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Hands-up to those surprised to learn Alex Rodgriguez confessed back in January to doing business with Miami steroid dealer Tony Bosch and using performance-enhancing drugs just as Major League Baseball alleged? Anyone? We didnt think so. Twenty-six years after Ben Johnson professed his innocence to a nation that desperately wanted to believe him. It doesnt take a cynic to roll their eyes in the face of busted athlete drug cheats who profess their innocence. We all know the script of the busted athlete who tries to position him or herself as the victim in a performance-enhancing drug witch hunt. It goes a little something like this: I have always prided myself on my ability to compete clean, I would never disrespect the game, my teammates, the fans and most of all my family. You know the rest. With a parade of all-stars from Marion Jones to Lance Armstrong to Ryan Braun, it was almost laughable that at this stage of things Alex Rodriguez thought he could convince anyone of his innocence, never mind the people who were out to get him. What we need to understand is that taking performance-enhancing drugs is a simple risk-reward proposition for a lot of athletes, during which time they understand the public plea they will have to make if they are accused or caught. So while we might wonder how athletes can so easily compromise their integrity by flat-out lying to the very people who have made them what they are, this part of the equation is settled long before the gotcha moment. Former Canadian sprinter Angela Isajenko said it more than two decades ago during the Dubin Inquiry into drugs in sports when she described the athletes handbook for what to do when you are caught: deny, deny, deny. The few who have deviated from that script are far and few between. Years ago, I wrote a piece in The Globe and Mail which suggested it was difficult to know whether to cheer for Lance Armstrong, purely for the reason that he was so dominant in a sport that was well-known to be dirty. The vitriol I received in response from Armstrong fans, many of them cancer survivors who considered him a real-life hero, was unlike anything I have received before or since in my career. They were simply horrified that I could even entertain the idea that someone of his character and accomplishments might be a cheat. And besides, hed already faced-down his accusers in public and pledged his innocence. Did I really think he would let down the legions of people to whom he was nothing less than a superhero? We all know how that story ended. Im sure there are athletes who test positive or are accused via investigation of using performance-enhancing drugs and it all turns out to be a mistake. I just cant think of any. Alex Rodriguez lying and then eventually confessing to performance-enhancing drug use hardly qualifies as disappointment. And he may truly be as detestable as he seems. But in this case, hes not the worst of the worst. He was merely travelling down the same well-worn path of those who came before him. Stitched Authentic Jerseys .Under the agreement announced Monday, the Cuban defector is guaranteed $68.5 million over six seasons.Tomas gets a $14 million signing bonus that is payable within 30 days of the deals approval by Major League Baseball, and then salaries of $2 million next year, $4 million in 2016, $6 million in 2017 and $10 million in 2018. Wholesale Jerseys For Sale . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division. https://www.chinajerseysfreeshipping.com/ . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion. Wholesale China Jerseys .com) - Theres nothing better for a team than to send out the staff ace in the most important game of the season. Discount China Jerseys . Alfredo Simon lowered his ERA to 0.86, and the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 Friday for their 16th win in their last 17 games at the Friendly Confines.DENVER -- Nolan Arenado wanted to put his benching behind him. He did it with one of his best games of the season. Arenado rebounded with three hits, including a home run, and the Colorado Rockies routed the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-1 on Saturday night. Tyler Matzek pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings. Drew Stubbs and Corey Dickerson also homered for the Rockies, who have won three straight. It was a bounce-back performance for Arenado, removed from Fridays game when he didnt hustle down the line on a grounder to the pitcher in the fourth inning. Arenado met with manager Walt Weiss before Saturdays game and said he agreed with the decision. "Nolan had a great game. Weve all seen him do those things before," Weiss said. "He was impressive tonight to go back out there and have the game that he did. Hes a special player." The 2013 Gold Glove winner took out any frustration he might have had on Pirates starter Jeff Locke. Arenado singled in the third and fifth and then hit a solo home run in the seventh, his eighth of the year. "Obviously, its hard to end on a day like yesterday," he said. "Today was a good day. I was able to make my plays, get a couple of knocks and help the team win, because yesterday I showed I wasnt a team player. Im happy today I was able to help them out." Dickerson added a two-out solo homer to chase Locke (2-2). That was more than enough for Matzek (2-4), who continued a recent string of strong starts for Colorado. The Rockies rotation had allowed 13 earned runs in its last 44 innings entering Saturday, and Matzek added to that with seven shutout innings to get his first win since his major league debut against Atlanta on June 11. Colorados starters have a 2.29 ERA since the All-Star break. "Weve got a little bit of a roll going here," Matzek said. "Theres a good energy going on in the locker room and it starts with the starting pitchers." Stubbs made it 2-0 with a leadoff homer in the fourth, his 11th, but rolled his right foot on the swing. He played the field in the top of the fifth but kknew he couldnt continue.dddddddddddd. "I had to grit my teeth to get around the bases. Walking felt fine, but whenever I jogged onto the field to play the top half of the fifth, coming off the field I knew I needed to shut it down," Stubbs said. "I think what Ive got is a mild foot sprain, not too serious, but pretty uncomfortable." Colorado added two more in the fifth on Arenados second run-scoring single and Dickersons bases-loaded groundout. "Theyve pitched it better than us. Theyve hit it better than us. Theyve fielded it better than us the last two nights," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. Matzek made it hold up with the strongest start of his brief career. He pitched around a leadoff double in the fourth, and a double play got him out of a two-on, one-out jam in the seventh. Josh Rutledge added a two-run single in the eighth -- his third hit of the night -- to make it 8-0. Ike Davis denied Colorado its first shutout at Coors Field this season with a one-out homer in the ninth. The Pirates came into Coors Field having won six of eight, but theyve struggled against the Rockies. Theyve managed just two runs in the first two games in Denver, while Colorado has scored 16. Locke allowed six runs on 10 hits and struck out six in 6 2-3 innings. "I was just not 100 per cent sharp," he said. "Its a good hitting team. It just goes to show if they could pitch like they hit here, they wouldnt be 15 1/2 back, thats for sure." NOTES: Colorado SS Troy Tulowitzki (left hip flexor strain) flew to Philadelphia to be examined by a specialist. ... Rockies OF Carlos Gonzalez was scratched from the lineup due to a swollen right ankle. He rolled his ankle at home before arriving at Coors Field on Saturday. ... Hurdle said RHP Gerrit Cole (right lat strain), who is scheduled to throw about 80 pitches in his first rehab start Monday for Triple-A Indianapolis, will make a second rehab start to get his pitch count up to 100. ... Pittsburgh 3B Pedro Alvarez (sore left knee) was not in the starting lineup for the fourth straight game. ' ' '