Yankees News: Are the Yankees being hypocritical with Andy and A-Rod?

With Opening Day and Alex Rodriguez‘s return just over a month away, and news that Andy Pettitte is having his jersey retired just breaking, it is time to ask, are the New York Yankees being hypocritical in this situation regarding two PED users?  As much as I support Rodriguez’s return and I am willing to back the slugger, the situations are simply different.

I have heard fans say that the Yankees are rushing to retire Pettitte’s number not for his accomplishments, but instead to make it easier to accept Rodriguez’s mistakes as a PED user.  This is a ridiculous statement.  Fans are also stating that no PED user should be given this honor.  This, too, is not a well thought out statement.

Pettitte is one of the greatest pitchers in Yankees history, and deserves the honor that he is being given.  HGH was not banned in baseball when Pettitte took it, and nobody had a problem with it then.  If the team was able to turn a cheek then, and worry about results, then they should do the same now.

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Another thing I have heard repeated is that the Yankees are hypocritical for the way they are handling Rodriguez’s situation in comparison to Pettitte’s.  This is probably the most confusing statement of all.  Pettitte was quick to take the blame for what he did, and that is why all parties have been able to move on from the incident.

We have seen time and time again that baseball is a forgiving game, as many admitted PED users still have respect in the game.  To the fans, being lied to by the players you trust is a bigger offense than cheating itself.  Of the names on the Biogenesis list, the two biggest names were also the two who lied and could not handle the blame.  The other players on the list have been mostly forgiven throughout baseball, with many receiving long-term high salary contracts.

Not only did Rodriguez let the fans down by taking PED’s, and lying, but he also attempted to deflect some of the blame on the Yankees organization, by suing the team doctor.  He also sued the MLBPA, the MLB, and former commissioner Bud Selig.

Suing the PA is a surefire way to turn the players against you, yet Rodriguez was suckered into doing so by lawyers seeking a high payday.  Suing people within the organization though, that is something that Andy never would have done, and part of the reason that the two players should be treated differently.

A-Rod has done great things as a Yankee, although most people seem to forget that.  Without his dominating performance throughout the 2009 playoffs, it is unlikely that the Yankees win number 27.  Maybe they don’t even escape the ALDS.  After years of failing in the clutch, A-Rod could do no wrong in late inning clutch situations this year, hitting a combined .365/.500/.808 with 6 HR’s and 18 RBI’s.  Would you give up that World Series to make A-Rod go away?  Doubtful.

The bottom line, however, is that the Yankees have grown tired of A-Rod’s antics, and if not for the $61 million at stake, they would love for him to go away.  Pettitte, besides his minor slip up (even though HGH wasn’t a banned substance at the time), has always carried himself as a Yankee and took pride in wearing the pinstripes.  He never let the organization down and was a consistent performer from the start of his career to the end of his career, playing a key role on 5 titles teams, and countless more postseason runs.

Pettitte also was never viewed as a “cheat” in the same way that A-Rod is.  He was able to refrain from controversy.  Combine that with the fact that A-Rod will earn nearly triple what Pettitte did from baseball, and that Pettitte was soft-spoken likable guy and that may contribute to the difference in public perception.

Ultimately, I would like to see Rodriguez and the organization patch up what has went wrong, but I think too many bridges have been burned, and he will never be a beloved Yankee in the way that Andy forever will be.

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