Major League Baseball took what it hopes to be a deciding
step in the war against PED’s handing out suspensions to nine players including
Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Rangers outfielder and Nelson Cruz,
Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta among others.
Every player connected to the Biogenesis report got 50 games with the
exception of repeat offenders (in the public’s mind) Ryan Braun and
Rodgriguez. Braun chose not to appeal
and received a season-long ban.
However the Biogenesis suspension of 211 games was handed
down yesterday to Alex Rodriguez a player who like many, took illegal
substances. His bigger suspension comes
from his attempts to intimidate witnesses, obstruct justice in a diligent
attempt to cover his PED use up. On the
surface a 211 game suspension smells of impunity, that’s the longest time
handed out since Pete Rose got caught betting on baseball. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is trying to do a
lot with this suspension; first he’s trying to erase the steroid era from our
memories by making an example of a really big star. By doing that, he’s trying to atone for
indirectly encouraging the use in the McGwire-Sosa days which resuscitated the
sport. He’s also putting the other major sports (NFL,
NBA) on notice. These sports may start
to look at lot closer at PED’s now that baseball has tried to set this tone.
What about the New York Yankees? They wanted a ban, but not this long. This wipes any hope that he would retire as
anything but a Yankee. Leading up to
this, you got the feeling they were weary of A-Rod. Of course, the suspension
will be appealed by A-Rod putting everyone in an awkward position for
awhile. For now the Yankees will likely
put on the corporate face and probably refrain from making the types of comments
they were back in June, etc. Fact is, Alex Rodriguez is 99% guilty of doing
what he is accused of and the Yankees wish he would go away. But he isn’t going to go away, instead the
circus is coming to town.
But then the Yankees are in a tough position with Alex
Rodriguez he has an untradeable contract, aging with talent, but overall
declining skills. But more importantly he’s
imminently unlikable; he’s comes off as disingenuous, spoiled and honestly kind
of a diva. None of these things are what
being a true Yankee is about, if you had to ask a Yankee fan. But so was Barry Bonds, who was spared the
same type of vitriol since San Francisco isn’t the media market New York
is. Case in point; Alex Rodriguez has
been “hurt” all season, but for some reason can play now that he is
suspended. He wants to show the world he
can still play and the Yankees needing his bat are going to let him until the
legal process runs its course. There’s
some fan sympathy with A-Rod that could grow if he were to bring New York back
out of its offensive doldrums; he’s being made the steroid pariah at a time
when the Yankees have been an afterthought.
The conventional wisdom says The Evil Empire has turned their backs on
him but secretly is probably curious if he can aid them in their quest for a
slipping away division crown.
Then the actual act of hitting a baseball weighs in. Alex Rodriguez could do it better than only a
handful of players before or now. His
numbers are Ruthian, plain and simple.
And when it comes to hitting the Yankees need him right now whether they
want to admit it or not. The Yankees
haven’t had this woeful of an offense in generations; not since the Kevin
Maas-Yanks of 1990 featured an offense this inept. They’re 25th in major league baseball
in runs scored. Their third baseman have
collectively hit (.194 -6-54) and their other signings (Ichiro Suzuki, Vernon
Wells, Kevin Youkilis) have all battled injuries and ineffectiveness.
Alex Rodriguez is better right now than any
of the guys they have playing third (Brent Lillibridge? C’mon).
But when all that factors in it the Yankees brand, or
baseball’s brand is a more important than its most unlikeable, controversial,
overpaid player. As all of us have done
in relationships or jobs gone bad, the MLBl is trying to run from its
past. We omit bad experiences off of our
resumes or LinkedIn profiles, baseball wanted to hand him a lifetime ban. The Yankees probably didn’t want A-Rod
suspended that long, since some in
the organization feel he could still be traded for some semblance of value, and
would gladly eat large amounts of his $105 million contract just to trade him
to someone, anyone.
But that isn’t going to happen. Alex Rodriguez will be made the poster child
of the steroid era, not Bonds or Clemens because they didn’t lie and try to
cover it up to the extent that Alex Rodriguez did, and they weren’t imminently
unlikable for a decade prior to being exposed.
Rodriguez will probably wind up being suspended for some games in 2013,
and probably 60-70 games for 2014. The
Yankees, depending on what happens in the offseason may very well continue
their commitment to small ball and homegrown talent and just cut him. They in effect would be daring any team to
sign MLB’s marked man and like a late-era Terrell Owens or Barry Bonds he will
sit. And wait. And wait some more.
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