Alex Rodriguez Tested Positive for Steroids

A-Fraud Turns into A-Roid

Four sources have independently revealed to Sports Illustrated that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003 when he won the American League home run title and the ALA Most Valuable Player while a shortstop for the Texas Rangers. According to the sources, Rodriguez's name appears on a list 104 players that tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in MLB's 2003 survey testing.

The testing was done as a part of an agreement with the MLB Players Association to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.

The MLB's drug policy has expressly prohibited the use of steroids without a valid prescription since 1991, but there were no penalties for a positive test until 2003. The results of the testing that year of 1,198 players were supposed to be anonymous under the agreement between the commissioner's office and the players association. Rodriguez's information was discovered, however, after federal agents armed with search warrants took the 2003 test results from Comprehensive Drug Testing Inc. of Long Beach, CA, which was one of the two labs used by MLB for the survey testing that year.

This isn't the first time that A-Rod has been linked to performance enhancing drugs. Jose Canseco made allegations that we wrote about last year that he introduced him to a man who sold steroids while they were playing together with the Texas Rangers.

The seizure occurred in April 2004 as a part of the federal investigation into 10 MLB players linked to the BALCO scandal. Rodriguez himself, it should be noted, has never been connected to BALCO.

All four sources indicated that Rodriguez tested positive for testosterone and an anabolic steroid which is known by the brand name Primobolan.

The list of the 104 players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003 is under seal in California.

Sports Illustrated also reports that Rodriguez was tipped off to a test in 2004 by Gene Orza, the executive of the baseball players union. He was said to have been tipped off in early September 2004 that he'd be tested later that month.