It's the new A-Rod! Again! This Arodologist looks at what was the biggest key to changing his image

A-Rod today at spring training.

I check Facebook's "On This Day" each morning to see what' I was doing on previous dates in Facebook. A year ago this week, especially today, I was writing about how the New York sports media was going nuts over Alex Rodriguez. Back then, pretty much every single question in spring training was about A-Rod, after he missed a season due to PED use.

What a difference a year makes. A-Rod is *a* story, but he's not *the* story. And when stories are about him, they are mostly positive, about how he is a beloved teammate, good player, fan favorite, talented broadcaster, and good businessman.

Case in point #1: Bob Nightengale's profile of him this week in USA Today, which might have been the most positive story ever written about Rodriguez.

Case in point #2: This headline in a New York Daily News story about how A-Rod should give some advice on handling the media: "Yankees' Alex Rodriguez can help Lonn Trost, Aroldis Chapman deal with media crises." Wait, what?

As an Arodologist who wrote about "The Redemption of A-Rod" for the Washington Post last June, even I am surprised at how complete his image has changed over the past year.

So what has made the difference? I have a number of theories as to why this has happened: He had a great season, he showed his love for the game with his excellent broadcasting, he got better advisors, he stopped saying dumb things, etc.

But here are the most important things he has going for him these days: groupthink, peer pressure, and Derek Jeter's retirement. Let me explain.

I always have said that there were a certain number of fans who loved Rodriguez no matter what, or hated him no matter what. And what really moves the needle are the ones in the middle. For a long time, it was cool to hate A-Rod. Now, that is no longer the case. The perception is that he did his time, has matured into an elder statemen, and is arguably the most important player on the team. Without him, they wouldn't have made the playoffs. Sure, there are still Yankee fans who can't stand him, but most like him now, and he has gotten the biggest cheers of anybody this spring. The groupthink and peer pressure (it's no longer cool to despise him) are finally working in his favor.

That also goes with the media. Granted, so many problems of A-Rod's were self-inflicted, but at the same time, too many people in the press made mountains out of molehills when it came to him. There seemed to be an unseemly piling on over the silliest of things. Now, most reporters have realized that he (shocker) is actually a great person to talk baseball with, and they pick his brains now for strategy. And they seem to have collectively gotten away from the snickering amongst themselves about him that they used to do. Now they're falling over themselves to write positive stories. Even this Arodologist couldn't have predicted that!

The other thing that is helping A-Rod out is Jeter's retirement. No longer do fans have to feel somehow disloyal to Jeter by liking Rodriguez. No longer do reporters try to curry favor with Jeter by slamming A-Rod. In addition, Alex had always talked to players behind the scenes and helped the younger players (fun fact: he has bought several sets of suits for each rookie since he joined the team), but now that Jeter is gone, he can be more of an open team leader and elder statesman. Now he's the veteran who contacts new players to welcome them to the team. Who'da thunk it?

Shocker! It's an A-Bomb, and another A-Bomb, and another A-Bomb from A-Rod!

A-Rod smirks after his first homer last night.

I was home last night working on a writing project, but I didn't get all that much done. That is because the Yankee game, which looked like a blowout loss for much of it, turned out to be arguably the best win of the year.

Although CC Sabathia had another step back, putting the Yanks in a 5-0 hole, Alex Rodriguez carried the Yankees on his back by hitting three homers, the last one to tie the game in the ninth. Then John Ryan Murphy improbably hit the game-winning homer.

This was my reaction at home while watching all of this unfold:






And none of the three homers Alex hit were cheap home runs; the first one even went into the third deck of Target Field.

Squawker Jon had just finished crowing to me about what a great game the Mets were having last night, with Matt Harvey pitching well, Michael Conforto going 4 for 4, and the Mets having the most runs and hits they had had this season, beating the Dodgers 15-2. And then it looked like A-Rod's third homer -- and the Yankee win -- would steal the back page from the Mets. Snicker.

However, Jon got the last laugh. the New York Daily News treated the Mets' game as bigger than the Yankees' win, featuring the Mets on the front and back pages, while the Yankees' win was only mentioned at the top of the back page. The New York Post also kept the Mets on the back page, although they did put A-Rod on the front page. Oh, and both tabloids used the phrase "Trey-Rod"!

Now to the elephant in the room. Is Alex juicing again? I don't think he is, but I can't say for sure. And I think it is understandable for people to speculate -- that's part of the price you pay for getting caught twice doing performance-enhancing drugs.

What I do know is that this is so much fun to watch. Can you imagine if A-Rod can somehow lead the Yankees to No. 28? Wouldn't that be amazing?

ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand had a very good piece last night on Rodriguez's resurgence. He also touched the third rail of Yankee coverage, actually criticizing Derek Jeter. Check this out (emphasis added):

One truth that can't be denied is that A-Rod is a leader on the club. He is different than his all-time frenemy Derek Jeter. Rodriguez is vocal. He goes out of his way to be involved. He is very willing to laugh at himself.

"He's a teacher," Girardi said. "He brings people together because he teaches, but he also likes to have fun. I have said a lot of times, people around him are laughing a lot. It is important during a long season."

It amuses me to no end to see that, after the past decade of building up Derek Jeter as this awesome captain and great clubhouse leader, to see somebody in the media write something negative about Jeter like this. And to praise Rodriguez as a leader, too. 

We fans have been fed the myth of A-Rod=Bad, Jeter=Good. But the truth is more complicated than that binary look at things. And now that Jeter is retired, we are finally getting a more realistic look at him -- and a less one-sided negative view of Rodriguez.

Reclaiming Mets milestones

Last night, when the Yankees actually acknowledged an Alex Rodriguez milestone (and didn't even edit it out in the YES rebroadcast!), I couldn't help but think of the sad fate of most recent Mets milestones.  Jose Reyes winning the only batting title in Mets history is remembered for how he left the final game in the first inning.  Johan Santana pitching the long-awaited first Mets' no-hitter can't be mentioned without noting how it basically ended Santana's career. Met fans don't have much to celebrate, so it's time for us to reclaim our milestones. 

Sure, Reyes was no Ted Williams, who famously played a doubleheader on the final day of the 1941 season when he could have sat out and seen his .3996 batting average rounded up to .400. But remembering Reyes as a villain also makes the failure to re-sign him more palatable. Why should the Mets pay top dollar for an oft-injured, me-first player?

Here's why - with a real shortstop and leadoff hitter, the Mets would have a much stronger shot at the postseason. Think the Mets couldn't use the leadoff hitter for the team that's leading MLB in runs by a wide margin? Yes, Reyes has missed a lot of time this season as is often the case with him, but Toronto is 25-14 in games he's started and 12-18 when he has not played.

Last night, Wilmer Flores made yet another mistake at shortstop, taking so long to look the runner back at third that he failed to get the runner at first. Flores' bat may belong somewhere in the lineup,  but does anyone besides Sandy Alderson see him as the longterm shortstop on a winning team built on pitching?

