Customer Reviews

A-Rod CD

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

This book, if it were to be written at all, would have been far better in someone else's hands. Selena Roberts' treatment of Alex Rodriguez is superficial at best and biased at worst.

If you dislike the Yankees or dislike players that sign long-term contracts for great sums of money, then you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're fairly neutral on both fronts (as I am), then this book won't cast a very long shadow upon your life.

There are two main problems with the book. First, it's abundantly clear that Selena Roberts personally dislikes Alex Rodriguez. She's certainly entitled to feel this way, but this should not come through in a book that is supposed to be the product of serious journalism. Second (and this is connected with the first) Rodriguez's use of steroids is this book's raison d'etre. It's as though Roberts said to herself, "Yes! We caught him using banned substances, now I can write that book."

The rather superficial picture of Rodriguez we get is of a guy who will do anything to win, including making use of stolen signs and performance enhancing drugs. Why does he do this? Roberts lacks the gravitas to tell us. Rodriguez's dad left when he was 10 years old and he was understandably affected by this. But beyond needing approval from others and missing his dad while growing up, how exactly did it affect him? We're never told. Roberts' failure in this regard shouldn't come as a surprise. Her bibliography is mostly composed of magazine and newspaper articles with comparatively few interviews.

Nearly everything in the book is told through the prism of Rodriguez's use of steroids or is only mentioned because it relates directly to steroids. For instance, we're told of Rodriguez's strong desire to win a championship and almost obsessive work habits. Yet when the subject of the 2004 ALCS arises---the closet Rodriguez ever got to the World Series---we're given a total of about two paragraphs. Wait a minute. How did he feel about the Yankees' historic collapse? What about his individual performance? Surely this must have made a deep impression on him. But Roberts doesn't see fit to probe such a significant moment any deeper, even though this book only happens to be a biography of the man.

If you've followed the major events in Rodriguez's career up to this point you're not going to learn anything new or interesting from Roberts' book. What she's given us is nothing more than a drawn out and forgettable feature article.

As a Red Sox fan, I've been giddy about this book coming out. I just wish it had been written by somebody other than Selena Roberts. This is the woman who convicted the Duke lacrosse team in column after column and when it came out that she had used a column in one of the world's most prominent newspapers to heap scorn on three innocent college kid's, she couldn't even admit she was wrong, much less issue an apology.

Even with her past, I was interested to read the book in the hopes that she would do some real reporting and have some real facts to back up the sordid stories. It turns out that we knew most of what she had hard core evidence to prove months ago, and the rest comes from anonymous sources and pure speculation. Given her past history of making up facts in order to sell a story, I'm a little leery.

If you're a baseball fan, I would suggest reading it. If nothing else it's pretty juicy gossip for your bathroom reading time. If you're looking for well-researched facts and good investigative journalism, keep looking. This is the National Enquirer of sports books. Sure it might be true. Some of it actually seems probable. But who knows if it's really true or not? Unfortunately, Ms. Roberts' past reputation and the lack of hard evidence presented in this book cannot answer that question.

I'll kick myself for paying good money to read this junk. A bunch of hearsay from nameless people with no facts to back it up. Initially figured it would be as detailed as the book on Bonds. Shoulda waited for media reviews instead of buying it right away. Many facts are being refuted publicly by some former teammates and managers.

Selena Roberts has an agenda. This book is not journalism. This is a sophomoric example of bush league writing and unmerciful hatchet journalism. It repeats itself over and over, and if Roberts had given each of her ARod examples one or two times, the book would have been no longer than a feature article in Sports Illustrated. This is shoddy journalism, poorly written, and it reeks of an agenda. Did ARod spurn her romantic overtures? Did he put her in her place? Who knows what really happened. All I know is that I've spent my reading life staying away from trash like this book, and now I know why.

