Welcome to my 27th post about steroid and PED use in Major League Baseball. To be honest, I thought that number would have been higher as all we ever talk about these days is what athletes do off the field rather than what they do on it. Such is the state of sports in our time.
The life and times of Alex Rodriguez is one such story.
Baseball’s quest to bury the fourteen time all-star is one of those long-running soap operas with characters that just won’t die. Bud. A-Rod. Bosch. It’s the tale we can’t turn our heads from until we have any sort of closure. But will that closure ever come?
In the latest episode of As The Baseball Turns, the spurned accuser and PED-user stormed out of a grievance hearing that Commissioner Bud Selig failed to attend. Cue the dramatic music. Before leaving the room, A-Rod did his best Nikita Kruschev by banging on a table and shouting profanities at his accusers. All he needed was to cleat the podium.
Shortly thereafter, he went on every soap box in America that would have him and criticized the entire witch hunt and those who are holding it:
I have sat through 10 days of testimony by felons and liars, sitting quietly through every minute, trying to respect the league and the process. This morning, after Bud Selig refused to come in and testify about his rationale for the unprecedented and totally baseless punishment he hit me with, the arbitrator selected by MLB and the Players Association refused to order Selig to come in and face me. The absurdity and injustice just became too much. I walked out and will not participate any further in this farce.
Where’s Vince McMahon when we need him?
If Major League Baseball has its way, Alex Rodriguez will be suspended for 211 games, essentially ending his career. Rodriguez is 38 years old. A suspension that long would mean he’d likely never play again.
A-Rod has very few fans left. Despite his hysterics, however, A-Rod still has a point. Think about it. Only Bud Selig’s ineptitude could make us sympathize with one of the world’s most despised athletes.
A-Rod has boldly denied any wrongdoing this time around. The problem is that A-Rod lacks any sort of credibility. The pinstriper who cried wolf has no leg to stand on. In a recent ESPN poll, 90% of baseball fans don’t believe that A-Rod has been clean since 2003. However, we don’t care for Selig much either. In a different poll, 75% of fans believe Selig should be forced to testify in the proceedings. As you can see, we don’t like or trust either of these guys. I’m not even sure we care about the truth anymore as we’re resolved to the fact that we’re never going to get it. We just want to stop talking about it.
And so, Baseball’s hypocrisy continues. What ever happened to their claim of having the toughest drug policy in all of professional sports or to the 50-game suspension for the first violation, 100 games for the second and lifetime ban for the third? Where does a 211-game suspension fit into that spectrum? I’m very confused. I need a syringe and an abacus to figure this all out.
The A-Rod appeal promises to get uglier before it gets better which is astonishing considering how ugly it already is. There will be no happy ending. Either A-Rod is found guilty and suspended for the full 211 games which means he lied to us once again OR both parties meet halfway and A-Rod serves only part of the suspension which also means he lied but baseball conceded OR A-Rod doesn’t serve any of the suspension which means Major League Baseball either lied because they wanted A-Rod gone for good or they were inept and bungled the investigation altogether.
Either way, we’re still talking about it and will every time A-Rod steps to the plate, assuming of course, he’s ever allowed to do so again.
One of these days, both A-Rod and Selig will both go away. Unfortunately we can’t fast forward our calendars to make that happen soon enough.
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I like the term “jettison” when it comes to Alex Rodriguez… Just jettison his ass out of baseball, off the stage and out of our lives…
It’s like these guys are so worried about being the best and not allowing nature to run it’s course that they resort to illegal or unethical miracle drugs to stay on top and then when they get caught they use their accumulated wealth to fight the accusers to the bitter end.
It’s all over A-Hole…
It’s interesting that none other than the master juicer himself, Barry Bonds, has made himself available to the media at the height of the Aroid saga. “I never retired” said BB…bwahahaha. Can a book be far behind? I saw Aroid take a ph turn in August at da Trop, so I’m good. Too many positive stories in MLB to concern myself with this one. Live long and prosper Aroid, now stfu.
Isn’t there a Dr. Suess book about thes guys called Douchebag 1 and Douchebag 2 yet?
Well, he may be 38 but all those PEDs make him the equivalent of 28, so he’ll be back, 211 games later or not
The sooner A Rod and Bud Selig disappear from the scene , the better off the game ought to be . Well , here’s hoping anyway !
Here’s the thing, Dwin.
Despite the fact that A-Rod has lied to us in the past, don’t you think he still has a point?
It’s not like Selig is any damn better.
He’s hosted personalized witch hunts against several key players (Bonds, Clemens) instead of going over the entire sport, and those who violated its rules, with a thorough fine tooth comb.
Why? To try to convince us he’s taking a stand?
I’m not defending A-Rod. I’m just looking for a logical explanation as to why they came up with that 211-game suspension and why no one else on Bosch’s list is receiving the same type of penalty.
Yaz…
I think we’re all ready for them to shut the fuck up.
But I do think we also want a little consistency from those who are supposed to be enforcing the rules.
I’m pretty sure we’re not getting that.
Bleed…
No there’s not but that’s a pretty damn good idea.
Let me know if you’re down for a collaboration.
Billy B…
So you’re saying that you, el Jefe and I should have been juicing all these years?
Let me know if you have a hook-up or is it too late to start?
And I’m not sure if you saw A-Rod round the bases this season but it looks like he’s due for another injection.
Al…
How long have we been talking about this now and how long until both our wishes come into fruition?
Chris
February 2014 is the time, when both Bud Selig and David Stern will step down from their respective positions . Is that soon enough for you ? My issue remains however , who would the fans want to see succeed Selig ? A carbon copy of Bud Selig , such as Rob Manfred or someone most respect , Joe Torre , currently a senior VP within the league hierarchy ?