After Flores' miscue, Terry Collins pulled Jacob deGrom, though he was pitching a shutout and had thrown just 97 pitches. Sean Gilmartin allowed both runners to score on a double that gave the Braves a 2-1 win and deGrom an undeserved loss.

Collins still regrets allowing Santana to throw 134 pitches during his no-hitter, but even though he's only won three games since, Santana is glad to have his no-hitter and says that Collins has nothing to feel bad about:

"You can't say it was the right decision or the wrong decision," he added. "Because you don't know. No doctor ever told me, 'Oh, if you didn't throw so many pitches in this game or that game, your shoulder would not have been hurt again.'"

If Santana can enjoy his no-hitter without regrets, I want to be able to as well.

Sometimes the Mets go too far when celebrating a milestone. Squawker Lisa and I were at Citi Field when Mariano Rivera got his 500th save in 2009, but I was too irritated by Francisco Rodriguez walking Mariano with the bases loaded to even mention the achievement in my blog entry.  At the end of the season, the Mets sent Mariano the pitching rubber from that game along with a congratulatory letter from Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon.

As long as the Mets engage in shameless Yankee honoring, I hope they honor A-Rod's milestones, especially the ones the Yankees skip over,  when the Yankees come to Citi Field in September.

It's interesting how A-Rod's homer milestones stopped being valuable when the Yankees decided that was the case. Steiner Sports is selling a framed autographed photo of A-Rod hitting number 600 for $554.99.

By comparison, if you want a framed photo of Bucky Dent's famed 1978 homer signed by both Dent and pitcher Mike Torrez, that will cost $169.99.

On seeing A-Rod's 3000th hit live, and how it ties in to "The Godfather," running, and my Washington Post column

For once, I took a semi-decent photo!

Today was a great day for me for a variety of reasons. My Washington Post piece on A-Rod was published (and I got really touching notes from friends, relatives, and bosses praising it!), and best-selling business writer Jon Acuff tweeted out to his 257k+ followers something I wrote! And it was capped by me being present for #AROD3K! Yay!



I wrote earlier today that I thought Alex Rodriguez was going to get his 3000th hit tonight. I said: "Alex will have to reach 3000 since I will be in the house, won't he?"And whaddaya know? He did it!



What a game! When A-Rod hit the shot off Justin Verlander, somebody he has had very good success off in the past, the ball just kept on rising and rising and then it was a home run. I am not ashamed to admit that I squealed like a little girl! And then I cried! It was such a joyous moment. I would like to thank Alex read my Washington Post op-ed piece on "The Redemption of A-Rod" and was inspired! (Hey, you never know!)



I just watched the YES Network replay. What I wasn't able to see from the cheap seat I was in is how happy Rodriguez looks. He was actually giggling when he got up to the plate. I don't remember him ever being that relaxed and that confident. As somebody who wears her heart on her sleeve -- you can literally know what kind of mood I am by looking at me, no matter how much I may attempt to hide it --I appreciate that. And when you are in the kind of mood Alex was in tonight, nobody is going to stop you! I also noticed how much his teammates respect and genuinely like him.



Now, before you stop me and say "steroids," I will say this -- I cannot get bent out of shape on the issue anymore. Not when Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony LaRussa are in the Hall of Fame when they managed PED-using players. Not when Mark McGwire and Manny Ramirez are hitting coaches. Not when Bartolo Colon and Nelson Cruz and Ryan Braun are top players. Not when Andy Pettitte is getting honored in Monument Park.  Etc, etc



And when I hear people say, regarding Rodriguez and PEDs, "Well, such and such was clean," I can't help but think of this "Godfather" scene. Clip and transcript below:









MICHAEL: My father’s no different from any other powerful man. Any man who’s responsible for other people. Like a senator or president.



KAY: You know how naïve you sound? Senators and presidents don’t have men killed. 




MICHAEL: Oh. Who’s being naïve, Kay?




I think I'm going to start saying that when it comes to PEDs -- who's being naive! So, does this make me Michael Corleone? I do say I love the way he rocks that hat!



Anyhow, my article for the Washington Post talks about role models. The way Rodriguez has crawled back out of the hole he dug for himself is really inspiring. I don't get why people want perfection our of role models. For example, somebody in my running club told me about a fellow member who had lost 90 pounds and was now making great times. I don't think it is a coincidence that when I finally met this person and talked to him, I had my best time ever! His story -- and his advice -- resonated with me in a way for my own fitness journey that hearing about a runner who never had a weight problem might not have.

A-Rod hits #666 and gets 2000th RBI! Now, when will he hit #3000 (and get his $6M)?

Photo courtesy of cbssports.com

So Alex Rodriguez hit a slew of milestones Saturday. In a subject of great interest to me, A-Rod got home run #666 (yet the world is still turning!), his 2000th RBI, and his 2995th hit. The Yankees even mentioned his feats on their Twitter account!

Now Alex is just five away from his 3000th hit. I had originally thought last week that he would hit it this Wednesday, but I didn't factor in that the Yankees would be playing in Miami, a National League city, on Monday and Tuesday, and that A-Rod would not start both days. Given that, I think it is more likely that he will reach the milestone Friday night, or maybe even Saturday, which is Old Timers' Day!

At any rate, since the Yankees start an eight-game homestand on Wednesday, the important thing is that Alex is extremely likely, short of the slump from hell, to hit #3000 at home. How perfectly delicious! How much are the Yankees going to hate to have to commemorate that, even if there is no milestone money involved!?

Speaking of which, remember how the New York Daily News, house organ for the Yankee brass, insisted for months that the Yankees would win this milestone money battle, and how the contract's language said that the Yanks didn't have to pay anything? Well, whaddaya know? Now these same Yankee brass, through Daily News columnist Bill Madden, their house stenographer, have leaked the news that the Yanks want to settle this contract dispute with A-Rod by paying the money to charity. The 45-day milestone A-Rod has to file a grievance on this is today, although word on the street is that this deadline can be pushed back. Here's what Madden writes:

While the Yankees remain confident in their position that A-Rod’s admission to using steroids and his subsequent year-long suspension from baseball has made him and his accomplishments unmarketable, they suggested to the MLB Players Association months ago that the dispute possibly could be settled by the Yankees making a donation — less than the $6 million — to a charity of Rodriguez’s choice.

Wait, what? Why would the Yankees need to do this, if the contract was in their favor? Instead of addressing that subject, Madden answers that question this way:

It is believed the only reason the Yankees made any suggestion to settle with a charity donation was because of the enormous cost of litigating the case — which would entail bringing in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the testimony A-Rod gave them in the Biogenesis case, along with the many witnesses in that case.

Regardless, if it’s war he wants with them again, the Yankees are said to be confident they will win it and prepared to spend whatever it takes to make their case.

