Blood Sport: A-Rod and the Quest to End Baseball's Steroid Era

by Tim Elfrink, Gus Garcia-Roberts

“Blood Sport is riveting . . . a tragicomedy filled with characters straight out of a Carl Hiaasen novel.” —The Washington Post

The effects of the Biogenesis case—the biggest drug scandal in the history of American sports—are still being felt today. Fifteen Major League Baseball players were suspended, including Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez, who returns to the field in 2015, after his record season-long steroids ban. Ten men were indicted in federal court. And a new MLB commissioner was elected based on his role leading the response to the case. Now, Tim Elfrink—who broke that first story in the Miami New Times—joins forces with Pulitzer Prize finalist investigative reporter Gus Garcia-Roberts to tell the shocking full story behind the headlines. Blood Sport blows the lid off the most expensive scandal in the history of the game, and now includes a brand new epilogue revealing the stunning aftermath of the scandal and its effects for years to come.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, Audiobook, True Crime

480 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2014

Reviews

[Jerry Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read several books about the various doping scandals that have beset professional athletics over the past couple of decades, one is forced to wonder who will eventually triumph in this pharmaceutical war over performance enhancing drugs. Unfortunately it seems that the cheats (for cheats they are) are always one step (at least) ahead of those trying to catch them.

Blood Sport is ostensibly about Rodriguez but also tells this tale in the light of Anthony Bosch and Biogenesis and therefore encompasses many other baseball stars such as Ryan Braun. It is, as usual with this subject, a tawdry tale of lies, deceit, threats and violence from the perpetrators on both sides, including MLB. It is a wide ranging approach to this topic that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is detailed and covers the facts as they are known and speculation as to the most likely turn of events where such facts are less clear.

What is touched upon, and bears further analysis, is the role of Bud Selig and how he attempted to change his image from that of a commissioner turning a blind eye to, and tacitly supporting the use of PEDs to a man whose legacy would be one lauding him for ridding this sport of such callow cheating. That is a theme sometimes referenced here and his zeal for that legacy, led MLB to some questionable and shady practices themselves. There are so many nuances in this story from the duplicity and illegality of Bosch, to the shocking and appalling policies of the Florida Governor who allows such activities (euphemistically termed "anti-aging") to proceed unchecked. The corruption and outrageous behavior of our elected officials apparently taking place quite unchecked.

So there are a lot of strands to this story and nobody really emerges with much credit from this telling. Certainly not Rodriguez whose behavior throughout is boorish and duplicitous. To that end he reminds me of Lance Armstrong in a similar discussion of his doping career.

As a lover of sports, I am saddened and angered by PED cheating and I applaud those trying to stamp it out no matter how late they come to the party. I would favor lifetime bans and appropriation of earnings for those convicted but I am torn since I understand the pull to use them from those who would otherwise be unable to make it. This doesn't apply to elite athletes who are at the top of their sports anyway, such as AR and Armstrong.

Detailed, well told and very well researched, this is an all too familiar tale and I suspect we will see more whenever (not if) the next PED scandal breaks.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mitchell Report and BALCO were massive controversies when I was a baseball obsessed kid. The media showed me that my heroes were indeed fallible men in cleats. I’ve somehow put off reading into the full history of the matter of PED’s in baseball outside of online articles throughout the years.

This book details the third true wave of MLB’s controversy with performance enhancing drugs. The big home run era fueled by PED’s in the 90’s is over and the BALCO and Mitchell report is in the past. What remained? Here enters Tony Bosch and Biogenesis.

The authors do an excellent job laying out the full story of the investigation of Pseudo-Doctor/nutritionist Tony Bosch and his ties to some of the games biggest stars in the late 2000’s-early 2010’s. The book primarily alternates between the perspective of main suspected super star Alex Rodriguez, Tony Bosch, MLB investigators and the litigation between the trio.

The authors do a nice job of setting up the scene; providing a fascinating look into the history of cheating in the sport that I had never encountered.

