Alex Rodriguez out for 162 games and probably his career

Alex Rodriguez out for 162 games probably his career


The ruling came down on Saturday afternoon from arbitrator Frederic Horowicz. Alex Rodriguez initial 211 game ban had been reduced to 162 games including the playoffs if the Yankees do make it in 2014. The Arod camp immediately responded forcefully saying they were very upset with this and would take it to the higher court. It is a hail mary legally for them to actually get this overturned and have an injunction so he can start the season with the New York Yankees. Is there a chance, of course there is but it may be a one or two percent chance.

The story of Alex Rodriguez may be one of the more sad ones there is. He had it all, good looks, amazing skill, lots of money, fame and a bright future as a hall of fame player who may have owned a lot of records. He is now just a disgraced baseball player who is the face of the steroid era and that isn’t a good thing. He will sit out all of 2014 barring a miracle and then still have three years and 61 million left on his Yankees contract, which will run through 2017. He will try to come back in 2015 after virtually missing two years and coming up on 40 years old. The stack is really stacked against him there as he has said. The Yankees of course also may just say that they can take the 61 million dollar hit and just pay him to go away. He has stated that he will come to spring training next month but I can guarantee the Yankees want nothing to do with him and may send him to the minor league side or he may just be posturing. In any case this is far from over even though it really is over for him.

His team will try and take this to court, try to get an injunction but it will all be for nothing as he spends more and more money to just have to take his suspension and move on. The problem for Arod is he probably believes his own lies by now and he does care about playing baseball and now that is being stripped away and he doesn’t know what to do. The saddest part in a way is that he could have probably taken a 100 game ban and been done with it and come back in the second half of this upcoming season. He didn’t do that and now it is costing him even more, his money, fame and his reputation, which is long gone now. It will be interesting to see how the Yankees now react and what they come up with to keep him away now and for good. Stay tuned for the never-ending drama As the Arod turns.

There was a piece on 60 minutes tonight with Anthony Bosch putting some things out there about Arod. My take on the whole thing was that everyone comes out looking dirty. Bosch of course, Arod of course and Bud Selig and Rob Manfred. I think that MLB has railroaded Arod but I am not defending him at all. I do believe he is a liar and a cheat and should of quit while he was ahead. I think MLB paid off Anthony Bosch who of course then told them whatever they wanted to hear since he would no longer be in trouble. I think Arod should have gotten up under oath if he was really innocent and I think commissioner Selig should of shown up in the arbitration hearing and faced Arod also. I don’t think any of this is going away anytime soon and I think it just looks bad for everyone involved.

The Hall Of Fame Vote

The Hall Of Fame Vote


I don’t have a Hall Of Fame Vote but if I did I would have taken it very seriously. I think there are some out there who don’t do that. I don’t think it is a majority though and most do take it very seriously. When you have to get 75 percent of anything it is going to draw a lot of debate, not everyone is going to agree and that is just fine. There is nothing wrong with debate over merit or non-merit but it should be kept civil. Everyone has a right to do what they feel is the right thing and they shouldn’t be killed for it.

There does need to be some change though, I think the 10-player limit should be taken away. I think you should be able to vote for whomever you want to vote for with no limit. If you feel someone is worthy you should be able to vote for that person. I think the BBWAA mostly does a good job but it should be opened up to more of the new age media like the bloggers, announcers and others in the baseball community. Why should just the card-carrying members of the BBWAA decide this? There are others out there who care just as much about the game. There are some out there who care more then some who are currently voting.

I don’t think the vote should be made as an example. Deadspin purchased a vote of a writer; I don’t think that is right. What did we learn in all of this today?? We learned that the PED issue is a very big issue and the writers are still struggling with how to handle it. Jeff Bagwell and Mike Piazza would be in the Hall already if it wasn’t for this issue. They both went upward, the only two on the ballot who did so. They clearly are being hurt by the suspicion of PED use even though there was never any evidence that these players have taken steroids. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are first ballot Hall Of Famers who can’t even crack 40 percent. The reason why is simple, it is because of the PED use or suspected use. I don’t think they are ever going to get in as they went backwards. Rafael Palmeiro didn’t pick up five percent and is off the ballot for good. Mark McGwire only got 11 percent and Sammy Sosa around seven percent. The point is that these steroid guys or suspected guys aren’t coming even close the Hall Of Fame. I do think that Piazza and probably Bagwell will get in soon but should they be punished on suspicion?? Should clean players from the so-called steroid era be singled out because of when they played?? I don’t think so but this is a very complex issue. It is hard to know who did and didn’t use. There are certain guys of course like Bonds and Clemens where the evidence is too great but really how do we know.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a guy already in the Hall who took something and if not I am sure there will be in the near future. The best thing of all of this is that baseball is in the spotlight again. There is no sport that draws so much attention to a hall of fame vote. The passion out there is real and the debate is real, this is a good thing for the sport of baseball. It will be interesting to see if anything changes going forward, in the mean time lets recognize the three very deserving members of the Hall Of Fame Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. They will be the class of 2014 along with the three managers, Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre.