This is just ridiculous. When are Madden (and the Yankees) going to admit that Alex is the team's most popular player now? And how would revealing confidential testimony make the argument that A-Rod is not marketable? That is a strange argument, and is really more Yankee bluster, meant to make the team look like they have a case here, when they don't.

Madden brings up that ticket sales and ratings are down. But how much further would they be down if it weren't for Alex? 

It seems to me that A-Rod's team could do things like tracking t-shirt sales, All-Star votes, players' popularity on social media and message boards, and media ink to show that he is indeed popular -- and marketable. They could even have t-shirt creator Bald Vinny as a witness to talk about how many pro-Alex shirts he sells!

Speaking of which, I talk in a recent Sully Baseball podcast about how the A-Rod haters have mostly gone away this year. (We both agree that Derek Jeter no longer being on the team has something to do with it!)

For his part, A-Rod is refusing to fight this in public, saying:

"I'm not going into that now," he said. "All that stuff is family business and will be handled privately."

He also said, regarding the subject of the milestone money going to charity:

"If you guys are interested in my charities, I'll be at the Boys & Girls Club on Tuesday," he said. "That's a great organization and we welcome all you guys to come out."

I of course hope A-Rod wins his milestone case. Get your popcorn ready!

How best-selling author Jon Acuff's new book explains A-Rod's career "Do Over"

Alex Rodriguez's career renaissance has been nothing short of remarkable. He has 11 homers, 28 RBI, and a slash line of .280/.386/.522 for 2015 -- all great numbers that I don't think any of us, including this Arodologist, saw coming. Now A-Rod is closing in on 3000 hits. Heck, even the "nothing is a milestone" Yankees are now openly promoting his All-Star Game candidacy!

This graphic was in an email the Yankees are sending out.
What, Stephen Drew is not #ASGWorthy anymor

I think I have a way of explaining it, though. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing New York Times best-selling author Jon Acuff about Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck.

Acuff is who I want to be when I grow up. After 16 years in the business work world, he is living the dream as a full-time author. He writes career books that offer practical, real-life advice in a humorous and compelling way. Acuff is also a really nice guy, too. Click here to read my interview with him for Guideposts.org. I loved talking to him!

Anyhow, in Do Over, he talks about how we all have a toolkit at our disposal called a Career Savings Account. This consists of the following equation: (Relationships plus Skills plus Character) times Hustle equals your Career Savings Account. As Acuff puts it, Relationships are "who you know," skills are "what you do," character is "who you are," and hustle is "how you work."

Acuff says that you need to have that Career Savings Account full, with items in every category, because chances are, each of us will face one or more of these career transitions in our lives. As Acuff writes:

You will hit a Career Ceiling and get stuck, requiring sharp skills to free yourself. You will experience a Career Bump and unexpectedly lose your job, requiring strong relationships to survive. You will make a Career Jump to a new role, requiring solid character to push through uncertainty and chaos. You will get a surprise Career Opportunity, requiring dedicated hustle to take advantage of it.

So, let's talk about how this all matters when it comes to Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez. One could argue that this season has really involved three of the four career transitions:

• Getting suspended for a year is about the ultimate in career bumps! Talk about hitting rock bottom.
• Alex also had a career jump in that he moved from third base to the designated hitter role. In addition, he has even learned to play a little first base. 
• The surprise career opportunity was this -- A-Rod wasn't expected to be much of a contributor to this team, and was penciled into the bottom of the lineup for the first few weeks of the season. But he was able to become the No. 3 hitter again, a role that he was no longer expected to play, thanks to his timely hitting.

So how did Rodriguez successfully navigate all of these career transitions? By building upon the skills in his Career Savings Account, especially the two where he had severe deficits:

Relationships: Remember that handwritten apology letter Alex wrote this spring? Skeptics mocked him for doing so, but he has indeed achieved what he promised when it came to mending fences and getting his job back: 

"This game has been my single biggest passion since I was a teenager. When I go to Spring Training, I will do everything I can to be the best player and teammate possible, earn a spot on the Yankees and help us win."

I am a big fan of Jon Acuff,
and have read most of his books.

A-Rod has also signed a lot of autograph to mend his standing with the fans. He has redoubled his efforts of being a good teammate. He even seems to handle the media much better this year. All of these things have reaped benefits. He is arguably the team's most popular player now, something that was never the case before.

Character: A-Rod wasn't exactly known for his sterling character, but he spent his year away from baseball trying to improve himself. As the ESPN story "The Education of Alex Rodriguez" says, not only did he take a class at the University of Miami, but he spent a lot of time in therapy. And a lot of time trying to understand why he did what he did. 

In addition, notice how much Rodriguez has been the better man, this year, and taken the high road at every turn. No matter what Brian Cashman or Randy Levine or Hal Steinbrenner or media members looking for controversy said, A-Rod has said and done the right thing. By being relentlessly positive and humble and self-deprecating, he has made the people against him look petty in comparison.

Skills: In his career, Rodriguez was never lacking in skills. But there were concerns that he lost them after two hip surgeries and pushing 40. Fortunately, this part of the Career Savings Account is still full. He also added to his skill set by learning first base.

Hustle: Hustle is also a category he has never lacked in. A-Rod showed up early to spring training, to the dismay of the Yankees, and has been like the old Alex this year. 

Anyhow, I think the transformation Rodriguez had made this year is nothing short of remarkable. It is the Yankee equivalent of Matthew McConaughey going from shirtless himbo to Oscar winner! And Acuff's book explains it. If you are looking to make your own career transition, read Do Over. I highly recommend it!

I voted for Giancarlo Stanton 35 times on my All-Star Game ballot. Then he ate a KitKat Bar wrong. The monster!

I made a joke on Facebook the other day about how #VoteDrew, the hashtag to elect Stephen Drew to MLB's All-Star Game, was the saddest hashtag ever. Then it got me to thinking about who I would vote for on my All-Star ballot. Obviously, I voted my maximum 35 times for my main email address for Alex Rodriguez (and Mark Teixeira and Jacoby Ellsbury), and I also gave my votes to Yadier Molina, as I have been doing since 2007, just to tick off Squawker Jon. Here is the rest of my ballot. I used stats to determine most of the rest of my picks:

MY AL ALL-STAR PICKS
1B: Teixeria, NYY
2B: Altuve, HOU
3B: Moustakas, KC
SS: Semien, OAK
C: Vogt, OAK
DH: Rodriguez, NYY
OF: Trout, LAA, Ellsbury, NYY, Reddick, OAK *
Note: Hanley Ramirez has better numbers than Reddick, but I will never vote for a Red Sox for the ASG!

