Yankees and the A-Rod Conundrum: Part One

This isn’t an easy time for anyone at the moment, particularly the party of Alex Rodriguez. However, I think this latest blow might just prove to be the fatal hit. A-Rod had been under such a microscope since coming to New York in 2004 and gaining the trust of Yankee fans is one of the hardest tasks in the world to achieve. The rough, murky waters in which Rodriguez stood really never subsided, but in 2009, he tried to make amends for past mistakes.

Sorry isn’t going to cut it this time A-Rod.

Alex Rodriguez already had a serious blow to his career before. This current story only adds to the negativity. (Image: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

Baseball has been a delicate part of American history. There is no doubting the skid marks it will forever contain such as segregation, and the PED and steroid users only add to this ongoing list of irreversible damage. Should we just single out Rodriguez? No, but this time, he has nobody to blame but himself.

If we look back in January, every Yankee fan saw the denial of Roger Clemens into the Hall of Fame, something he may never get into. A-Rod? The voters laugh at the thought, and well, can you blame them? Every shred of credibility Rodriguez had is now gone and the trust he “built” with the New York fan base has been destroyed. There is no coming back from this.

When A-Rod told New York fans in 2009 that he had been clean since 2003, he made that statement with the full attention to garner the respect from the fans. Now I do not think Rodriguez is a stupid man, but for him to say he was clean, and then have his name pop-up 16 times in this list revealed by the Miami New Times, I have no idea what the man was thinking.

At this point, whether or not this story plays out to be true forms a null point. Rodriguez is done as a player, at least in New York he is. There is absolutely no way this man can show his face in Yankee Stadium without A) being booed worse than the Boston Red Sox and B) probably have some sort of trash thrown at him. Rodriguez did the one thing a baseball player should never do, specifically with the Yankees, and that was lie to the fans and the team.

Taking Clemens’ controversy into account, we see a different story. Clemens was an alleged user of steroids and PEDs, but was never found guilty of it. His trainer, Brian McNamee who was either the key to Clemens’ freedom or demise, kept changing stories which let Clemens walk free. Regardless of your personal opinion of Clemens, while he did bring some of this up on himself, McNamee’s fumbling around is ultimately what caused the ruling, so technically McNamee can be blamed depending on what perspective you have.

Can’t say the same for Rodriguez. He brought everything upon himself and has nobody else to point fingers at.

People say that guys like Pete Rose, Shoeless Joe Jackson and the controversial new comers on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, have in some way shamed the game. I think that’s rather harsh to say, but for Rodriguez, he’s not free from this “shame”. He has completely disrespected the game, the fans and his team, but what does he care? He already has more than $300 million in the bank and wants the rest of his money from this 10-year contract. How much more can A-Rod possibly get New York to hate him?

More to come in part two.