Thursday, November 6, 2014

What the media misses in the latest A-Rod shenanigans

Would you take diet advice from Cousin Yuri?
So there was some actual big Alex Rodriguez coming out this week. The Miami Herald revealed that A-Rod played "Let's Make a Deal" with the feds in January, and that he admitted in a statement to doing performance enhancing drugs.

Newsflash -- in the baseball world, drug dealers may be used to out their addicts, but in the real world, those addicts are used to put the dealers behind bars. Obvious statement, but something a certain I-Team has had a hard time grasping.

The two things that fascinated me about Alex's statement were these things:


1) That A-Rod supposedly passed a PED test by using midstream urine. If this is true, then what does that say about MLB's testing system? This seems like a huge loophole to me. Shouldn't people in the media be looking into this? (Personally, I think the reason A-Rod passed is because Tony Bosch was selling him more snake oil than substance, but I still think MLB ought to have looked into this; Bosch himself has claimed the midstream story in the past.)

2) That A-Rod got diet tips from a fat guy. According to the Herald's story:
According to Rodriguez’s statement to DEA agents, in summer 2010 he had gained some weight and was experiencing some “problems” with injuries to his knee. He wanted to lose five to 10 pounds. 
Sucart, a man of considerable girth, told him he himself had lost some weight with the help of a South Florida “doctor.” Sucart said the man — he didn’t name him — could help Rodriguez get into better shape.
“Sucart told Rodriguez that the doctor was a smart guy and a guru,” the DEA reports said. “Rodriguez stated that Sucart was very aggressive and persistent about Rodriguez meeting the doctor.” 

Okay, I know A-Rod is pretty stupid on the way the world works, but this takes the cake.

Why in the world would a professional athlete known for being a fitness fanatic take diet advice from a fat person? Look at the photo from Cousin Yuri's arrest this summer. Not exactly slim and trim. Heck, I'm not exactly slim and trim myself, but I sure wouldn't take diet advice from somebody with Cousin Yuri's physique. Why would A-Rod? Is he really that dumb?

 * * *

Also love the media's handwringing about Alex Rodriguez's latest brouhaha in the news yesterday, as if having him come back to sully the pinstripes is something that must never happen. The Daily News' Mike Lupica sez that the Yankees need to make him an offer to get him to go away. (Um, Mikey, unless that offer has $61 million in it, A-Rod is gonna go all Dreamgirls "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" with the Yanks.)

Bob Nightengale of USA Today claims that nobody wants A-Rod back and whines:"Yet, as much as want to hide from Rodriguez, we can't stop hearing or talking about the man who betrayed anyone who believed in him." Of course. It's called increased page views, baby. And don't tell me that the media doesn't love talking about this -- it beats writing about the rest of this snoozeworthy Yankees team.

And the New York Times' Juliet Macur has a really dumb piece in which she says, "I feel sorry for the Yankees" because of this Miami Herald story revealing that he fessed up on steroids to the feds:
Poor Yankees. This past season, the franchise with enough World Series rings to bejewel a small army failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year. For a team whose fans expect championships on a steady basis, this little drought might as well be 119 years. It’s a solemn time for the Yankees, and they need some peace and quiet to reflect, and to figure out how to win again.
Rodriguez didn’t get that memo. Basically, he has returned playing the cymbals, ready to put on the pinstripes again for a team that needs no part of him or his noise but that now has to deal with a whole new set of drug revelations involving the onetime slugger.
1. Brian Cashman is most likely doing the Snoopy Dance over this story. Why? Because talking about A-Rod means less talk about the poorly constructed team he has run into the ground.

2. Macur doesn't seem to comprehend that this story is based on something Rodriguez did in January, and he had nothing to do with this being leaked. So her dopey cymbals analogy makes zero sense here.

3. Even a severely diminished A-Rod is still better than most of the current Yankees -- his 2013 .771 OPS was a better number than every single Yankee starter last year!

At any rate, I am sure Cashman is glad A-Rod is back clanging those cymbals, distracting everybody in the media who might dare to ask what his actual plan on bringing a championship to the Bronx is. Good grief.


9 comments:

Unknown said...

If you want to continue to call Arod your favorite current Yankee even though he walked into his cousin's and cousin's wife home... threatened them, pulled his dick out and pissed on the floor to "mark his territory".. threatened them again, then turned around and walked out.. I mean, go ahead.

Lisa Swan said...

My current favorite Yankee these days would probably be Dellin Betances or Cc. Not Arod. At any rate, that is a bizarre story mrs cousin Yuri is peddling. Not sure how much is actually true, though.

Unknown said...

That's fine, besides it's a free country embrace whoever you want, thought I remembered you saying Reggie Jackson was your favorite player growing up and Arod is now.

The thing is, at some point we just have to accept that Arod might truly be a bad person. It's one thing to be a good guy who makes a poor choice now and again, I've done that, we all have.. but something about "slum landlord".. "recruiting people to use illegal drugs".. "threatening/bribing people to stay quiet" just crosses the line for me.

After all, didn't Arod say back in 2009 that we should judge him on what he does going forward? Well, he's only behaved worse since then.

Uncle Mike said...

Yes, Brian... but Jeter did a self-aggrandizing "fake commercial."

Squawker Rule Number 1: Always take A-Rod's side.

Squawker Rule Number 2: Stick a pin in Jeter's stuffed shirt.

Squawker Rule Number 3: Jon posts once a month, whether he needs to or not.

Lisa Swan said...

Brian, you raise some fair points. Do I think A-Rod is a jerk? Yeah, I do at this point. But there is, of course, a different level in being a bad person who is a jerk, and a bad person who beats women and children. The biggest victim of A-Rod's jerkitude is himself.

I also don't think Ryan Braun, Melky Cabrera, et al needed a pied piper of PEDs to use. And finally, I can't really have a whole lot of sympathy for Mrs. Cousin Yuri, in a very nice-looking home with a swimming pool (the house that A-Rod built), because they only got a $900K settlement from the man she called the "devil" and not the $5M they demanded.

In summary, Rodriguez is slimy, but so are the people around him.

Lisa Swan said...

Mike, I am not really taking Rodriguez's side here on this as much as pointing out the ridiculousness of the media here.

And finally, as for the guy who wants to boycott American women, IMHO, the type of women who are going to uproot their lives to come to a foreign land and marry an American they do not know are not going to be the submissive type of woman he wants once they get settled here, learn the language, and get their families here. One day, those men who married these women will be in for a rude awakening.

Reggie44 said...

Another great piece Lisa, always pointing out the obvious. Arod has always been his own worst friend but the fact he is so fallible makes him real in spite of trying so hard to be fake. I still find a lot of enjoyment in this character because of it and look forward to seeing him in the pinstripes. The 2014 team led by Sir Derek’s self serving presence was beyond boring.

Chuck said...

Lisa - Don't care about ARod but upset that Andrew Miller signed with the Yankees for $4 million less than what my Astros offered. He said that he wanted to go to a "winner". Sorry but Astros are on more of an upward trajectory than the Yankees. Not worried, we should be able to get David Robinson though. Nice to finally have an owner willing to spend money. Chuck

Chuck said...

Lisa - I still can't believe that Andrew Miller took $4 million less than my Astros offered to sign with the Yankees. He said that he wanted to be with a "winner". Seems to me that the Astros are on more of an upward trajectory than the aged Yankees. Chuck

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