Yankees first official workout notes

The Yankees started their quest for championship #28 this morning as they held their first workout of the season. There are no players that reported late so all the pitchers and catchers are in camp, position players will report Sunday and then the ballpark will really come alive. Francisco Cervelli met the media today, Mariano Rivera did the same and Andy Pettitte was a big topic about not playing in the World Baseball Classic and possibly playing past this season. 
Cervelli denied the allegations against him. He said that he was recommended to go to the Biogenesis clinic by someone but wouldn’t say who. He said it wasn’t a teammate or his agents. He did say he went there and just listened and didn’t leave with anything. Cervelli also said look at him and his numbers, does it look like he is taking steroids. I guess you have to believe him, there is no reason not too and honestly I don’t think people care that much about him. He isn’t really a story, Cervelli has a chance to be the starting catcher this year and he is a Yankee but he really isn’t a big deal.

Mariano Rivera reported on time this year, he said he feels like a 9 out of 10 but will be a 10 when the season starts. He said he has made a decision on his future but isn’t going to announce it just yet. He did say he will let everyone know in the near future though. It sure sounds like he is going to retire and we should find out soon enough. He said he expects to be how he always is and that he is feeling great and excited to be back.

Andy Pettitte wanted to play in the World Baseball Classic especially with his old manager Joe Torre managing team USA. He said that Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman had concerns though and basically talked him out of it. He said they said we will support you if you do it but we would prefer if you didn’t. He said ultimately it was his final decision but he felt although he would of loved to pitch for his country he had to be loyal to the Yankees. Pettitte also said he isn’t sure if he will continue past this season but won’t make any decisions until the season is completed. He sounded the opposite of Rivera, that he may play again next season.

Phil Hughes threw 40 pitches today in his bullpen and Clay Rapada threw 35. A lot of the pitchers seem ahead of the normal schedule. Hughes said it was his sixth bullpen already. The first workout was smooth, no problems reported.

David Adams who missed most of the last two seasons with an ankle injury will be sidelined now with a back injury. He will be in camp but won’t be cleared for full activity when the first full squad workouts begin.

The Yankees made a trade tonight. They have acquired reliever Shawn Kelley from the Seattle Mariners for Abe Almonte. Almonte was a minor league outfielder who really had no where to go with the Yankees. Kelley is 28 and went 2-4 last season with a 3.25 ERA. He made 47 appearances with the Mariners last season during three different stints with the big club. He averaged more then a strikeout per inning and he also made 14 appearances in AAA where he was 2-0 with six saves and a 0.90 ERA. Alex Rodriguez was placed on the 60 day disabled list to clear room on the 40 man roster and the Yankees 40 man roster now stands at 40.

No one is elected to the Hall Of Fame by the BBWAA

The 2013 Hall Of Fame Class was an unbelievable one in name. It was star studded and included many locks for the Hall Of Fame. I should say they were locks if the suspicion and taint of steroids wasn’t hanging over them. Barry Bonds, Rogers Clemens, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio. When you hear those names I am sure most would think Hall Of Famers except they aren’t at least not right now. 
Mike Piazza had a near 60 percent showing as the first time on the ballot, I am sure he will get in one day. You have to remember that these guys as long as they receive five percent of the vote stay on the ballot for 15 years. That is a long time for minds to be changed and circumstances to be different. I think this ballot was just a perfect storm as many PED users or suspected users were on the ballot for the first time. This is the first time you had so many of those guys on the ballot and I think the writers were very conflicted.

I think next year you will still have a strong case and probably have many go in. The Veterans committee for instance will have Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre all on the ballot, I bet they all get in. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine will be on for the first time and may both get in. I would say Maddux for sure, what about Mike Mussina, he is a borderline Hall Of Famer and it will be interesting to see how he does. Jack Morris is a guy that may have been caught with the other guys and overlooked a little. There are a lot that think he should be in and next year will be his final year on the ballot. I personally am not so sure he should be a Hall Of Famer. He had a near four ERA which I don’t consider very good.
I think that this is a good debate too have and baseball will be front and center now as this debate is not going away. I think the debate about the Hall Of Fame and steroids will lead us into Spring Training and then the season will start to take over. This is a very tough thing to go through with the steroid era, I really don’t know what to make of it. I have been leaning towards the if they deserve to be in by the numbers then they should be in. I have to be honest though I don’t know if I would of put supposed or known PED cheats in on the first ballot. I probably if I had a vote left Clemens and Bonds off and then voted for them later on. I don’t think McGwire and Sosa are worthy steroids or no steroids, they were too one dimensional for me.