MY NL ALL-STAR PICKS
1B: Goldschmidt, ARI
2B: Gordon, MIA
3B: Frazier, CIN
SS: Peralta, STL
C: Molina, STL
OF: Harper, WAS, Pederson, LAD, Stanton, MIA

But now I want to rescind my 35 Giancarlo Stanton votes after seeing something outrageous. Look at how Stanton was seen eating a KitKat Bar! His teammate Dee Gordon (who also got my ASG vote) took a picture of this travesty. As Big League Stew's Mike Oz writes, "Look at this face. It's the face of a man who doesn't care that he's just committed a crime against candy." Won't somebody think of the children?

As others have noted, there are rules for eating a KitKat Bar. You may remember how the catchy single says: "Gimme a break, gimme a break, break me off a piece of that KitKat Bar." That entails breaking one of the four pieces of the bar off. You are supposed to follow these rules, and eat each wafer of the bar separately. You cannot just bite into the KitKat willy-nilly. It is just not done.

Former Yankee Brandon McCarthy also chastised Stanton, writing on Twitter: "Just cause u hit baseballs like most hit a 4 iron doesn't mean u can eat candy however u wish. We're living in a society here." Exactly! Change your candy-eating ways now, Giancarlo!

Note to Yankee brass: When A-Rod outclasses you, perhaps you have gone too far

I had insomnia this evening, woke up in the middle of the night, and put on the replay of the Yankee game, just to see Alex Rodriguez's home run (I missed seeing it live, as I was out running.) Not only was it a game-winner homer against the Baltimore Orioles, but A-Rod got loud cheers, a standing ovation and even a curtain call. Hitting #661, as it turns out, even got mention on Yankee Stadium's big screen. Hmmmm. And the Yankees are still claiming that he is unmarketable? Puh-lease.

Anyhow, New York sportswriters are writing not just about the homer, and the win, but about the massive support A-Rod is getting from Yankee fans. The New York Daily News' John Harper wrote about all of the cheers A-Rod received last night, calling the "affection" even "more remarkable than his comeback itself."

Yes, A-Rod always longed for this type of love from Yankee fans, and it’s a bit odd that he’s finally the People’s Choice after being suspended all of last season for his use of PEDs. These fans loved nothing more than to boo A-Rod, except for the 2009 postseason and a few big-game performances here and there. Now, it’s almost as if with Jeter in retirement, they don’t feel guilty about cheering the anti-Jeter.

As an Arodologist (and Arodapologist!) over the years, I think A-Rod got more cheers than Harper is acknowledging. Even in the worst days, he always had some fans. But I do think Jeter's absence has something to do with this. The media no longer has to worry about kissing Jeter's tuchis by avoiding running anything positive about A-Rod. And Alex's teammates themselves no longer have to worry about offending the captain, either. (Newsflash: I don't think Rodriguez only became a good teammate in 2015! I think it's just that now that Jeter is gone, A-Rod can be treated as an elder statesman on the Yankees by both his teammates and the media.)

But Harper, like Joe Girardi, thinks Rodriguez's popularity now is only due to him hitting well again, and says "I doubt it" when positing that the fans are cheering Rodriguez to stick it to Yankees' ownership about their pettiness regarding fighting the milestone issue. I disagree with that, and instead agree with ESPN New York's Wally Matthews' (yes!) take on the issue. In an article entitled "Alex Rodriguez the winner in dispute with Yankees," he writes:

Whether it's right or wrong -- and again, only the Yankees, A-Rod and his representatives really know how the contract is written and if he has any claim to the money -- the fan perception seems to be that the Yankees have behaved badly in this matter, that their actions were forged in greed and are now colored by vindictiveness. They see Rodriguez as the victim here, even with his $275 million contract and a potential $30 million more tacked on simply for doing what he is already being paid to do, which is hit home runs.

But as we know, perception is reality, and if the fans perceive A-Rod is being bullied by the big, bad Yankees, that is going to be a tough perception to shake. And as long as Rodriguez continues to hit the way he's hitting -- his seven home runs, 18 RBI and .883 OPS are second on the team to Mark Teixeira's 10, 25 and .951 -- there's no way Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine and Brian Cashman stand a chance of reversing the tide.

Add in the fact that A-Rod has refused to be dragged into the mud -- he has yet to take a verbal misstep, despite plenty of bait -- and you've got a clear win for a player who, about a year ago, had some very respected baseball writers saying that he would never step on a big league ball field again.

In closing, Matthews says that  Rodriguez is "more than welcome" at Yankee Stadium: "He owns the place." He adds, "Not only have the Yankees succeeded in making Rodriguez popular again, they have even managed to make him something no one could ever have believed he could be. Sympathetic."

Um, Wally, I am raising my hand here. I believed this could happen! I am frequently wrong on stuff, -- for example, the Yankees are playing much better this year than I thought they would -- but I totally called that the A-Rod accolades would happen. This spring, when I was interviewed, along with other Yankee bloggers, by my friend and colleague Daniel Shoptaw, most of the bloggers were pessimistic on A-Rod's chances in 2015. Not me! Here is what I wrote then:

I am actually pretty optimistic about A-Rod, given his glorious spring so far. He seems in a good place, both mentally and physically. He has handled all of the hubbub about his return much better than expected. And remember that his 2013 OPS in just a month and a half of a season was still better than the entire team’s was in 2014. Another thing Alex has going for him is the soft bigotry of low expectations. All he needs to do is be halfway decent, stay halfway healthy, and not embarrass himself, and many fans will be on this side. There is a real “sticking it to the man” edge to rooting for Rodriguez this year, given how much the media and the Yankees management despise him. The irony is that the team’s biggest marketing asset, as far as putting fannies in the seats and getting people to tune in, is the very person they are claiming they can no longer market in their refusal to pay those home run milestone incentives.

Yet despite the fact that Rodriguez is clearly the Yankees' most popular player, they are still claiming that he isn't marketable. How petty. How sad. How short-sighted. Matthews is right -- A-Rod has won the battle. And he will win the war over 660, too. Pay the man already!

Subway Series Game 3: The 659th Home Run Song (Feelin' Petty)

It's nights like this that I want to be like Eric Campbell when it comes to numbers. I want to forget how many errors the Mets made (four), how many runs Jon Niese gave up (six, four earned) and how many games the Mets lost to the Yankees (two).

However, Squawker Lisa, there is one number I am quite pleased to remember, and that is 659. I wanted A-Rod to get just shy of 660 while the Yankees were at home so media and fan attention would mushroom. After all, what else do Yankee fans have to focus on - whether Nathan Eovaldi can complete five innings with a lead?

I especially did not want to see A-Rod get to 660 on an ESPN broadcast, not just because it would have been against the Mets, but because I want to hear the Yankee broadcasters stumble through the call. Ideally, Yankee fans would demand a curtain call, leaving Michael Kay struggling to explain why the fans are cheering so much ("Kenny, I think they just announced that all concession stands will no longer have condiments!").