Oh man does this book expose Alex Rodriguez as a sociopath and practically insinuates that the guy is a criminal. Also, not so kind to that of Ryan Braun, the now retired former superstar with the Milwaukee Brewers…

My only problem with the book is it could’ve used a sharper edit. This story is long, and often takes sidelines into matters that just didn’t seem pertinent to the whole. I understand that the authors wanted to create a broader web of crime associated with Tony Bosch, but a lot of it was unnecessary.

Overall, a well researched look into Biogenesis and the future of how the MLB will deal with PED’s.
6/10

[Brig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow!

This book is fantastic. Talk about taking a complex topic and making it accessible.

[victor harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The A-Rod/Bosch Biogenesis scandal reached much farther than the professional athletes like Rodgiguez who cheated for years to achieve their on the field feats. It trickled down into players at the university and even high school levels. Baseball and commissioner Selig dragged their feet on the PED issue until it became so widespread and spilled into the halls of Congress and it could no longer be ignored. The story goes well beyond just athletes gaining an edge, it is a tale of widespread criminality involving a cast of shady characters with the manipulative and deceitful at the heart of the saga. The shameful Ryan Braun episode is also covered in great detail. Ultimately, as Braun, Rodriguez et al would demonstrate, the mild suspensions made and make the incentives to cheat all the more attractive. The A-Rod suspension is hardly the end of the matter. It is a hiatus until the next snake oil salesman comes along promoting his " Fountain of Youth" formula and the testing systems lag behind.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining read with some interesting new info. Unfortunately, rather than writing a factually grounded work where the reader can determine their own heroes and villains, they take a heavy handed approach and regularly characterize each player with derogatory slams. At times I felt like I was reading a National Enquirer while other times I felt like I was reading a well researched and meticulously documented timeline of events. The authors should have kept with the later tone as it would have made the read much more enjoyable.

[Charlie Haviland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major League Baseball used thuggery to nail Alex Rodriguez. But, this is not what Blood Sport is about. The themes are Shakesperean: money & ego.

The players (so to speak): MLB, the drug dealers, the agents, the union, the cottage industry of ARod, and the pawns, the bit players over whom the other entities fight and bid.

You don't have to be a physician to appreciate this work, but it would help. If you are an organized crime and baseball fan, this is for you.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a fascinating and eye-opening read into the world of MLB and its problems with athletes using PEDs. The authors could have trimmed this book down a bit, though, and there was too much jumping back and forth with the time-line that it didn't flow very well, but otherwise, it was an engaging read.

[Andrew Coiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well reported and even handed. A must read for anyone interested in the subject matter.

[RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: (RE MCGWIRE’S REGIMEN) IF PARIS HILTON WAS TO TAKE THAT ARRAY SHE COULD RUN OVER DICK BUTKUS
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I have read every major steroid/PED book related to sports since Canseco’s two books… including but not limited to “Game Of Shadows”…Radomski’s book… Romanowski’s book… the Clemens expose’(s)… the A-Rod expose’… etc. … and I would rate “Blood Sport” right at the top of this list. The first thing potential readers should be made aware of is the fact that the authors cover much more than just the Biogenesis scandal. An awful lot more in fact! Even James “Pud” Galvin in 1889 being involved with a concoction of “chopping testicles off live dogs and guinea pigs grinding the organs into a paste, refining it into liquid and then shooting the vile concoction under the skin.” Also included are the Pittsburgh Pirate drug trials… Canseco/McGwire/et al… Balco… and of course all the way up to the modern day Biogenesis fiasco. No detail is skipped… and the story flows like a raging river. The documentation is superb as players… dates… drugs… dollars… are literally reproduced directly from phony Doctor… scammer… and unfulfilled dreamer… Tony Bosch’s own handwritten note pads.

The main subject amongst many big name subjects is Alex Rodriguez… and the impunity with which he abuses the legal system as well as the moral system from the time he was in high school… is as disgusting as it was in all the other books I’ve read. Ryan Braun comes off entirely despicable… not only with his lie after lie… while putting himself on a phony pedestal of truth… but in the way he attacked the employee who picked up and shipped his dirty urine sample… which by the way… “ACCORDING TO LATER REPORTS, THE URINE SAMPLE HAD COME BACK WITH A 20:1 RATIO OF TESTOSTERONE TO EPITESTOSTERONE. THAT WAS FIVE TIMES THE 4:1 MARKER THAT FLAGGED A POSITIVE TEST. BRAUN LATER SAID THAT UNION REPS, INFORMED OF THE FAILED TEST, TOLD ME THAT THE TEST RESULT WAS THREE TIMES HIGHER THAN ANY NUMBER IN THE HISTORY OF DRUG TESTING.”

