If you head to your local bookstore or library and cared to look, you'd probably find more books about Abraham Lincoln than any other subject. Give it a couple of years, though, and the Yankees of the 2000's may be giving Honest Abe a run for his money. There were a handful of books already, but since 2009 began we've added "The Yankee Years," Selena Roberts' forthcoming tome on Alex Rodriguez and, now, Jeff Pearlman's "The Rocket That Fell to Earth."
There will be so many books that future generations will know what Jorge Posada had for lunch every day from 2002-2007, including his controversial decision to switch his sandwich decision from wheat to rye bread.
As you could guess from the title, it's Roger Clemens' steroid use that gets top billing. The rest of the Yankees don't escape totally unscathed, however. The New York Times reports on a section of the book that features General Manager Brian Cashman encouraging steroid use.
The book said that when Giambi went through a slump in the 2002 season, his first with the Yankees, Cashman was heard yelling at a television in the Yankees’ clubhouse during a game. Citing “one New York player,” the book said that Cashman screamed, “Jason, whatever you were taking in Oakland,” get back on it.
The book said that Cashman then added, “Please!”
Cashman denies that it ever happened, and said that Pearlman never contacted him to get his reaction. Pearlman, while admitting he never fact-checked the account with Cashman, said that the anecdote comes from a former Yankee player in whom he has "100 percent confidence."
It's funny, Pearlman was one of many who excoriated Peter Gammons for lobbing softballs at Alex Rodriguez, presumably because Gammons didn't want to screw with the narrative that he'd planned for the interview. He also drilled A-Rod for not being forthcoming or believable in his answers. Pearlman was right on both fronts, but ignoring Cashman's side of the story isn't something such an experienced reporter does unless he specifically doesn't want Cashman's side of the story in his book. That's not being 100 percet forthcoming, something that's even more necessary when using a confidential source.
It doesn't mean the story is incorrect, and this is a short portion of a book about someone else entirely. We don't need more innuendo, though. Any reasonable person already cocks an eyebrow at everything that's gone on in baseball over the last two decades, and that the players, teams and leagues all have blood on their hands as a result. Anyone who doesn't believe that is never going to believe that, but either way it's time to move the needle.
Sports
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