Best of all would be if John Sterling couldn't help spewing home run calls for A-Rod's milestone-that-must-not-be-named,  why Suzyn Waldman desperately tried to stop him:

John:It is high! It is far! It is gone! He did it! A-Rod is A-MAYS-ing!
Suzyn: You know, John, Stephen Drew is closing in on the 500-50 club - 500 RBI and 50 steals for his career.
John: Say Hey-Rod!
Suzyn: John, the Yankees sure have a lot of pitchers with two first names: Adam Warren, Justin Wilson, Chris Martin, even Esmil Rogers if you consider Rogers Hornsby.
John: A-Rod tuned his radio to 660!
Suzyn: Goodness gracious, John, give it a rest!
John: A-Rod's the Six Million Dollar Man!

You're wrong, Michael Kay: Why the Yankees' struggles are not just about this year

Here we are, nine games into the season. The Yankees have gone 1-2 in each of its first three series of the year, putting them at 3-6 -- and in last place. Meanwhile, the Red Sox (6-3) and the Mets (7-3) are in first place. Yikes!

So Yankee GM Brian Cashman was doing damage control yesterday, giving multiple interviews to the media to set the subject of the reporters' off-day articles. I noticed in particular this comment to Newsday's Erik Boland:

 "We have fumbled, whether it's running the bases, defense, starting pitching, the bullpen," he said by phone. "All of it in some form or fashion has factored in the six losses."

How about hitting, Bri? Maybe the lack of hitting might have something to do with the sorry state of the team? You know, the thing that was an issue *last* year?

I also do find it hilarious that Cashman, who has used Alex Rodriguez as the bright shiny object to distract the media for years, is now doing his best to distract the media from bringing up the obvious: that the team's best all-around hitter is the 39-year-old DH with two bad hips who Cashman didn't want on the roster!

Then there is Michael Kay, who was battling with Yankee fans yesterday on Twitter, defending the team that he ultimately draws a paycheck from:

I've covered the NYY for 29 years & have never seen a rush to judgement like this year. Disgraceful. Unfathomable. Some don't know the game.
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

A Yankee fan who pointed out that the money for Robinson Cano could have easily been found by not signing Stephen Drew, Chris Capuano, and Chase Headley got this response:

Are you going to want Cano in 8 years? And in case you forgot, NYY offered Cano 25 mil a year for 7 years. https://t.co/V6cjRLhun1
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

To which I said:

.@RealMichaelKay instead of keeping cano, yanks pay Beltran $45m for those lousy yrs, w/o great yrs. they'll also pay Ellsbury $25m in 6 yrs
— Subway Squawkers (@subwaysquawkers) April 16, 2015

Kay also criticized Yankee fans for being upset with the state of the team, since they won a World Series six years ago. He even brought up the Cubs in his argument!

And 5 in 19. And 7 appearances in the WS since 1996. Outrageous! How dare they! https://t.co/8sDlhdKkWq
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

So Cub fans should be a bit more angry, right? NYY fans haven't won a WS in 6 years! Outrageous. https://t.co/q1Oi0xD2sn
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) April 16, 2015

@RealMichaelKay are you really comparing the yankees displeasure with the cubs yankee fans should be mad this team is downright bad
— Scott Ashkenazy #23 (@scottAsh23) April 16, 2015

Of course, Kay is framing this in the best possible way for the Yankees. One World Series championship in 14 years, with sky-high payroll and ticket prices, and the so-called Core Four in their prime. One World Series appearance in the last decade, the same as the Houston Astros. I broke down the numbers a few months ago, and they are not pretty.

Yes, it's only nine games this year. (But you know darn well that the Yankees were 8-1, Kay and Cashman would be crowing about it!)  However, this team was not improved from last year, with the exception of A-Rod's bat being back in the lineup. And last year's team was worse than the 2013 team, which also didn't make the playoffs. But if we groan about the Yankees, the team's TV broadcaster brings up numbers from the 1990s and the Cubs to try to shut people up, and sez Yankee fans are "disgraceful" for being concerned. Oh, please.

A look at Bill Madden's many wrong-headed A-Rod pronouncements

Funny how Alex Rodriguez, the player Bill Madden repeatedly insisted "will never play another game for the Yankees," is arguably the biggest reason that the Yankees have won 11 of their last 14 games and are now just 3 1/2 games out of a wild card spot, and 6 games out of the division lead. So where is Bill Madden's mea culpa?

It isn't happening, of course. The next time Madden admits he was wrong on A-Rod will be the first time. Instead, in today's Daily News column, Madden dances around the fact that A-Rod's return had much to do with the Yankees' resurgence, giving him as little credit as possible for it. (Full disclosure, I used to work at the Daily News, but I would feel the same way about Madden no matter what!)

Madden has made repeated wrong-headed pronouncements about Rodriguez, not to mention saying bizarre and outrageous things about A-Rod, like calling him "the Whitey Bulger of baseball." (Not to mention him telling WFAN's Boomer and Carton that there was "no vendetta on [Bud] Selig’s part" against A-Rod) And Madden has never acknowledged that his pontifications were wrong, not even when the FAN's Mike Francesa, in one of the greatest radio moments of this year, called him on it. (I've made lots of wrong pronouncements, too, but I will willingly cop to them!)

And I haven't even gotten into the fact that Madden repeatedly insisted that A-Rod undergoing serious surgery, and going through grueling rehab, was simply a ploy to be declared physically unable to perform, and to collect insurance money. Remember this Madden gem, from July 11?:

It is now a frantic footrace with the MLB drug posse for Alex Rodriguez, who will never play another game for the Yankees but is desperately trying to make sure he doesn’t lose a penny of the $100 million owed him on the last 4½ years of his contract.

In plain view, A-Rod is going through the motions, playing in rehab games for the Class-A Tampa Yankees in the Florida State League, all in the name of making his way back to the Bronx by the end of the month. It is just an elaborate charade.

Madden also wrote this, on June 26:

Alex Rodriguez has 114 million reasons for telling the world that he has the green light to play baseball games again.

According to sources close to the ongoing drama surrounding the star-crossed Yankee third baseman, Rodriguez and his advisers are so concerned that Major League Baseball’s drug posse is quickly closing in on him that they have racheted up the timetable for him to return to game action.

Once he’s back playing in rehab games, the sources say, he could then claim he is physically unable to perform because of the serious hip injury he is recovering from, “retire” from the game, and still collect the full amount of his salary — $114 million over the next five years.

How is that "evil plan," as the Daily News once called it on the back page (on the very same day Aaron Hernandez was arrested as a result of an investigation into a murder -- a real evil plan!) working, Bill? Not only has Rodriguez looked great at the plate, but he made some nifty plays in the field and even stole a base yesterday! What insurer in his right mind would pay out a dime to him now?

