recent Al-Jazeera report that linked NFL star Peyton Manning, as well as MLB players Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman. The Times found that Jeter is linked as well, through a trainer named Jason Riley.
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According to the Times, Riley is a business partner with Charles Sly, the man who name-dropped Manning to Al-Jazeera. Deadspin dug into the story as well, and turned up a 2010 ESPN report in which Riley is credited with “reshaping Jeter’s body and game.” From 2007, when Jeter turned 33, until he retired in 2014, Jeter slashed .299/.360/.403, batted .300 or better three times, and averaged 134 games played. He appeared in at least 130 games in all but one of those seasons.
If Jeter were revealed to be a steroid abuser, it would be more devastating to the game than anyone before him. While McGwire and Sosa rescued baseball with their 1998 home run chase, and Bonds broke baseball’s most hallowed record, the nature of their success made it easier to comprehend their alleged cheating. Jeter has been held up as the example how clean players can sustain relevance in the sport without cheating.
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Jeter’s example shined exceptionally bright as a teammate of A-Rod, who replaced Bonds as the face of steroid abuse in baseball because of his ill-advised attempts to throw MLB off his scent. If Jeter was dirty, then who can fans really believe is clean? MLB will be following the defamation lawsuits filed by Howard and Zimmerman against Al-Jazeera closely, and will breathe a sigh of relief if Jeter vehemently fights back too.
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