In Class Free-Write: My Primary Sources

My three primary source all fit together by way of how they pertain to Alex Rodriguez and the big mess that he has gotten himself into. Thinking a little more critically about this, they are all arguments as to why Rodriguez would use steroids or what he has done to his image now that he is a known steroid user. I think that many people would say that these three articles all make an argument for why a player with this kind of talent would do something to this magnitude. All three of these article also look at when and where he used steroids and why he might have felt the need to use performance-enhancing drugs.

These three sources are different because they all look at different aspects of Rodriguez' steroid use. The first two primarily look at what drove Rodriguez to use steroids while the third looks at the people and players around him that possibly made him want to try and continually use steroids. The first article is by far the most benefical source that I have obtained for my second essay in this class. This article stands above the latter two sources because it goes more in-depth, looking at the ins and outs of steroids and how Rodriguez handled the steroid allegations. The first article is different from the other two because it was published in a Sports Illustrated by authors and writers who are very skilled in the field of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

The warrents or unspoken values and assumptions of these three sources are: Rodriguez knowingly used steroids to gain an edge, Rodriguez was pressured into using these drugs, and that Rodriguez only used steroids while he was in Texas. I believe that all three of these warrents can really help me in my paper. I think that each of these warrents can create great arguments. The first warrent is one the would most likely seem very obvious to outsiders. I believe that there is more to this warrent. After reading and researching many articles, it is a valid arguement that Rodriguez did not know what he was putting in his body. Some people honestly believe Rodriguez when he said that he was simply too young to know better.

These three articles definitely show the basic model for arguments in America. All three of these articles make a point and attempt to prove it. These articles also attempt to disprove someone or a group of people. After reading and analyzing these three articles I now have a pretty good idea as to what the state of argument is in the United States. I now think that most arguments in the US are made through using evidence and primary examples to prove or disprove point. In the US, it is evident to me now that arguments have two or more than two sides. I now realize that a good argument is not only one-sided. In attempting to prove or disprove, I now think that a rebuttal is a great way to make an argument.

Unit 2 Proposal

For my Unit 2 proposal I am going to research and write about the Steroid Era in baseball. This is something that has always interested me because I come from a family who loves baseball and  Instead of looking at a just the Steroid Era as a whole, I am going to look at a few players and how they tie into the Steroid Era and how they tie into the records of baseball. For example, when exactly Barry Bonds began using steroid and how many home runs he hit during the time of his use. This raises a good question, what would his statistics looked like if he had never used steroids. Other players that I am going to research because they caused so much controversy are Roger Clemens and Miguel Tejada. Clemens reported lied to Congress about his steroid use and Tejada has already been indicted for lying to Congress about his use. I may also take a look at the Alex Rodriguez case but I believe that Rodriguez may not be a good topic of research because his use has surfaced so recently. The fact that his use has surfaced so recently leads me to believe that  there will be some sources that act whimsically in making judgments rather than gathering facts and statistics and writing reports with clear, thought-out research. I believe that researching this topic will be interesting because of how big the issue of steroids has gotten in baseball. I will look in baseball magazine, Sports Illustrated, and the Mitchell Report. This Mitchell Report is a paper written by a man named George Mitchell who has followed the issue of steroids since it first surfaced. In his paper he writes about specific players and their use of steroids. I believe that I will find a ton of great information in this paper because of how in-depth it goes. I am really looking forward to this because I am a baseball fan and would love to know the ins and outs of the Steroid Era in baseball.

3/3/09: Free Write

My main concern with this unit 2 topic is I do not understand the basis of a rhetorical analysis well enough to write an essay. This afternoon I am going to really crack down on what a rhetorical analysis is and then choose an essay topic. I think that I am going to choose something that has the do with a big issue in sports. Maybe I think choose the steroid era in sports or the boating accident that occured off of the coast of Florida with the two NFL players. I just need to get to a point where I fully understand this topic before I can actually begin to make a decision.

One thing that is not making me happy these days is my apartment and its management. There is early morning construction, cold water in the morning, and no cell phone service in my apartment. I can not wait until the end of school so I can move into the house that I am renting next semester. Not only does my apartment have all of these problems, it is over-priced and the management acts like it is not their position to help me out. At the going rate of this place, I should have a servant in my room.

You can not begin to think of how excited I am for spring break, I have been waiting on going on this fishing trip for months now. My dad and four other of his friends are heading down to Del Rio, Texas to go bass fishing at Lake Amistad. I love this area, it isn't exactly pretty but it is always fun.