Boston’s Lackey Questions Arod’s Right To Play

John Lackey, the scheduled starter against the New York Yankees today, says that Alex Rodriguez should not have the privilege of playing. Lackey should leave the job of running Major League Baseball to the Commissioner’s office and worry about his pitching.

While Lackey admits that Rodriguez has the right to appeal, he doesn’t like it.

“I’ve got a problem with it, you bet I do, Lackey said. “How is he still playing? I’m not sure that’s right…It’s pretty evident he’s been doing stuff for alot of years I’ve been facing him.”

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Lackey also says that Rodriguez is a topic of conversation in the Red Sox club house. Maybe if the Red Sox players had spent more time concentrating on the game last night they wouldn’t have gotten clobbered 10-3.

You see it in every company. People are so busy forming their opinions about how a company or organization should be run that they forget that it is not their place to. Then they waste more of the company’s time trying to convince co-workers that the company isn’t doing the right thing.

Major League Baseball has rules in place. There is an appeals process. Lackey’s job is not to evaluate the rules but to follow them. His concentration should begin and end with, “how am I going to get Alex Rodriguez out today?” When Rodriguez steps in the batter’s box, that’s when he becomes Lackey’s business.

So what should have Lackey said? After all, he was asked the question. The appropriate response would have been,”that is something you have to ask the Commissioner. He is the one in charge of that. I have no comment. I will let my pitching do my talking.”

Lackey has a solid ERA of 3.32 this season. Perhaps if he concentrated a little more on his pitching, and less on what is not his job to fix, that ERA could result in a record that is better than 7-10.