The kicker is that Madden, without ever conceding that any of his hateful screeds were wrong, wrote this just the other day about Rodriguez. Madden says that this winter, A-Rod was "told by the first doctor who operated on his right hip that if he wants to be able to play with his kids when he’s 50 years old, he should really get the second right hip surgery done as well. Operating on both hips, however, would assure that he would never play baseball again." 

Hmmmm. If Rodriguez were simply looking for a way to simply collect the $114 million owed to him, wouldn't he have simply gotten both surgeries done then and called it a day? 

But I guess being a Hall of Fame baseball columnist means never having to write that you were wrong. Madden just keeps on going and going with his usual nonsense -- kind of like the Energizer Bunny of MLB columnists! 

Why A-Rod's angry lawyer may actually have a point about the Yankee brass

It's an A-bomb for A-Rod -- and his attorney! Joseph Tacopina, one of Alex Rodriguez's attorneys, started a new war with the Yankees -- or maybe just continued the current war -- when he unleashed some pretty strong accusations against the team, and against Major League Baseball. Here's a link to the New York Times article with the accusations. And here's what I think of each main charge.

Among Tacopina's claims are the following:

Accusation:

"that baseball’s commissioner is determined to brand Rodriguez as the 'poster boy' for doping."

My thoughts: TRUE! This is a no-brainer. Nobody else involved in the Biogenesis scandal got any of the incessant leaks from MLB. Nobody else came even close to the 211-game punishment. And there has never been an explanation as to why Bartolo Colon, who had already tested positive, and who was also named in the Biogenesis scandal, did not get the scrutiny that A-Rod did, even though the fact that he is having arguably his best year at the age of 40 ought to have brought on more investigation. Instead, we're apparently supposed to think Colon only did PEDs that one lone time. Spare me.

Accusation:

 During the 2012 playoffs, Tacopina said, the Yankees hid from Rodriguez that a magnetic resonance imaging test had revealed that he had a torn labrum — essentially a hole in his hip — and continued to play him, even though he was struggling mightily.

“They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer,” Tacopina said.

My thoughts: MAY BE TRUE! Here's why I cannot dismiss this charge -- my own eyes. I said all along during last year's postseason that I thought A-Rod looked injured. And I couldn't understand why Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman were so publicly adamant that he was not injured, when it clearly seemed like he was. It seemed to me very petty and mean-spirited to not offer him that fig leaf of the possibility that he was hurt, instead of just stinking for no reason. And the Yanks seemed more motivated by destroying what was left of A-Rod's reputation last year than in actually winning in the playoffs.

Accusation:

Rodriguez learned the extent of his injuries in the off-season, and the Yankees sent him to Dr. Bryan T. Kelly, a prominent surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. Tacopina said Kelly later told Rodriguez that before the operation, Levine told Kelly, “I don’t ever want to see him on the field again.”

“It sent chills down Alex’s spine,” Tacopina said.

My thoughts: MAY BE TRUE! Randy Levine isn't exactly known as a nice guy. He was hired to be a jerk, and he continues to be a jerk. Nothing would surprise me when it comes to him. And why he still has a job is beyond me -- he screwed up bigtime on the StubHub stuff. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't find a way to blame StubHub for A-Rod!

Tacopina said he had copies of “very damaging” e-mails between Levine and Rodriguez. Those e-mails, along with recordings and affidavits gathered by Rodriguez’s advisers, will help Rodriguez in his suspension appeal hearing, Tacopina said.

Levine, however, said his e-mail communication with Rodriguez, over a period of years, would show that he was one of Rodriguez’s biggest supporters, encouraging him to get healthy and to play better.

My thoughts: TRUE. The only way I can see Levine writing the way he claims he did is if he wrote "You little bleep, you better bleeping get healthy and play better, you worthless bleep bleep bleep." I can buy Joe Girardi doing the warm and fuzzy thing. Randy Levine, no bleeping way!

Accusation:

Beyond Bosch, Tacopina accused baseball investigators, some of them former police officers, of serious misconduct. For example, he said, investigators were captured on video flashing what looked like police badges to gain access to a gated community where they wanted to speak with a witness. He said investigators also threatened to turn witnesses’ names over to the news media or call in law enforcement if they did not cooperate.

My thoughts: THIS WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME. MLB has been intent on drumming A-Rod out of baseball, and they made legal threats to Bosch to get him to cooperate. No shenanigans they may have done would surprise me.

Accusation:

Tacopina said he believed that baseball officials were “working in conjunction” with the Yankees to void Rodriguez’s lucrative contract.

“You don’t need to look much further from the top to figure out where this all comes from,” Tacopina said, referring to Selig, the commissioner.

My thoughts: TRUE. And MLB and the Yankees' damage control on this has been laughable. Levine told ESPN that the Yanks were kept "in the dark" about the pending disciplinary action for A-Rod. Puh-lease. Who believes that, especially given that A-Rod just happened to get cleared to play on the day the suspension was going down.

Sorry, folks, but for the past year or so, we have heard leak after leak from Yankeeland about how they want to get out from under A-Rod's contract, and in the last few months, we heard how MLB wants to ban A-Rod for life, and how they've been trying to punish him for years on various shenanigans, but have been unsuccessful. Now we're supposed to believe that this isn't really true, and that they weren't working in cahoots? I'm not buying it. A-Rod may have been a cheating jerk, and MLB and the Yankee brass are not exactly saints here. Maybe they should have thought first, before providing all those damaging leaks, whether true or untrue, to the Bill Maddens of the world.

Accusation:

Tacopina said: “The legacy of George Steinbrenner would be horrified. This is the New York Yankees. This isn’t some thug-culture club.”

FALSE! This would be right up The Boss' alley, especially given what he did with Dave Winfield by hiring Howie Spira. This was the most ridiculous part of Tacopina's claims!

MLB shoots itself in the foot with making A-Rod, Biogenesis scandal more important than baseball season

Do you have your popcorn ready? I do. If all goes well, and A-Rod doesn't wimp out and settle, tonight is going to be one of the more bizarre moments in baseball history. And I cannot wait!

Are you kidding me? Seeing A-Rod get to play *after* he has been suspended -- and after the Bill Maddens of the world said that he was trying to collect on his contract via insurance and never play again, and after the Yankees tried to get him run out of town on a rail, and after MLB threatened to ban him from the game forever -- is going to be hilarious. Not to mention that A-Rod's return will increase the Yankees' ratings -- and ticket sales when the team returns to the Bronx. As much as they hate him, and want to get his contract off the books, he is great for their business!

The media made a point of saying that Rodriguez was "delusional" for thinking that he would be back with the team, playing on Monday night in Chicago. Well, barring some unforeseen shenanigans, it looks like they were wrong.

And it couldn't have come at a more miserable time for the team. The Yanks can't score runs, they can't pitch well, they have fallen behind Kansas City (!) in the wild card race, and Derek Jeter is miserable and hurt. Look at what he said yesterday after the game. “It’s been terrible,” Jeter said. “It’s been like a nightmare. The whole season has been a nightmare. I really don’t know what to tell you.” Poor Jeter -- when he's depressed and not his usual "I'm fine," you know things are bad!