There was one other deplorable character trait that all these big name “busted” stars had in common… it didn’t matter who you were… related or not related… you or anyone available… would be thrown under the bus so quickly… without even a second thought… that in my opinion… just as appalling as being an illegal drug user… a cheater in every sense of the word… a liar… beyond any imaginable definition… that their absolutely appalling lack of empathy for any other human being… might be their worst character trait of all.

Major parts of this book also shine a very dark light on the University Of Miami… U.M. … “The U”… there has been so much drug use there it’s almost hard to believe. Interviews with former players verify many facts… but the school itself and its coaches… don’t cooperate with the authors since as a private school they are not forced to. Suffice to say there’s a reason “non-Doctor” Tony Bosch eventually set up an office right across the street from the University.

The behind the scenes look at how Major League Baseball has reacted since the Mitchell Report is not only intriguing… but shows that they really are trying to straighten out this PED mess… unlike during the asterisk era of the 90-‘s and early 2000’s. Many times this book reads like a great crime mystery… and though sports fans know the final outcome… just like in a good movie there are characters that are extremely hard to believe… due to moronic maneuvers… or G-d like complex… thinking they’re above the law. Amazingly baseball actually approved A-Rod’s drug use for a couple of seasons.

The research on this book is stellar… the pacing is tremendous… and the entire story… whether you think you already know it or not is captivating. I recommend this book highly.

[Tacitus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is choppily assembled and could have been streamlined, but it does seem like solid journalism in spite of the awkward prose. It exposes the seedy under market of off-label treatments and those who practice this kind of sports medicine (including fake doctors and doctors who sell their names for prescriptions). Agents, ball players, and their hangers-on are all implicated. Money corrupts everything.

No side comes out as untarnished in this, and this chapter in the Steroid Era is especially sordid. Bud Selig and MLB were determined to use the Biogenesis players as examples. The low point is neatly summed up by the authors: “MLB may have bought itself all the evidence it needed to try to boot A-rod from the game, but the slugger had purchased his own evidence that baseball’s investigators had skirted ethics and broken the law to so it.”

This included buying records stolen from Biogenesis and an MLB investigator sleeping with a witness. If that was the price MLB had to pay to look clean, it hardly seems worth it. As the authors point out, A-rod made his millions before getting suspended, which underscores that players like him will take the drugs and risk getting caught because the rewards are so high. As to moral consequences, A-Rod is a broadcaster now, so if anything, players seem to continue to get rewarded in spite of past steroid use, even if questions remain about the integrity of the sport they are commenting on.

Meanwhile, Biogenesis and its owner, Tony Bosch, were being investigated for practicing medicine without a license. The clinic also apparently sold steroids to high school athletes—kids. The records that were stolen and sold to MLB would have helped that investigation. Not only did MLB interfere with a criminal investigation, the state administration under Rick Scott (whose company was earlier found guilty of insurance fraud) apparently did so as well. Anti-aging clinics were a big business in Florida, and several drug companies benefited from selling their drugs off-label.

Compared to some of the sports stuff, there’s another story here that largely goes unexplored in this book. It’s more interesting that A-Rod rolled up to his arbitration hearings in an Escalade, I guess. The choice of details and focus is quite telling as to the authors’ own priorities. A-Rod sells books, healthcare fraud does not. As mentioned in the afterword, the Feds investigated Biogenesis and Tony Bosch did some time in prison.

The authors may be good journalists and probably can write the shorter prose that is their bread and butter, but this longer narrative structure seems beyond their skills. Proving that point, each chapter has frequent breaks and shifts in direction; the focus isn’t even always on A-Rod and Biogenesis, and nor does it follow a clear, linear chronology.