Let the debate continue but I don’t think you can really blame the writers for this. Let’s remember the players, the owners they turned a blind eye to steroids and allowed this to happen so the game could take off again and the money gained out of it. They got tough after the fact but we can’t be naïve, we all know that they let this happen, it isn’t the writers fault that they chose to taint the sport. Lets have a healthy debate about who should be in and who should be out but lets not make it like it’s the end of the world. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and to vote how they want to vote, let’s also remember these players have 15 years to get in, it isn’t a one and done proposition.

Winter Meetings end with a bang and Braun tests positive for PEDS?

The Final day of the winter meetings was Thursday and it ended with a bang.  Albert Pujols formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals decided on going to the Anaheim Angels.  The Angels in recent years have always been involved with free agents but never went the extra mile and always seem to fall short.  This time they gave the best player in baseball a ten year deal worth 254 million dollars.  This deal is crazy, he is the best player but he will be 41 years old at the end of the deal, if you believe he is really 31 now.  There are some who believe he is older then he has said.  I would say they will be good with him for the first five years and then he will start to decline and the contract will become a big problem.  The good thing for Pujols is that he could become a DH, we have seen what has happened to Arod after he signed his ten year deal with the Yankees. 

The Angels didn't stop with Pujols though, they signed C.J. Wilson to a five year 77.5 million dollar deal.  Anaheim got a lot more interesting with the additions of these two players.  The Angels who have been a very good team for the last decade or so have missed the playoffs the last two years but instantly they are a contender once again. 

Ryan Braun tested positive for PEDS it was being reported tonight by ESPN.  The test was done in October and Braun and his camp have stated that they are appealing it because he didn't knowingly take anything and he is innocent.  I would say don't hold your breath on that one, you just can't believe these ballplayers with the history of them but you never know.  It is being reported now later tonight that Braun requested a second test and it came back negative and they are using that in their appeal process, or trying to use it.  We will stay tuned with this story as it continues to develop.  He will be a marked man no matter what now though and suffer because of it and after such a great year and October for baseball and offseason so far this is another black mark on the sport. 

Random News and Notes

I know this is old but I didn't mention the death of Rockies President Keli McGregor. They say it was natural causes but he was young. It seems mysterious and we may never know or at least for a long time what the real story is. There will be a memorial service for him on Sunday and the Rockies moved the start time of their game back to accomodate everyone so they will be able to be there. Edison Volquez was suspended for 50 games for failing a drug test that was positive for the use of a performance enhancing drug. I don't think we will ever get away from this talk. I think the game has been cleaned up but there are still players doing it or HGH and there is always a big name that comes out that he was on something. I think most people are sick of this stuff though and just don't care. The thing I dont get though is how Volquez who is on the DL has that count for the 50 games. I think it has to be 50 games that you are active for. Manny Ramirez went on the 15 day DL today with a calf injury. Justin Smoak the young first base prospect of the Texas Rangers was called up yesterday. Congratulations to Ubalda Jimenez who had a no hitter last week. He is 4-0 after a shutout in his next start the other day. Jason Marquis of the Nationals was placed on the DL on wednesday with bone chips in his elbow.

A Year Later and A Different A-rod

Alex Rodriguez was under a tent last year in Tampa admitting his steroid use. He went through a very difficult press conference and then had to go to Colorado to have surgery and rehab his hip. He came back to the Yankees on May 8th and was a different person buying into the team concept. He went on to become a World Series Champion and playoff hero and now he was under the tent again this year in a very different press conference. Today was all about how last year was, how he has changed. He said he will continue to do the things he did last year and just focus on baseball. He said the taste of being a champion only leaves him hunger for more. Here are some of the quotes from his press conference today " I kind of divorced myself from the idea of numbers." This is what he said on Johnny Damon "I was just crossing my fingers, hoping he would come back." This is what he said about Derek Jeter " He was born to be a Yankee." The full audio of the press conference can be found at http://yankees.lhblogs.com/ It can also be heard at http://mlb.com/ and http://yankees.com/ The springs first live batting practices were today and basically the pitchers called out the pitches and location and for the most part the hitters just stood there. Here are the pitchers who threw batting practice and the 2 groups they were in. Field 1: Chad Guadin, Sergio Mitre,Jon Albaladejo, Royce Ring, Grant Duff and Arias Field 2: Alfredo Aceves,Jason Hirsch,Dave Robertson,Segovia,Sanchez and Sanit. They tried to mix up the outfield assignments for instance both Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson were in LF. Ramiro Pena was at second. CC Sabathia will start the second spring training game. One of the 5th starter candidates will start the opener and it won't be Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes according to Joe Girardi. He made that announcement today so it will be Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre or Alfredo Aceves.

