I was home sick from work yesterday when I heard about Alex Rodriguez storming out of the MLB hearing on his case, throwing a hissy fit over Bud Selig not having to testify. I then heard about his appearance on Mike's On, Mike Francesa's WFAN sports radio show with the dated theme song. (Mike, it's 2013, not 1986!)
Anyhow, I ended up getting to watch the replay on the YES Network of A-Rod's appearance. (Here's a link to watch the video of it, and here's a link to text with the highlights.) It was pretty compelling radio listening and TV watching, even though I think A-Rod is not telling the truth in a lot of it. (For one thing, I don't believe that he just used Tony Bosch to get weight loss supplements and nutrition!) But here is what I agree with him on:
A-Rod said: "[Selig] hates my guts ... 100 percent this is personal. I think this is about his legacy and it's about my legacy. He's trying to destroy me....He's retiring in 2014 and to put me on his big mantle on the way out, that's a hell of a trophy."
My thoughts: True! And Bud Selig *should* be compelled to testify. Bud is the one who made this personal, getting a second investigative team after Rodriguez, and paying $$$ to get the Biogenesis records. And he was the one who has been badmouthing A-Rod for months. It was, of course, also Selig who decided to give A-Rod a suspension 161 games bigger than anybody else. If they have all their ducks in a row, then why not have Selig talk?
A-Rod said: "If I had one more year at $12 million, would someone throw 211 games at me? Or would someone be this severe at me? I don't think so."
I agree! And I can't help but be a little cynical on this issue, when I see the Bill Maddens of the world suggest that the Mets sign Jhonny Peralta and Nelson Cruz, saying things like "there is one other added advantage in signing Cruz or Peralta. Both of them have demonstrated they know how to beat a drug test." Not to mention Cruz and Peralta (and Marlon Byrd, another PED user) getting such big interest in the free agent market. If steroids are bad, then why aren't teams shunning all of them?
A-Rod also said he was "angry" at the Yankees -- would have loved to have heard more about that, specifically about what Randy Levine said to him in emails about taking PEDs.
Anyhow, if you haven't checked out the interview, please do so. It's great theater!
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