Worse, they constantly use inappropriate and nonsensical metaphors that kept distracting me:

-“Like a fat man in a brothel, it appeared that the only friends Rodriguez had left were those whom he paid handsomely.”
-“…Rodriguez excoriated Dempster in his Leave It to Beaver—under-pressure speaking style.”
-“…Rodriguez entered a Catskills comedy routine.”
-“This lawsuit was A-Rod’s Ginsbergian ‘Howl’…”

These are typical, in that they are off-putting, or reference things many readers have no experience of, or both. They just make the narrative harder to follow and a chore to read. They also reveal a tendency to poke fun at their subjects, in a way that calls attention to itself.

Ultimately, this tone even makes me wonder if they are being unjustifiably mean-spirited for some reason, or worse, for no reason at all. Sure, there is plenty to not like about Rodriguez and others in this tale, but the facts speak well enough on their own. This Ball Park hot dog doesn’t need extra mustard—as they might say.

[Luke Koran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic investigative-reporting coupled with fleshed-out storylines makes up the 2014 book "Blood Sport: Alex Rodriguez, Biogenesis, and the Quest to End Baseball's Steroid Era." Along with the BALCO tell-all book, this work does an incredible job in documenting the endless cheat-to-win mentality in professional baseball, centered this time on premier slugger Alex Rodriguez. This book proved once again how newspaper journalists are indeed capable of producing feature-length pieces if they're allocated with the proper resources and opportunity; in the case of the Biogenesis scandal, a full-length book was surely necessary to illustrate the complete scope of the second major performance-enhancing drug conspiracy in recent baseball history. Who would've known to the extent MLB went in gathering evidence in order to justify such lengthy suspensions for so many of their superstars? Hopefully with advancements in scientific testing, increased punishment, and support by the players union in a stricter banned drug program, another major PED ring will not occur, or at least be stifled before it gains much notoriety.

[Alton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a passed-on gift from an associate who neither liked baseball nor books. I enjoyed those portions of the book that dealt with the history of steroid abuse in baseball, the pre-Jose Canseco years. I think the analogy of steroid abuse and amphetamine abuse in baseball is also apt; athletes have forever been looking for an advantage and steroids and human growth hormones are but the latest fad. It was also good that they addressed the youth and steroids issue, that steroids are a problem with the adolescent athlete as well. I did not enjoy the Alex Rodriguez portions of the book as much. I know that A-Rod was baseball's biggest star but I neither enjoyed his on the field accomplishments (not even as a Texas Ranger) nor his ego. A-Rod is as fake as an athlete/celebrity can be. The A-Rod sections, though extensive, I probably skimmed as much as read.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my type of books-I don't ordinarily read sports books-so these one was a drag. I did take away a few things-all 0f which are depressing (1) Like many sales organizations, folks who are cheating aren't caught until it's too late-and the cheater's "extraordinary" performance makes things more difficult for those who do things by the book, and thus, end up comparatively mediocre. (2) As the book mentioned, the cheaters still ended up being wealthy, with fines being a "steroid tax". (3) To be in the game, high school and college kids had to juice up just to be competitive (4) Living in South Florida (home of corruption), the allowance for the clinic were still embarrassing. The department of health wasn't allowed to shut down the clinic, because of lack of resources. (5) on and on...

If I was into sports/law I might love the book-but I couldn't wait to finish it.

[Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched as is expected from a journalist. If these types of books are meant simply to inform, great. However, if they are meant to bring athletes down, it seldom works. A-Rod, Ryan Braun, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, the list goes on, are still venerated as the best of their generation and some as the best in history. In any event a must read for any baseball fan. Learning of A-Rod's hired posse antics is worth the price.

[Jean-Pierre Dumont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellente recherche et livre fascinant sur le monde du baseball et ses liens avec les laboratoires de produits dopants. Une histoire de sport, de performance, de crime et surtout d’égos surdimensionnés. Excellente lecture, mon seul bémol est que l’auteur s’éparpille un peu au fil des nombreux détails et des multiples histoires qu’il rapporte. Très instructif.

