The Alex Rodriguez story seems to have run its course. The commissioner has ruled and the arbitrator has ruled, yet Rodriguez continues to fight and search for someone to hear his case and see things his way. While Rodriguez has continued to deny any wrongdoing with performance-enhancing drugs, he has yet to produce one shred of evidence that would sway anyone to think he has told the truth.
A-Rod was Major League Baseball’s Public Enemy No. 1. The way MLB went after Rodriguez was one for the books when it came to spending money, manpower and making deals to get what they wanted. They were going to go to whatever extreme to try and convict him in the court of public opinion, and they succeeded.
Yes, Rodriguez has played his last game in MLB. Any team that thinks of signing him after his deal is done with the Yankees may have to find a new league to play in. Rodriguez is still due $61 million over two more years on this current contract, by the way. Will the Yankees find a legal reason not to pay him?
Rodriguez is not the only cheater in baseball. He just happened to be the one who makes the most money and, like Barry Bonds, he actually thought someone would believe him when he said he didn’t do it. MLB and its players have to get still tougher on PEDs if they want to clean up the game. Longer suspensions and heavier fines would be a start. It certainly warrants a conversation between players and owners that sends a clear message to everyone that they really mean business.
In addition, the recent 60 Minutes report may have put the final nail in the coffin of A-Rod’s public image. They devoted two full segments to the story. How can he recover from that? He cannot. No one believes him – and no one cares, especially since he is a player with diminished skills.
Rodriguez has spent millions on this fight and has little to show for it. Now that he has decided to sue MLB and the Players Association, he is truly on an island. The Players Association, which may have contributed to help his legal battle with the league, will now be fighting him. Once things move to a courtroom, federal authorities will be paying attention to what A-Rod says on the witness stand. Yet, some dirty laundry may be hung out on the line from both sides before the saga ends.
Fantasy camper
Last week I embarked on an experience with no idea what to expect. In the end, it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life short of family moments. The St. Louis Cardinals held a baseball fantasy camp at their spring training site in Jupiter, Florida. The camp featured 28 former Cardinal players and four Hall of Famers. Yes, Lou Brock, Whitey Herzog, Bruce Sutter and the incomparable Ozzie Smith were on the field to watch fantasy campers live the dream.
Each player was attired in their own personalized Major League uniform as they went through the paces of a big league camp. One station featured Herzog and former Cardinal pitchers John Tudor and Al Hrabosky. Another featured Brock and current Cardinal hitting coach John Mabry. Station number three was all about defense as the Wizard was there to show you how to make the plays on the infield (without the back flip) while outfield duties were handled by one of the best of his era, Larry Walker.
If you ever wondered what it was like to talk about how relief pitchers come in and save games, maybe the 1,479 saves combined between Sutter, Jason Isringhausen and Lee Smith would suffice.
Each of these sessions lasted for at least 20 minutes, during which you could ask about anything related to the game. To cap off the week, Cardinal General Manager John Mozaliek came in to speak at the awards dinner about how the Redbirds have arrived where they are today and the team’s future.
Then there were the games. While none of us are as good as we thought we used to be, playing against these legends was easy. You knew you were going to lose even with Lou Brock as your manager. The hard part was playing the other teams that were supposed to be evenly matched. That was the case until parts of the human body stepped in and wanted to be heard. Barking came from hamstrings, shoulders, backs, legs and ankles.
Even eyesight was a challenge. One camper said to me after reaching first base that he did not realize that baseball had changed the rules. After inquiring what rules, he responded “I think they moved second base further away from first base this year. It looks like it is farther away.” I just told him they were experimenting with the rule and he could stop running whenever he thought it was too far.
Moments like these were special and memorable, as some participants had their own personal battles with health and this was one time they could live a true fantasy. The aches will subside soon, and the swelling will go away before we know it. The memories of how those things came about will be with us forever.
