A-Rod and others in new PED report

[Frayed Knot]

The latest rumors have him NOT being suspended while an appeal goes on--and ARod is still denying EVERYTHING so there is almost certain to be an appeal--so he still expects to be in uniform tonight in Chicago no matter what pronouncements come down in the next few hours.
You have to wonder about Rodriguez's mindset as virtually every other player (there's still some question about Nelson Cruz) is apparently going to accept their penalties while Alex fights his to the last drop even though MLB is said to have more on him than on anyone including Braun who willingly took a greater-than-standard penalty for first-timers (which he technically was).

[Edgy MD]

There must be a lot of money riding on him just getting on the roster.

As for the article, it's a solid thesis and it's elegantly crafted, but it reaches for two easily assailable cliches --- the "true Yankee" canard and the "Jeter has never been a jerk" nonsense.

[dgwphotography]

I think his mindset is that his employer's motivation is to attempt to get out of the rest of this contract. I wouldn't be surprised if the MFY's take steps to void the contract once the suspension takes hold.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I mean, the obvious point is that something has always been very wrong with Arod, it's as though he hasn't the vaguest idea as to whats right and what's wrong, or what's appropriate and what isn't.

The MFYs are going to do anything to get out of paying him. Arod will need his money because he's going down way worse than Bonds even.

[Ceetar]

Whatever his mindset, I'm glad someone is standing up to MLB. I wonder why the players union isn't saying much, unless they're mindset is "Hope it blows over and they don't look at anyone else too closely" Seems a bad precedent though, because players are going to continue to seek out advanced treatments from doctors on the cutting edge (And often over that edge) and said doctors may well end up in this same situation.

Like that Toronto doctor with the blood-spinning and had an intern or something smuggling steroids over the border? A-Rod was named (and didn't cooperate) there too right? Is he just a drug-mule or does it really talk to like every doctor?

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I mean, the obvious point is that something has always been very wrong with Arod, it's as though he hasn't the vaguest idea as to whats right and what's wrong, or what's appropriate and what isn't. The MFYs are going to do anything to get out of paying him. Arod will need his money because he's going down way worse than Bonds even.

"Do whatever I can to play baseball as hard and as good as I can. Get paid millions and millions and millions of dollars, even after there are plenty of allusions to PEDs"

Of course, that's been the mindset of roughly every player forever.

[MFS62]

WFAN reporting that the announcement will be made today "at noon, maybe a little later".

Later

[Vic Sage]

when you see a sentence that begins with:

This is not pop psychology to explain a man...

... Run, do not walk, for the exits before you are drowned in a deluge of bullshit.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

For all the abuse Steve Phillips got for not signing the guy, is he vindicated in hindsight? Or would we have been better off with ARod.

Does Vecsey have a list of who constitutes a "True Yankee" and a "Transient Yankee?"

I'm assuming Giambi joins Clemens among the mercenaries. But what about Mike Mussina? What about Reggie? Does hitting three homers in a World Series game automatically anoint, wiping out years of douchbaggery?

[Edgy MD]

The MFYs are going to do anything to get out of paying him. Arod will need his money because he's going down way worse than Bonds even.

That prompts a good question: who rides off into the sunset in more disgrace, Bonds or A-Rod?

Bonds, at least according to the popular narrative, was already and cleanly on his way to becoming one of the top 10-15 players in baseball history, then started juicing out of jealousy after the McGwire/Sosa lovefest of 1998, became one of top five all-time players, but destroyed his credib8ility doing it.

With A-Rod, there's nothing approaching a consensus on when he started or if he was ever clean.

BondsThree sort-of divorces, but one was an annullment, another never really married, and the third was settled out of court. He goes down hobbleed and fat, but with the apparent love of his blood family and Uncle Willie.

A-Rod goes down more or less with his body intact, but his personal life in a shambles. He still gets to have torrid affairs with self-loathing famous chixx, but even they are losing interest in tarnishing what may be left of their names by linking themselves with him. And he may soon by cruising Hooters waitresses with Canseco.

Yeah, he may be landing harder. Oh, and Giants fans supported Bonds through it all. Yankee fans hated A-Rod even when the world didn't have the goods on him. And Bonds wasn't always contrasted against a supposed boy scout of a teammate. He butted up against Jeff Kent, who nobody liked.

So, I think the answer is Lance Armstrong.

[Centerfield]

dgwphotography wrote: Oh please - more of that "Real Yankee" tripe. The A-Rods and the Clemenses - the overpaid mercenaries - are the Real Yankees... Of course, this column left out the fact that his father has tried to negotiate some kind of relationship with him over the years, but ARod has rebuffed it. That would be just an inconvenient truth for the column, I guess.

Yup.

All Yankees are true Yankees. Some of them just happen to be assholes.

I wish someone would write a column about that.

[Ceetar]

I strongly suspect A-Rod, as a mostly full-time DH, has quite a few more home runs left in him. Makes me wonder if part of the push to suspend him for so long is to keep him from hitting 700 and/or eventually taking the record. I'm not sure why protecting Bonds' record really means anything, but A-Rod missing significant time via suspension (or even injury) probably protects 762. Unless they think if they can keep A-Rod from hitting 13 to get to Mays 660 it means something?

[Frayed Knot]

Ceetar wrote: Whatever his mindset, I'm glad someone is standing up to MLB. I wonder why the players union isn't saying much, unless they're mindset is "Hope it blows over and they don't look at anyone else too closely" Seems a bad precedent though, because players are going to continue to seek out advanced treatments from doctors on the cutting edge (And often over that edge) and said doctors may well end up in this same situation. Like that Toronto doctor with the blood-spinning and had an intern or something smuggling steroids over the border? A-Rod was named (and didn't cooperate) there too right? Is he just a drug-mule or does it really talk to like every doctor?