[Chris Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that really illuminates a time in the history of the game. There are no "winners" and both sides of the coin come off with mud on them. A times the cast of characters becomes a little too large, but they are needed to tell the complete story. Enjoyed it very much

[JJ Lehmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scar on the sport I love.

[Dave Cottenie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Blood Sport, I probably will never look at athletes the same. A surging exposé that not only pulled back the curtain on baseball players such as Alex Rodriguez and their use of PEDs, but also the shady characters that surrounded them in everyday life. MLB also isn’t exempt from looking bad with their establishment of an investigative arm with questionable tactics. Brilliantly written and absolutely enticing, Blood Sport is a game changer.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre. Not great access, and not as well or clearly written as it should have been.

[Bill S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARod is but a piece of the story here as the scope of the BioGensis/steroid scandal involved lots of cloak and dagger stuff reaching beyond the obvious parties to include high-profile player agents, college coaches, career criminals, all sorts of low-level hustlers of the Florida tanning salon variety, and some pretty shady private investigators.

No one here, including MLB, comes out smelling all that good in the end but especially not Rodriguez who, like two other mega-talented athletes I read about this year (Pete Rose & Lance Armstrong) all managed to combine their incredible gifts and fierce drive to reach the top of their sports and become complete and utter [Rhymes with Glass Bowls] in the process, all while maintaining the idea that the status of being THEM can trump any problem that comes along, including the self-inflicted ones.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say this book had great potential to be the book to blow the lid off steroid abuse in baseball and it really came up short. Rather than going into great detail on the entire culture abuse of steroids and PED it chose instead to focus on the suppliers of steroids. This is sadly atypical of all of the books to date on PEDs where we still see the athletes who cheated treated like poor gods lead astray by the terrible men who liked and cheated. After the 60 minutes interview I had much higher hopes that this would indict the entire process using A-Rod as the example. Rather it treats A-Rod as a unique player just as other books have done the same to Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. If this is the best we can get on the subject we'll never get to learn much more than what we know.

Don't waste your time!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baseball commissioner Selig, SHADY to say the least. Lots of players walked with not even a mention of their name. No doubt this investigation was solely targeted at Alex. Steroids have been in baseball for years (way before he was born)... And will continue in some way forever (same as other sports). Unsure how people can expect these players NOT to seek and use any ways possible to continue their careers as 160+ games per year. take a toll. Happy to see Selig go this year.... Good riddance!

Go Yankees!! I love #13! Keep playing A-Rod!!!

[Reid Mccormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so I am VERY late to the game in reading this book. But I am a big baseball fan and I was glued to the news when all this stuff broke.

I have read almost every book that has addressed PEDs in Major League Baseball. This is one of my favorites. At times it can get too detailed on back stories, but all in all, it's a riveting book. It's the closest thing baseball will get to a mystery novel.

[John-Michael Pahlavan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your Look Behind the Curtain of MLBs Steroid Era

The draw for me with this book was the behind the scenes look at baseball in the steroid era, past and present. Although at times I wished there was less content on Tony Bosh and more on the MLB, I still wasn't disappointed.

[Ralph · Rating 3 out of 5]

A LOT of detail. Assuming that everything is true (no reason to believe otherwise) regarding the use and abuse of PEDs, steroids, HGH, etc., it makes one questions the veracity of baseball records and, by extention, records and performances in other sports as well.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

We already knew what kind of lowlifes Tony Bosch and Alex Rodrigues are, but who knew the depths MLB was willing to sink to in order to nab A-Fraud. An informative and eye-opening read, if not very well written.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information but nothing new if you followed the case. If you haven't, this is a good intro. The narrative is spotty and there are some editorial issues likely due to a print rush job that capitalized on the zeitgeist. But it's written well enough and easily readable.

[Alan Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

All you want (and care) to know about A-Rod's history with steroids, PEDs and HGH and his alleged supplier. A history of drugs in Major League Baseball. Toward the end, I got bogged down -- maybe too much information.

[Joseph Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just got it today.

[Russ Haeber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless they build a steroid wing in Cooperstown, A-fraud will never be in the Hall of Fame.