Meanwhile, the Yanks have wasted the summer praying in vain for a savior to rise from these streets, like Bruce Springsteen sings, and they now have A-Rod back. Heh!

The thing is, though, is that MLB has shot themselves in the foot repeatedly here, so it is their own fault that all things A-Rod have taken over the media coverage (if Alex invites Johnny Manziel to see him at the game tonight, I think Twitter will explode!)

Their own rules and policies were that PED cases were supposed to be kept confidential until the suspension comes down, and the person either agrees to take the suspension, or loses the appeal. Instead, baseball thought that it was a smart idea to conduct this whole thing through their minions in the media. If they hadn't done so, we would have no idea with A-Rod's return tonight that he would be appealing a suspension.

Anyhow, Squawker Jon and I noticed that MLB's time to announce the Biogenesis suspensions got pushed back -- yet again -- and is now at 3 p.m. today. Are they still trying to coax a settlement out of Rodriguez? I hope doesn't cave. He needs to keep the heel turn, and fight this every step of the way. Do you think he's licking his chops, visualizing hitting a home run in his first at bat? Do you think he wants to tell Brian Cashman and Bud Selig to shut the bleep up? I think so!

Why you should want to see A-Rod battle MLB: Because even arrogant jerks deserve due process & equal treatment under the rules

This weekend, I got an email from an old friend, and fellow Yankee fan, who politely disagreed with me regarding Major League Baseball's case against Alex Rodriguez. He thought A-Rod was a cheater and all-around bad dude, and wanted to see him banned from baseball for life. And he seemed to not understand why I was defending him here. Here is why I think differently, and why I want to see Rodriguez take the fight against MLB as far as he can:

Because you don't have to like or respect A-Rod to think he's getting a raw deal here

Let's concede: A-Rod used PEDs. He is overpaid, and way past his prime. He has really bad judgment an awful lot of the time. He says dumb things, he eats at Hooters (a true culinary outrage, in my view), and he told kids not to take steroids while he did it himself. He will never rival Mariano Rivera in being likeable or liked. He ticked off MLB by playing poker. He cheated on his wife with Madonna.  I could fill up this blog entry with hundreds of examples of his dopiness.

All that being said, there are rules in place in baseball to handle PEDs. You can read the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program here. And in no place does it say that arrogant jerks should get a bigger punishment from MLB just because many people find them unlikable. Or because they make a lot of money. The rules also talk about first offenses, second offenses, and the like. But there isn't a "one-strike-and-you're-out" policy, the way MLB would like to have it now. Heck, even dealing drugs is only an 80-to-100 game suspension!

Because it's precisely because he is not well-liked that the union should defend A-Rod against MLB

Dave Zirin of The Nation wrote pretty much how I feel, so I will quote him here (emphasis added):

"A-Rod’s lack of support however is exactly what makes him such low hanging fruit for Bud Selig. And that’s precisely why the Major League Baseball Players Association needs to be fighting his suspension tooth-and-nail. Unions are not supposed to be fan clubs. They are not organizations of the righteous, the pure, or the politically pitch-perfect. If they are to be worth a damn, in baseball or anywhere, they need to be the broadest of broad churches: institutions that will defend their most loathsome members because they understand that “an injury to one is an injury to all” is more than a slogan on a t-shirt. If a player can no longer take the field when appealing a suspension, that also disempowers the entire point of an appeal's process and if Bud Selig can get away with invoking the “best interests of the game” clause on A-Rod, then a precedent has been set and no one is safe."

Because we still don't really know what he has done to justify a lifelong -- or even season-long -- suspension

What, exactly, has Rodriguez done to justify the threat of being banned from the game? When MLB banned Pete Rose, they had the Dowd Report, which explained exactly how Rose bet on the game. Is MLB planning such a scholarly thing, or do they think that simply leaking rumors and such to Bill Madden is enough.

Did A-Rod try to buy up the Biogenesis records, or did Tony Bosch try to shake him down for money? Is Bosch exaggerating things on Rodriguez because MLB is paying him to "get" A-Rod?

Seven hundred plus games -- or even two hundred plus games -- are obviously long periods of time, and unprecedented in MLB history for what is technically a first PED offense. And neither number is in proportion in what other players have received. Look at the suspensions that Melky Cabrera and Ryan Braun and Manny Ramirez have gotten. What has A-Rod done to deserve to be suspended worse than them? MLB needs to tell its fans on the record, and not hope to browbeat A-Rod into a settlement so they don't have to publicly say exactly what they claim he did.

I think a 50-game suspension is appropriate, with another 50 games if he is proven to have obstructed justice. That is still a pretty big penalty, and it should be enough for MLB (although it will never be enough for Bill Madden!)

Because if MLB wins against A-Rod, expect your favorite aging, overpriced veteran to get the same treatment

One of the rare smart things A-Rod has ever said is when he recently talked about the powers that be trying to find "creative ways to cancel your contract" -- something he said should be "concerning" for present and future players. Because if MLB gets away with effectively voiding A-Rod's contract, this will be something that other players need to worry about. And what's to say that somebody won't hire a Howie Spira type to dig up dirt -- or make up dirt -- to get a team out of a bad contract?

Because the Yankees shouldn't get an unprecedented financial benefit here

Buck Showalter knew what he was doing with his supposed "off the record" conversation about how the Yanks would financially benefit from getting rid of A-Rod via this maneuver. I have said it before, and I will say it again, but managers and front office execs and owners need to have some skin in the game. I'll bet that Brian Cashman is practically licking his chops at the prospect of having another 30+ million that he can spend stupidly. It shouldn't be that way, especially not when it is very possible that the Yanks are working hand-in-hand to "get" A-Rod. MLB needs to say that any such salary should still count against teams' payroll, and that the money is donated to charity -- or back to the fans, the way the Brewers are doing with Ryan Braun's salary.

And because a battle between A-Rod and MLB and the Yanks will be epic

I have to admit that I am digging A-Rod's heel turn -- he is no longer trying to hide his contempt of the Yankees and MLB. What dirt does he have on the Yankees? What shenanigans have been done against him? How far is he going to go to make sure to get his money? How wild is it going to see him play when he has been suspended? Can he turn the Yankees around? Get your popcorn ready, folks!

Shameful: NYC media completely distorts A-Rod getting better deal from MLB; twists it into worse deal

If you have paid more than one minute of attention this week to the coverage of the Alex Rodriguez Biogenesis scandal, you would have heard the same things over and over -- that A-Rod was facing a lifetime ban if he did not cooperate. But that if Rodriguez agreed to a settlement that would cover the rest of 2013 and all of 2014, and agreed not to appeal, that would be the extent of his punishment. (As if a 214-game settlement for a 38-year-old for what is still technically a first offense would be a fair one.) In fact, there was even a story published this week in USA Today that MLB was about to ban A-Rod for life last Thursday or Friday. (Remember how that was the latest D-Day on this scandal? There have been about a half-dozen or so!)