I'm all for guys standing up to MLB in a case like this where the league (or WADA/USADA in other cases) take on the role of judge, jury, and executioner. But the union IS fighting for him - or tried to anyway, they were trying to cut a deal - before ARod and his even changing roster of personal lawyers and advisors continually got in the way.

Also, there's fighting for your rights and then there's delusion. As I said above, when everyone else has apparently seen what MLB has and chose not to fight it (particularly Braun) you have to wonder how he thinks he's going to slip away from the noose here unless the story about them having "tons more" evidence against him in particular is total bullshit. If he thinks he's innocent here and, by fighting it, can wind up with every single penny in that contract, he's apparently the only one.

[Ceetar]

Well, make MLB prove it at least. I think the public at least, deserves to see this "mountains" of evidence. And perhaps they need to prove to someone that it really is evidence and not just an assumption of guilt they already had. He also has less to lose than most (and I suspect he's being targeted with the steepest penalty, maybe he's simply arguing for equality of treatment) in that he's already considered cheating scum by public consciousness. Not like they going to suspend him more if he appeals, and this way he gets on the field this year. That probably means something as well.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

So where's this announcement?

[Edgy MD]

Maybe he'll claim that the Yankees had a sap place his name in the BioGenesis files. Sent somebody down there claiming he's buying for Alex Rodriguez, and then they tipped off authorities themselves.

That would be an awesome position for him to take.

[seawolf17]

Edgy MD wrote: Maybe he'll claim that the Yankees had a sap place his name in the BioGenesis files. Sent somebody down there claiming he's buying for Alex Rodriguez, and then they tipped off authorities themselves. That would be an awesome position for him to take.

That would be the greatest scandal in the history of scandal. Take down the whole organization.

[seawolf17]

Ken Rosenthal reporting that VALDESPIN is suspended for 50 games:

Thought it was Puello. If he mixed them up -- considering that's already been RTed a few hundred times -- then if I'm Valdy's agent, I'm on the horn with a lawyer STAT.

[bmfc1]

Cervelli got suspended? That deserves a fist pump!

[Edgy MD]

seawolf17 wrote: Edgy MD wrote: Maybe he'll claim that the Yankees had a sap place his name in the BioGenesis files. Sent somebody down there claiming he's buying for Alex Rodriguez, and then they tipped off authorities themselves. That would be an awesome position for him to take. That would be the greatest scandal in the history of scandal. Take down the whole organization.

Not that much worse than what they tried to pull on Winfield, I think.

[Edgy MD]

Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Cesar Puello, Fautino De Los Santos, Fernando Martinez, Jordan Norberto, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Antonio Bastardo, Jordany Valdespin, Sergio Escalona.

Where do the American-born guys get their drugs?

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Cesar Puello, Fautino De Los Santos, Fernando Martinez, Jordan Norberto, Nelson Cruz, Jhonny Peralta, Everth Cabrera, Antonio Bastardo, Jordany Valdespin, Sergio Escalona. Where do the American-born guys get their drugs?

Interesting tweet from former Met CJ that kind of gets at where I think you are headed.

CJ Nitkowski @CJNitkowski
Jokes about non-star PED use not working are easy. Fringe players have grappled with the decision the most. The alternative: out of a job.


How many of the Latin players grow up in abject poverty and know that getting to the majors and getting paid the league minimum -- much less a star's contract -- is more money than they've ever dreamed of, and allows them to take care of their families.

I'm not saying I condone it. But I understand the desire to do anything -- anything -- to get that contract.

[Edgy MD]

Certainly. With Braun, it's a question of being a top player vs. merely being a fabulously paid good player. With some of these guys, it's meaningful money vs. cutting sugar cane for a living. The moral calculus is different.

[Guest Mets Guy in Michigan]

Edgy MD wrote: Certainly. With Braun, it's a question of being a top player vs. merely being a fabulously paid good player. With some of these guys, it's meaningful money vs. cutting sugar cane for a living. The moral calculus is different.

Absolutely. I'm far less forgiving on Braun and ARod, and especially of Bonds and Clemens, who already had tickets punched for Cooperstown and more money than they could spend. That's just sheer competitiveness and ego.

But a guy like FMart, who supposedly had a world of talent and couldn't stay healthy enough -- and had tantalizing tastes of the Major Leagues? Again, I can't condone it. But I get it.

[ashie62]

No announcement...maybe he got off...

[metirish]

Ashie62 wrote: No announcement...maybe he got off...

with the way MLB is handling this nothing would surprise me.

[Frayed Knot]

Official announcements at 3 PM
All but ARod have reportedly accepted the 50-game penalty and will begin serving it immediately. (Cruz was making noises about fighting it but apparently will not).

The only real details left to be unveiled it seems are the ones on Sir Alex of Rodrigia

[Centerfield]

Oh, and not for nothing but Jeter has acted like a jerk plenty of times. Including refusing to move from SS when a superior SS joined the team. Say all you want about "Jeter is all about winning." Not true. Jeter is all about winning AND Derek Jeter. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but let's not make him out to be more than he is.

People got on Hanley Ramirez because he grumbled about moving. At least Hanley was willing to make the move.

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: Not true. Jeter is all about winning AND Derek Jeter.

It's attitudes like that that make people take steroids in the first place.

[metirish]

Rodriguez Suspended Through 2014 Season in Doping Inquiry; 12 Others Suspended for 50 Games - NYT

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: Rodriguez Suspended Through 2014 Season in Doping Inquiry - NYT

But that's all pending appeal and there's no way of knowing how long that'll take so, in the meantime, he should be at 3B for the Yanx tonight in Chicago.
The Bronx Zoo is back ladies and gentlemen.