I wonder how this bodes for the injectory... err... trajectory of his career. Alex Rodriguez, Biogenesis: A-Rod Suspended Through 2014 - WSJ.com
I'm not a real baseball fan but I'm a casual Red Sox fan. I'm glad these guys got caught because it will help to take the next step to clean up the game. We know that there will always be cheaters and that it's likely that the Chemists will always be trying to stay one step ahead of the testers. I've heard a lot of people say that A-Rod is an asshole and I don't know if that's true but it seems pretty clear that he's a cheater and so I'm glad that he got caught. The Yankees will catch a break on the luxury tax next year and so that's good for them. They will bounce back and be competitive again in the near future. A-Rod will get a long vacation and he'll never even come close to being the player he once was. He'll be a very rich guy whose name will be forever smurfed in baseball history. That's too bad but he brought it on himself.
He hasn't been, anyway. It was honestly a terrible deal the Yankees made to get him. They got so little production from him in the few years where he was still in his prime and for the past two years or so they've had a whole lotta nuthin.
This isn't over by a long shot. First, he has the right to appeal under the CBA. Then, after he loses (and he will), he may try the courts. I'll leave it to the attorneys, but MLB may have some due process issues in this stuff.
Yep, looks like he's gonna go down fighting like Lance Armstrong. I'd have more respect for him if he just owned up to it, but meh I'm not really a baseball fan.
When he appeals, he'll likely be able to finish this season before the final decision is made. Not that any Yankee fan (eg, me) is looking forward to seeing him back on the field. Cashman and Girardi don't seem to like him either, but sunk cost is an axiom rather than a fallacy in MLB economics.
As a Red Sox fan I'd love to see him back on the field. He sucks. Without the peds he's just another player. AAA maybe. We'll see.
I heard on the radio the Yanks current 3rd baseman is at 30th in the league (for 3rd baseman). I'm guessing A-Rod might be a step up from that.
Alex Rodriguez was the best player in baseball for years before any suspected PED use. He came up to the majors and played at age 18. He was the youngest player to 300, 400, 500, and 600 home runs. He was an MVP. He signed the biggest contract ever in baseball (worth more than $340 million in today's dollars). He might be washed up. PED use might be to blame. It's hard to say. But "just another player"? Perhaps now, in his late 30's. We'll see.
It looks like our friend A-Roid is going the Armstrong/Clemens route by very loudly attacking his accusers. It didn't end well for those two. And people actually liked them before their troubles came to light. Alex Rodriguez sues MLB over PED investigation - ESPN New York
Desperate times call for desperate measures. It seems clear that he'll do anything to try to create reasonable doubt and like Clemens, people will smile to his face and curse him behind his back. He was a great player once (maybe there was a time when he was clean and great) but now he's just a liability. I'll be surprised if he takes the field next year.
It is interesting to note that Alex Rodriguez has not failed a drug test since the program was put into operation. The MLB will settle with him out of court. He'll get most of his contract money (tens of millions are on the line here), a 50-game suspension, and he may or may not play after that.
I think it's reasonable to guess that the number of suspended games will be reduced from the current 211. Here's one breakdown of the situation: What Happens If A-Rod's Battle With Baseball Gets Really Ugly And Winds Up In Court? - Forbes My personal guess is that the number will be reduced to 162 which puts ARod out of baseball for the entire next season. Oddly enough, this would favor the Yankees because they don't have to pay him while he's suspended. The money that the team saves puts them under the salary cap limit and so they won't have to pay the luxury tax. Conspiracy theorists (me) love the fact that this opens the door for all sorts of collusion between MLB and the Yankees. Selig gets his big suspension and the Yanks save lots of money. Then we get a situation that is interesting. ARod sits out a year but then still has lots of time (and money) on his contract. Will the Yankees bring him back or will they buy him out. He's not playing that well right now. Certainly not well enough to deserve his contracted salary (stupid, stupid Yankees management - these long term contract always backfire). So how well will he play after sitting out an entire season? Another year older, a lot of accumulated rust and cobwebs. He won't be worth even half of what he's being paid. If they keep him they'll have to play him. Another aging, overpaid, underperforming Yankee. As a Red Sox fan I say, sure, bring him back. It'll be good for a laugh. Since the Yankees didn't make the post season, the appeals process began at the end of the season. Maybe we'll get some leaks in the press. Probably we'll know the decision in (I'm guessing) November.