So what has happened since then? A-Rod actually told the truth Friday in his post-game press conference after his Trenton Thunder rehab stint. He said the following two things:

"There is more than one party that benefits from me not ever stepping back on the field. And that’s not my teammates and it’s not the Yankee fans.”

"...when all this stuff is going on in the background and people are finding creative ways to cancel your contract and stuff like that, I think that’s concerning for me, it’s concerning for present — and I think it should be concerning for future players, as well.”

And what has been the reaction on it? Well, there haven't been any denials from either MLB or the Yankees -- the Daily News quoted a Yankee official who said:

"This is typical Alex," one Yankee official told the Daily News on Saturday. "Instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he blames everybody else. It wasn't the Yankees who introduced Rodriguez to Anthony Bosch. It wasn't the Yankees who introduced him to Dr. Galea, or anybody else."

Note: that is not a denial of A-Rod talking about people "finding creative ways to cancel your contract." Instead, it is answering questions that were never asked.

And Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes this today (emphasis added):

I have been working on this story for weeks and I have heard theories expounded by the A-Rod camp that have had everything but Yankees officials and MLB executives high-fiving Lee Harvey Oswald on a grassy knoll. And I will not discredit them. I am sure the Yankees want out of the contract. I am sure MLB wants A-Rod out of the game.

But the suspension that is going to be announced either today or tomorrow is about PED use. It is about obstructing the investigation. In all the theories expressed none can explain that away — unless Rodriguez is innocent. 

He also says that "The Yankees could be guilty. So could MLB. That doesn’t make A-Rod innocent." Sherman misses the point, though -- I am sure A-Rod is guilty of a first offense with PEDs here. But a 50-game suspension apparently isn't enough for MLB and the Yankees, so they are gunning for much more, including threatening a lifetime ban, and treating him differently than they are any other suspected steroid user. And they want to take away his due process rights, too. Incidentally, Sherman also writes that A-Rod has "hired a stable of private investigators and word is they have a bunch of information that would embarrass MLB and the Yankees." Interesting!

At any rate, less than 12 hours after A-Rod does his shot across the bow, MLB's minions in the New York Daily News and the New York Post claim that Rodriguez will be suspended for the end of this season and all of next season, which is actually a victory of sorts for him, considering that this amount was the deal he would only get if he agreed not to appeal. But they spin it as a defeat.

The News writes: "Alex Rodriguez just talked himself out of a possible settlement with Major League Baseball and faces a 214-game suspension to be handed down on Monday." And the Post writes that "Alex Rodriguez struck out even before he got on the field yesterday." Both claim that MLB refused to negotiate further with Rodriguez or the players' union.

Except that A-Rod didn't really strike out. As I said earlier, that 214-game suspension was the offer on the table originally only if he cooperated and did not appeal. Now, according to the media, he has that very same offer from MLB, without taking away his ability to appeal. How is this a defeat for him?

In closing, ask yourself this: if MLB has all the evidence against Rodriguez that they say they do, then why didn't they just ban him weeks ago? Why all these moved-back deadlines, and lesser levels of punishment? What are they afraid of here? Those are questions the media ought to ask themselves, instead of carrying MLB's water for them.

Shocker! Sounds like MLB has a double standard when it comes to A-Rod, other players in Biogenesis scandal

Let me get this straight. According to published reports in Yahoo! Sports and elsewhere, Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera and Yasmani Grandal will NOT get suspended for their involvement in the Biogenesis scandal, because all already were previously punished by MLB for the positive PED tests they had related to their connections to Biogenesis. (They are apparently considered the same incident.)

Meanwhile, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News and other published reports, Alex Rodriguez is about to be suspended for...wait for it folks...multiple violations of MLB's PED policy involving the same incident. Madden explained on WFAN's Boomer and Carton Show how this may work:

“We are talking here (about) non-analytical violations, i.e. in absence of a positive drug test,” he said. “OK? Now, let’s just say for example, they have proof — good proof, legitimate proof, records, whatever — that Alex Rodriguez sought to buy drugs. That’s a violation. Now they have proof that Alex Rodriguez actually bought drugs. That’s a violation. Now they have proof that Alex Rodriguez was administered drugs. That’s a third violation.”

So, again, let me get this straight. Melky Cabrera, who had a fake web site created to explain his PED usage, doesn't get any more punishment. Neither does Yasmani Grandal. And 2013 All-Star Bartolo Colon, who is 40 years old, 14-3 with a 2.54 ERA, and leading the league in complete games this season, has simply found the fountain of youth, and there is no reason to investigate him any further. It's just a miracle!

But A-Rod is allegedly guilty of multiple violations for something any person getting caught with steroids would have to do -- seek to buy PEDs, buy them, and take them. C'mon now. (I also have to laugh over the other idea floated recently regarding tougher suspensions for A-Rod -- that he "recruited" players for Biogenesis like some demented Amway salesman. I thought Alex had no friends in baseball, yet now he's the Pied Piper of PEDs?)

Madden also told Boomer and Carton: "Trust me on this, guys. This is no vendetta on Selig’s part."

Really? It sure sounds like one. Especially given the MLB leaks that Selig plans to 1) ban A-Rod from ever playing baseball again, and 2) wants to punish A-Rod much more harshly than anybody else out there, with an unprecedented use of his powers.

Something I noticed regarding MLB's reported plans to punish Rodriguez via the Commissioner's powers via this clause:

Article XII(B) of the Basic Agreement says: “Players may be disciplined for just cause for conduct that is materially detrimental or materially prejudicial to the best interests of baseball including, but not limited to, engaging in conduct in violation of federal, state or local law.”

If Bud Selig is going to use this to punish Rodriguez, then why hasn't he used that to go after MLB players who drive drunk, beat their wives, or break the law in some other ways? And why didn't he use that against players named in the BALCO scandal?

The New York Times says that historically, the clause has only been used for gambling-related offenses, and that the players' union is not happy about the idea of if being used here. In fact, Michael Weiner tells the Times that they have received assurances in the past from Bud Selig that it would not be used in other cases.He also says that “I do not expect" Article XII(B) "to be invoked" in this case. 

In addition, there is this tidbit buried in today's anti-A-Rod story in the Daily News:

By using Article XI, Selig would risk a federal court case or a reopening of the collective bargaining agreement. If the Players’ Association decides to reopen the CBA to negotiation, the union would still find it difficult to defend Rodriguez because many of its players have abandoned support for the Yankees’ disgraced third baseman.

I think Rodriguez's lawyers would relish the chance to put Selig et al under oath. Get your popcorn ready!