Stern will be succeeded by his deputy , Adam Silver , as he was ‘rubber-stamped’oi as the heir-apparent with the NBA Board of Governors’ approval .
If I’m A Rod’s lawyer ( Joe Tacopina & David Cornwell) I’d bail and simply take the upfront fee already paid to me ! The player was an idiot with his actions not only of walking out of the proceeding, but to disparage both, Selig and the arbitrator Frederic Horowitz ,in such a derogatory manner , was asinine . Had that been a criminal proceeding , he (Rodriguez) i would have been found in ‘contempt of court’ and jailed for his actions . Alex Rodriguez has now put his case in complete jeopardy , without a doubt .
tophatal ………….
Dropped this piece . Let me know what you think ?
You don’t want to be the guy who replaces a legend , you want to be the guy comes in after the legend’s successor is said to have failed miserably
Hitting the concert scene this weekend in your neck of the woods to see Rick Ross perform with a live band . Already checked out Wale`. And with Yeezus coming up , it’s time to be content with life in general .
tophatal ………………
Al…
Stern is leaving his game in good shape. He doesn’t have nearly the issues that baseball and football have at the moment. Have they even named Selig’s successor? The sport, while drawing, could still use a change.
And I’m not convinced A-Rod doesn’t get off scott free on all this. Does Major League Baseball have rock solid evidence against him? They better.
Bringing Selig in to answer for his transgressions is right up there with the cow flying over the moon… You’re not gonna see it… Yes he contributed BIG TIME to the problem and yes he’s meted out punishments in unfair doses but you’re not gonna see him answer for his handy work… BTW, don’t you think Bud’s ownership buddies are just as culpable as their hand picked commissioner? So now the word is A-Rod’s team will attempt to move from a simple hearing to a full blown court case… http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/10007469/alex-rodriguez-rips-bud-selig-denies-using-biogenesis-supplied-peds
Here’s the Dwin…
Is that going to change with the next commish? Won’t the new guy be in their back pocket as well.
You and I are on the same page. It’s time for some accountability. I just don’t think we’re going to get it
Like Kruschev promised to bury America, so are A-Rod and Selig’s vain attempts at self preservation a threat to bury Baseball. It won’t happen of course, because the game will survive even those two miscreants.
That’s right bitches, I’m baaaaack!
The league’s case against the Alex Rodriguez ayer was in jeopardy the moment it was noted that they (MLB hierarchy) paid Biogenesis for some of the the evidence used to suspend a number of the players this past season . My take on it all , when there was even more evidence against A Rod and the allegations with Orlando medical professional Anthony Galea . Selig and the hierarchy chose to not a damn thing . Galea is now serving eight to ten in a federal facility and the MLB hierarchy remain as clueless and as weak as ever .
The player’s case has been weakened by his actions , in walking out of the proceedings and disparaging both Fred Horowitz (arbitrator) and Bud Selig . His comments should have been kept to himself, rather than now being part of this idiotic spectacle .
Your take on Stern leaving the NBA in a better position is not as great as you think . A number of teams are still struggling financially . Note back in 2010 , the league bailed out 21 teams to the tune of $550 million collectively and over the past decade and a half the league itself has borrowed in excess of $1.6 billion from various financial institutions for so called upgrades of their venues . Yet the NBA like the NFL has their own in-house financial package to aid teams in such cases . So tell me how other than growing revenues is it that the NBA is said to be healthier ? Is it by way of brand or quality of the basketball being played at present ? The only real positive has been the growth of the game globally .
tophatal …………..
Chris
So after Pacquiao’s win over Brandon Rios . The talk is that Manny now wants to face Maywather .
Manny Pacquiao’s first win in over two years against a fighter who on his best days , couldn’t lace up your sneaker laces , much anyone that of a professional athlete of any kind . Bob Arum and De La Hoya will look for any way to continually ruin a once proud sport .
The NY Post headline says it all. We all just want A-Rod to go. He was the guy that got away with being able to play late in the season… while the other guys busted took their suspensions on the chin. This guy thinks he’s above the law and I’m so sick of everything that he is about. Go away, A-Roid.
Where the hell ya’ been, Aer.
I was starting to get worried.
Or wait, were you just polishing up your resume for the next commissioner of baseball?
You have my vote.
Al…
How much longer do you think it will take before we have any sort of resolution on this A-Rod case?
And all I meant about the NBA being in better shape than the other two leagues is that interest seems at an all time high, or at least as high as it was in the Jordan years.
The NFL has some serious issues with concussions, CTE and how to make the game safer and baseball is still mired in a PED crisis it can’t seem to shake.
While some NBA franchises are losing money, I don’t hear too many of their millionaire owners crying foul nor do I hear of any fans feeling sorry for them.
Oh, and Al, what were the PPV sales on the Pacquiao fight and how do they compare to his last few?
KP…
I want him to go away too but I also want to see whether Major League Baseball can put together a solid enough case to warrant that suspension.
We’re all still waiting for them to do that.
True, REV. The guy has managed to find a way to get away with it for years, all the while, being a huge – and rich – baby. Storming out on the hearing, too? He’s just someone I wish the media would not bother covering… if we could just pay them all to just stop. Period.
Ya know what though, man?
I’m over the whole A-Rod hating thing. In fact, I think the guy is bearing the brunt of the whole steroid scandal unnecessarily.
Braun came out and apologized today and will eventually start to win fans back. Maybe.
A-Rod probably won’t.
I’m actually hoping he’s telling the truth this go-round and baseball pays the price, exposed for its seemingly partial witch hunt to get A-Rod out of the game for good.