TUCSON — Seems like we’ve got this all wrong. The question is no longer why major-league players cheated with steroids, turning their bodies into science fair experiments. It’s why others did not.
From Alex Rodriguez to Andy Pettitte, those shamed have rationalized their use because of pressure, financial motivation and injuries. Funny, those reasons would apply to nearly anyone who has laced up a pair of spikes.
So why, I asked Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook, didn’t he use steroids?
“My conscience. I think it would have driven me crazy, knowing what I was doing was wrong,” Cook said matter-of-factly. “I couldn’t have lived with myself.”
Because anyone can proclaim his innocence — see Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro — only to be exposed as a liar, Cook has proof. He has taken at least two drug tests a year for the past five years. He was tested five times last season, and estimates he has taken 15 tests since the program was implemented in 2004. It’s not the Olympics’ barbed-wire fence, but if I were a player, I would still carry those results in my wallet.
“Obviously, if I was cheating last year, I definitely would have gotten caught,” Cook said.
The 30-year-old right-hander went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA while earning an all-star berth last season. Arguably he could have reached that potential sooner with performance-enhancing drugs. He nearly died on the mound in 2005 because of blood clots in his lungs. If there was ever a reason to rush a recovery, this was it. Cook, a deeply religious family man, passed without hesitation.
“I never felt pressured to do it, but of course you’d see guys who were (using) and the results they were having and think to yourself, ‘Maybe I should try that,’ ” Cook admitted. “In the end, it was easy for me to say it wasn’t worth it. And now with all that stuff coming out, I am so glad I didn’t do it. It’s such a headache, weighing on them. Their everyday life is changed forever.”
Just how much played out in the Rockies’ clubhouse Tuesday as players sat, some riveted, some disgusted, as Rodriguez’s mea culpa, the sequel news conference aired live from Tampa, Fla. Garrett Atkins and Troy Tulowitzki talked about how different the culture is in baseball compared with when Rodriguez broke into the game. Atkins was tested in the minor leagues, while major-leaguers were not at that time.
“I wouldn’t have any idea how you get steroids. None,” Atkins said. “You knew you would be caught in the minors. The sad part is that you used to hear guys talk about wanting to get to the big leagues so they could cheat, too.”
Added Tulowitzki, who has been tested since he was drafted in 2005, “I have never been around steroids. Never been offered, or tempted.”
Cook watches guys squirm — like A-Rod and Miguel Tejada — and thanks God that’s not him. He does, however, have a dirty little secret about being clean.
“I wasn’t shocked about A-Rod. You knew guys were cheating,” Cook said. “I just figured I would go out there and do my best. But when I got them out, and they weren’t getting any hits, I felt like I was doing an even better job.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