More on Mark McGwire

Here is the story on Mark McGwire and his confession. I personally wouldn't vote for him for the Hall Of Fame if I had a vote. I don't think he is one with or without steroids and these guys that did it really annoy me, i know A-rod and Barry Bonds did it also but in my mind they are Hall Of Famers either way and before they did it they still put up amazing numbers. I think it is guys like Sosa and McGwire who may only be Hall Of Fame worthy because of the homeruns that won't make it now because of using steroids. I think there will be some interesting cases that will test this steroid thing out, a great example will be Roger Clemens. I think the only reason Big Mac admitted to it now is because he realized that once he arrived in spring training all the questions would start and he had to do something as not to be a distraction to the St Louis Cardinals. I wonder if it will all go away or will he still have to deal with a lot during the season, riducule from fans in other ballparks and what about the players he is trying to teach??

Mark McGwire finally admits to Steroids

I don't think there are too many people suprised but Mark McGwire admitted to using steroids today. He is the new hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals and has been mostly in hiding for the past decade until taking this job. I don't know why it took him so long to admit this but he probably felt it was just easier to hide and not have to worry about it. He is now the hitting coach for the team he used to play for and knew that it would keep coming up if he didn't address it. I will add the links to the story later and have some comments up from him and possibly others. I would like to hear what you guys think about this, care/don't care?? Did you think this all along or didn't?? Do you think this will help his case for the Hall of Fame or hurt it?? I would love to hear what you guys think and I will jump in on these topics later.

Manny and Big Papi on List

Is anyone really suprised that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz were on the list from 2003? I just wonder what this means to them, Big Papi came out earlier in the year and said that anyone that is caught should be suspended for the whole year, I wonder if he thinks that now. I wonder where Curt Shilling is considering he is so against it but it was happening right under his nose, he may even be involved for all we know. I wonder though will these guys get the same treatment that A-rod got earlier in the year having to do the ESPN interview and having the press all over him, the funny thing is the injury actually helped him because since he came back you don't really hear much about the steroids, I wonder if they will still yell at him in Fenway Park about that, always seemed pretty hypocritical to me. I think this whole thing is crazy that they leaked the names that were supposed to remain confidential but they may as well just let them all out now, I really don't like this little by little stuff so the story never truly goes away. I wonder what anyone else thinks about this, chime in with your thoughts in the comments section and keep this debate going.

Roger Clemens still denying

Roger Clemens was on the Mike and Mike show this morning on ESPN radio and continued to deny using PEDS. I wonder if this guy has lied so much that he believes his lies now?? I will get more into this later on but he still says Andy Pettitte misremembers their conversations and that there is no way Brian McNamee has his dna because he never gave him HGH or steroids, that is pretty funny Roger. The reason he broke his silence is because a book about him came out today.

Manny Suspended for PEDS

Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games today for violating the drug policy. The Dodgers called up a minor league outfielder to take his place. A-rod is expected back tomorrow and this seems to be good for him as it will take the attention away from him or at least some of it. I really think Alex has a chance to redeem himself to some degree now, the Yankees are once again struggling without him, they desperately need him. If he comes back plays well, the Yankees win and he stays out of trouble which is a big if then I think he can come back from all of this and be a hero at least to Yankee fans. A-rod has made mistakes but he still isn't Bonds or Clemens or even Manny and I really think people want to love A-rod but it has been hard to do. I think this is his chance to get everyone on his side and rewrite his legacy.

A-rod book fallout has started

The Selena Roberts A-rod book fallout has started as the Daily News got a hold of some excerpts. I don't know how they got them a couple of weeks ahead of the book being released but they did and the most alarming thing if you want to say that is that the book alleges that A-rod did steroids when he was in high school and also when he was a Yankee someone saw him with Kevin Brown a pitcher at the time doing HGH together. My opinion of all of this is who cares, we know he did steroids and we know he does crazy things in his personal life, who cares how much he tips waitresses and who he hangs out with and about his divorce and all of that, I really don't care and I am not sure that anyone else does either at this point. A-rod will just have to say no comment and the same for the rest of the Yankees and eventually it will go away we hope. A-rod just needs to come back and play baseball like he says he will and help the team win. If Alex performs and the team wins the fans aren't going to care about anything else.