I am not an Alex Rodriguez fan. In fact, I think he deserves all of the bad press he gets. I live in the Seattle area, and the treatment he dished out to Seattle Mariner fans was disrespectful and ugly. He lied to Seattle fans and he did it without regret. He could have told us the truth when he opted to leave a team that was on the verge of greatness so that he could make an absurd amount of money. All of us would have understood, but he chose to lie. That's okay, at least on one level, but it was totally unnecessary. We are an educated bunch up here in the Northwest (not much to do during the winter and early spring except read), and we would have easily understood his intentions. Nonetheless, liar that he proved to be, steroid popper that he appears to be, and less than spectacular ball player that he is, he didn't deserve this book.

A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez says more about Selena Roberts than it does about Alex Rodriquez. He is under no obligation to talk to her. He owes her nothing. She, obviously, owes him nothing. I understand that this book is not selling well. I don't doubt it. It is not well written, it reeks of hatred, and it is repetitious. Each chapter is a re-write of the previous chapter. All of the inside information is oft repeated without any attribution. It appeared to me that the only time she directly refers to a source is when the source came from an outside publication. Jose Canseco's two books are a standard source. A few interviews with Ranger's owner Hicks. But the bulk of the investigative information comes from unnamed sources. Too many. Far too many. The book has no credibility. For all we know, she made it up.

I'm also a bit weary about hearing how Rodriguez is the best ball player in baseball history. Such rubbish. He's a clutch choker. The greatest ball players of all time don't consistently choke; they find a way to prevail. A-Rod has spent his career choking when the chips were on the line. Oh, sure, he has performed during a regular season games, but his play-off stats are laughable.

And this book is laughable. I suggest you stay away from this trash.

Bottom line for this "reportage" being published is Selena Roberts' bottom line - what crap!! I am a lifelong Yankee fan, was an Arod fan, not anymore - but my eyes have not been opened here. So he's a cheater, more big names are on the way - let's stop being shocked. I don't like him, but I sure don't like her either. This was way too easy for her and the publisher - how would she hold up under the same scrutiny? What passes for "investigative journalism" now is leaning toward the pathetic, and this is pathetic at best. How many clubhouses will she be welcomed into anymore because she's just so bright and insightful and fair, and she's with SI so that makes it all "right"?? Selena, you will never be as talented as those you "cover". I'm angry at her and I'm not even a Duke Lacrosse fan - anybody remember her "balanced" reporting in that case?

Roberts rags about the money A-Rod makes. Whines and moans, imho.

I saw him in Texas and marveled at a player so young doing what he did. Wish he'd stayed. Did not blame him for leaving. Why would anyone?

FACT: This "journalist" (I use the word with pause) would take his salary and contract in a heartbeat or she is as dumb as a box of bricks. And she whines about it? Classic. I'd take it. Who wouldn't? Only an insane person. And no doubt she's never made mistakes. Or, would digging into her past reveal...? Forget it. Who cares.

Over 625 home runs. 240 hits away from 3000, and unless he is injured, he'll get there. Career Batting Average? 302%.

Greatest hitting infielder in history. The #s don't lie. Roberts can't dispute that.

Real journalist are not transparently biased, as is Roberts.

He'll be a inducted into the Hall on the first ballot. Maybe Roberts can producee another work of bias to protest that? Maybe protest his MLB WS championships? What a hoot.

Buy it cheap used or find a copy at the library or throw your money away on a new copy. Ain't free will great?

I will confess up front - I am not an Alex Rodriguez fan. Having been a lifelong sports fan, I love baseball. However, I also am one of those annoying people who feel that by paying players astronomical salaries, it is tarnishing the reputation of the game, and leading more and more players to find sources of quick enhancements (i.e., steroids) to help them excel at the game and have an edge to get to the next tax bracket.

