What follows here was the live blog of a televised news conference with Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. It was his first news conference after he had admitted he used performance-enhancing drugs following a Sports Illustrated expose.
2:27 PM/ET: The Yankees have ended the news conference with many more questions to come. Wondering if that's the right strategy. Shouldn't they get all the questions out of the way or do they want this lingering into spring training and the season? Our detailed analysis is coming up in a couple of minutes.
2:21 PM/ET: New York Post reporter Joel Sherman does the math, asking why A-Rod would inject something into his body 36 times without knowing what it does.
A-Rod whiffs, not giving a definitive answer. In order to counter that he didn't necessarily get stronger from the drug, A-Rod tells reporters that he benchpressed 310 pounds as a junior in high school because he was motivated to get a free letterman jacket. Today, he says he benchpresses about 240 or 250 pounds.
2:16 PM/ET: We don't think A-Rod is doing well right now. We're giving him a C-minus, but only because he likely has more than 30 more minutes left in this thing and we're giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Nathaniel Wydra writes to us, "In the day and age where secrets don't stay secret very long, and technology is conspiring against players who thought that their designer drug wasn't detectable, doesn't it make more sense to up the HOF waiting period to, say, 10 years? This would give us a little bit more historical perspective on the matter, and give science a little bit more time to detect cheaters."
2:11 PM/ET: A-Rod said he didn't think what he took were steroids, that they were "over the counter," "pretty basic" and "we probably didn't even take it right." It's very hard to believe this. "All these years...I didn't even know I was doing something wrong," A-Rod says.
Mark Feinsand of the Daily News asked A-Rod if he deserves the home run bonuses that we think he now doesn't. Rodriguez answers with "I'm just trying to get by today."
A-Rod says he never took HGH, but did take Rip Fuel. Now we know where he was getting his GNC references!
2:05 PM/ET: By our count, Rodriguez is 0 for 5. The first question that was asked was whether he would have come out with this if SI didn't. He says he didn't know. He didn't answer (WNBC TV's) Bruce Beck's question as to why he would stop using them when he came to New York. He said he didn't notice a benefit, that he was injected (instead of pill form) and that he didn't know whether what he did was cheating or not. The worst comment Rodriguez has is that he says he "wished he had gone to college," implying that he wouldn't have been as stupid.
2:01 PM/ET: Rodriguez stops when he starts apologizing to his teammates. Before he continues, he takes a sip of "Aquafina." Considering that Rodriguez used to be a Pepsi endorser (they own Aquafina), I wonder if he was trying to get his deal back. The question and answer session is starting now.
1:57 PM/ET: Rodriguez said the last couple weeks have been "difficult and emotional" and he took the first step in the process of "earning back trust" by doing the ESPN interview last week. It seems like he is sticking to his story that he only used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001-2003. He says he got the idea to use a drug that could be found over the counter in the Dominican Republic called "Boli" or "Bole" from his cousin. He also said his cousin administered it to him twice a month.
1:52 PM/ET: Alex Rodriguez is sitting down. Next to him is Yankees general manager is Brian Cashman and Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Rodriguez is starting now with a written statement saying he's "a lot nervous."
1:46 PM/ET: Hang with us folks. We're told it will be another five minutes or so before A-Rod steps to the podium. We told you he came to the stadium wearing khakis and a non-descript shirt. We're interested to see if he wears anything with a Nike logo on it. The shoe and apparel maker is A-Rod's biggest endorser and his Nike cleat hit Dick's Sporting Goods stores in the northeast about two weeks ago.
1:41 PM/ET: Still waiting, so let's get you involved a bit. What do you think A-Rod has to say today? Do you think he's a Hall of Famer? Send your e-mails to SportsBiz@cnbc.com and we'll post the best of the best.
1:35 PM/ET: We are waiting for Rodriguez to step up to the podium. It looks like, surprise, things are a bit behind. ESPN showed Rodriguez coming to the stadium in khakis and an open collar button down. I'm hoping he changes into a suit for this.
After admitting to ESPN last week that he did in fact use performance-enhancing drugs following a Sports Illustrated expose, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is addressing the issue at the Yankees spring training site in Tampa, Fla., today.
Rodriguez did say that he used performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003, but there are still many questions that have to be explored, including the question of why he stopped when he got to New York?
It will be interesting to see how forthcoming Rodriguez will be in front of a room of hungry reporters who want him to answer the yet unanswered questions.
Follow along here, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Questions? Comments? SportsBiz@cnbc.com
