Obama on A-Rod: Steroids tarnishing an entire era

Maybe if the reporter was granted a follow-up question he would have asked President Obama if Alex Rodriguez' nickname should be changed to one of the many helpful suggestions that Boston Red Sox fans are offering up, but he only had time for one.

Although the majority of the president's 55-minute Q & A (most of it A) focused on the economy and international affairs last night, he was asked about A-rod's admission to using banned substances.

"I think it's depressing news on top of what has been a flurry of depressing items when it comes to Major League Baseball," Obama said. "If you're a fan of Major League Baseball, I think it tarnishes an entire era to some degree. It's unfortunate because I think there are a lot of ball players who played it straight."

Shortcuts

The president said he hoped the message that children get out of this is that shortcuts don't work.

"When you try to take shortcuts, you may end up tarnishing your entire career," he said.

Sure, but they might also be looking at his 10-year-$275 million contract.

Progress

Regardless, the president said he was "pleased" that Major League Baseball seemed to be finally taking the issue seriously.

And that's probably where he thinks the issue should be addressed if his remarks from last year's campaign still stand.

Appearing on ESPN last October, Obama said, "I gotta admit that seeing a lot of congressional hearings around steroid use is not probably the best use of congressional time."

"We've got nuclear weapons and a financial meltdown to worry about. We shouldn't be worrying about steroids as much as I think sometimes we do," he continued.