That said, I think Selena Roberts had some interesting points. I'm sure it is difficult enough being a female sports journalist without attempting a stark portrait of the highest paid player in the game. However, I thought she interjected her own thoughts and persona far too much. I didn't need to see the "character" Selena Roberts show up at A-Rod's house, and hear how she interviewed his father. Those were somewhat amateurish scenes that a professional writer should be far beyond. With that, I thought she quoted too heavily from Jose Canseco's "Juiced." If I had wanted to know what he thought about A-Rod and steroid use in MLB, I would have purchased his book - but since I don't care what he has to say, I really didn't like having those longer passages from his book quoted.

I know this book has come under criticism as not having enough sources, and I can see where that might be a problem. However, I did think that she spoke to and named several people who seemed to know Alex very well who were willing to go on the record to speak to his alleged steroid use and his philandering behavior.

In the end, the book dragged on too long at parts, and wasn't nearly the scathing criticism I thought it would be. Roberts shows sympathy for the man in some respects (boy abandoned early on by adored father), but doesn't make the extra effort to delve beneath the surface and show the true man he has become. Maybe she's saving more for a follow up book that goes beneath the surface.

I'm a Yankee fan, and by default sort of an A-Rod fan (how can I not be with the numbers he's put up?) What I like about this book is the insider stories about the Yankees, stories that you only hear bits and pieces of or not at all. It didn't take me long to finish this book since it was so interesting. The problem was that after I finished it I felt like I needed to take a shower. I knew that A-Rod was insecure and self-absorbed but I wonder whether at some point he also killed the author's dog. Every single thing documented paints Rodriguez in a bad light. Even if it is a good thing off the field Ms. Roberts shows us that it was calculated and scripted to make A-Rod look good and feed his ego. I believe most of the facts in this book, but the slant here against A-Rod is over the top. If Alex is even half as flawed as this book makes him out to be then I believe that the day he read this was one of the worst of his life.

In 2004, MLB players were asked to be tested for any performance-enhancing drugs. All players were told that the information collected will be kept confidential, which is why the Player's Association agreed to have players take the test. However, since then, all this information has been leaked out wild, so MLB broke it's promise on keeping the test results confidential. We shouldn't know if Alex took steroids or not, it was confidential information that the public wasn't supposed to know until that Selena Roberts and those 4 sources that leaked everything out into the wild

This also brings me to Selena Roberts. [...] reporters Selena Roberts and David Epstein broke out the story February 2009. They leaked out information they weren't supposed to, and in my opinion, both of them should have lost their jobs and got fined. In that same year, Selena Roberts wrote a book called "A-rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez." I read the book, and I have to say, why would you say something like this to another person. This book shouldn't have ever been sold, written, nor should Selena Roberts still have her job. What am I saying? This book is completely one-sided and biased against A-Rod. I'm sorry, but Selena Roberts is a class A jackass.

Final thing: A-Rod did this to help his team. That's all he ever wanted, was to help his team win a World Series. I've never seen that much determination from a player before, and even before A-Rod took steroids, he was still a great player. I bet you all the money in the world Selena Roberts will never be able to do what A-Rod did for his team.

PS: This book that Selena Roberts wrote, is as if she said to herself: "Yes! I get to write a book about how A-Rod sucks!" It is clear Selena Roberts personally dislikes Alex, but if she does, she should have kept it to herself.

This book is all one-sided, and if your reading this Ms. Roberts: You SUCK at this, go get a life, and stop bashing A-Rod. YOU SUCK, YOU CAN'T WRITE, NOBODY WOULD WANT GET YOUR BOOK IF THEY WERE SANE

Poor journalism- I don't think Selena Roberts was able to find anything of substance, and least not enough for a novel(take the best 4 pages and it would have been a just okay SI article- the rest could be featured excepts in the "Star" gossip rag). So I'm left with a bunch of empty filler. It's a waste of money, and I'm disappointed in myself for buying it. With al of the buildup, I expected something worthwhile, but it seemed really empty hearsay/gossip kind of stuff. I hope she made good money on this, because the shoddy journalism has diminished her credibility as a reporter in my eyes. I can't see how this would help her career.