By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 17, 2009; 3:51 PM

TAMPA, Feb. 17 -- A contrite and nervous Alex Rodriguez said Tuesday he injected a performance-enhancing drug repeatedly over three years of his career, again calling himself "stupid and naïve" but failing to offer a further explanation for his use of a substance he said he didn't know was a steroid at the time.

Rodriguez said he got the drug, which he referred to as "bolly" or "bolay", from the Dominican Republic with the help of a cousin, who he declined to name. He said he and the cousin took the drug -- which he said was supposed to provide increased energy -- perhaps twice a month for the six months of the baseball seasons from 2001 to 2003.

"We knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs," he said. But he said he and his cousin did not know how the drug should be administered, how often it should be taken or exactly what the benefits were. That, he seemed to acknowledge, provides a contrast with the practices of an elite athlete who is acutely aware of what he puts in his body.

"I was 24, I was 24," he said. "I was pretty naïve. I was pretty young." He also described himself as "curious."

As for whether it was cheating, Rodriguez said, "That's not for me to determine."

Rodriguez's remarks came in a packed tent behind the left field stands at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Nearly the entire Yankees roster attended, including shortstop Derek Jeter, catcher Jorge Posada, pitcher Andy Pettitte and closer Mariano Rivera -- the old-guard of the Yankees -- along the front row of seats. Rodriguez tried to address his teammates in his opening remarks but stopped because he became too emotional.

"I saw tears," said Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, seated at the podium with Rodriguez. "I saw remorse."

Rodriguez's news conference, which came on the day Yankees position players are due in camp, followed by 10 days a Sports Illustrated report that Rodriguez had tested positive for two anabolic steroids -- testosterone and methenolone, which is also known by the brand name Primobolan -- in 2003. Two days later, in an interview with ESPN, Rodriguez admitted he had taken banned substances during his three years with the Texas Rangers -- though he did not specify what he took or where he got it.

"For a week, I have been looking for people to blame," Rodriguez said, "and I keep looking at myself, at the end of the day."

Because of those holes in his admission, Rodriguez's news conference was eagerly anticipated by about 150 reporters and was carried live on both ESPN and the Yankees-owned YES Network. And while Tuesday's media contingent represented the largest throng here in recent memory, the drill was a familiar one for the Yankees, whose spring training has begun with steroid news in four of the past six years.

Gary Sheffield, in 2004, and Jason Giambi the following year dealt with stories that developed out of the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative that has also ensnared track star Marion Jones and slugger Barry Bonds. Pitcher Andy Pettitte faced questions last year about his involvement in the Mitchell Report, Major League Baseball's attempt to ferret out violators during what can now be fairly labeled as the "Steroid Era" of the 1990s and early part of this decade.

"I've been at that podium now a lot of times," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said. "It's not where I want to be."

When Pettitte spoke for an hour last year, the core of Yankee veterans showed up at the news conference to offer support. Rodriguez is a much more divisive figure than Pettitte -- who attempted to explain how and when he used performance-enhancing drugs when he arrived at spring training -- so the show of support Tuesday was striking.

"We're a family," Girardi said. "And you know what? We're going to go through other tough times during the season."

As significant as Pettitte's admission was -- and it served to put the matter largely behind him -- Rodriguez, as perhaps the pre-eminent player of his generation, faces far more scrutiny. He is under contract with the Yankees for nine more years, and he is keenly aware of how he is perceived by the public, a pressure that he said originally led to his use of banned substances. He is also a star outside of baseball, a status reinforced by the latest cover of The New Yorker, which features a cartoon depiction of a bulked-up Rodriguez.

With that in mind, Rodriguez has enlisted an A-list public relations team that involves not only his agent, Scott Boras, but a California firm called Outside Eyes that specializes in crisis management. Richard Rubenstein, the son of noted New York publicist and George Steinbrenner advisor Howard Rubenstein, and talent manager Guy Oseary, who has worked closely with Madonna, are also involved in developing Rodriguez's carefully crafted public message.

The group brought Don Hooton, who founded a foundation aimed at educating children about steroids following the steroid-induced death of his son, Taylor, in 2003. Hooton said his group reached out to Rodriguez a week ago, and the two were working out the parameters of an agreement in which Rodriguez would support the foundation.

"The thing that impressed me was that he thinks he can make a difference on this issue," Hooton said.

Toward the end of his remarks, Rodriguez acknowledged a difficult 15-month period in which he has divorced his wife shortly after the birth of their second child, been photographed with other women in tabloids, been linked romantically to Madonna and now faces questions about his legitimacy and legacy. He emphasized his desire to move forward.

"I miss playing baseball," he said, "and I miss simply being a baseball player."

Cashman, for one, understands that might be difficult.

"This isn't just dieing," he said. "I think the shelf life of this is a lot longer."

Then, Nim-Rod says his best years came with the Mariners and the Yanks. Um, okay. Let's see: A-Cheat averaged 50+ HR/year during his supposed Cheating years with the Rangers. Compare that his average of 35ish dingers in Seattle and somewhere in the very low 40s in NY. Riiiiiight.