Barry Bonds still out there

Barry Bonds has basically been blackballed by baseball, I know they deny it but it appears to be collusion by the owners. Barry Bonds is a easy guy to root against, he has a ton of baggage, he is considered a bad guy in the clubhouse and much more but one thing is for sure the guy can hit. I am starting a rumor and discussion here for the sake of debate. I am wondering if anyone thinks the Yankees should sign Barry Bonds, I know they don't have a spot this year it seems but what about next year when Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are coming off of the books? I just want to state that I am not for that move and wouldn't be under any circumstances but I am sure there are people that would be. I want to go over the pros first, he is always a threat, he can hit, he is a lefthanded hitter and he only has to DH in the american league. The cons are obvious with the steroid allegations and the ongoing investigations and court cases with him, the media firestorm although the Yankees are used to that and of course him just being a oronary guy and bad in the clubhouse. I would love to hear what Yankee fans have to say about this subject, please comment and email me and let me know either way what the thoughts on this are.

Lineup Change for the Yankees

Mark Teixera was scratched from tonights game with a sore wrist that bothers him when he swings right handed. Nick Swisher will be playing first base and batting third and Johnny Damon will be back in left field batting second. The rest of the lineup remains the same. It looks like their are a couple of more players that took steroids Troy Glaus being the biggest name along with Scott Schoenweis. I will have more on this later when there is more information and confirmation. I hope everyone enjoys the game and I will be back later.

Cashman audio from today

Arod is the big story of the day and below I have the link to the Cashman audio on that. The Yankees are going to try and nurse him through it and I think that is the best move right now since he hasn't been bothered by it and it hasn't affected him. They have to keep a close eye on it and Alex has to be honest with them about it. The Yankees ultimately are going to win or lose by their pitching though even though if they lost Arod for a significant period it would hurt them. Joba did not get out of the first inning today giving up 5 runs on 4 walks, 1 hit and a wild pitch. He said afterwards that he felt fine and no worries but how long can this last before everyone panics?? If this continues would Phil Hughes get a shot and Joba back to the pen?? The good news from today is that Mariano Rivera threw his first bullpen of the season and felt fine and said he will be ready for opening day. It will be interesting to see what the Yanks do with Arod, how long will he be out but at least for now they don't have to worry about the steroids scandal. Cashman audio from today Posted using ShareThis

Arod could miss WBC

Jack Curry of the NY times is reporting that Alex Rodriguez has a cyst on his hip and this could prevent him from playing in the WBC. The Yankees apparantly knew about this but he was cleared by the team doctor to keep playing. This is really not a serious thing, im sure though people will say its because of steroids or whatever. He is scheduled to fly to Colorado tomorrow to see a hip specialist and then more information will be available. The New York Yankees statement can be found at http://yankees.lhblogs.com via Peter Abraham.

New York Mets/ St Louis Cardinals

The New York Mets got spanked today by the St Louis Cardinals 15-4. Freddy Garcia got the start and looks to be done as he didn't fare well once again going 2 innings giving up 4 runs on 3 hits with 1 bb and 3k's. He gave up 2 homers. He was the only Met pitcher of note. On the offensive side of things Luis Castillo went 0-3, after a hot start he has cooled off, Daniel Murphy went 1-3. Angel Pagan who is having a great spring again trying to make the team went 1-1 with a bb and 2 rbis. Ryan Church went 1-2 with a walk. The Mets will take on the Nationals tomorrow in a away game. The other news out of Mets camp today was Darryl Strawberry said that he would of used steroids if they would of been as prevalent when he was young and stupid. He said he loves Arod and that he is glad he stood up and admitted it. He said its not fair to pick on one guy and that he is taking the bullet for everyone, that should be enough for him.

Yanks/Twins Again

The New York Yankees take on the Minnesota Twins again today this time from George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Joba Chamberlain gets the start followed by Kei Igawa,Dunn,Veras,Giese and others. The lineup for this game is: Damon Jeter Tex Arod Posada Cano Swisher Molina Cabrera Melky better get something going because Gardner is looking real strong and has passed him by in the CF battle so far. Posada is still the DH and won't catch until March 15. Today and tomorrow the big guys will play and then Cano,Jeter,Arod will leave for the WBC. The game is on YES today at 1 so I will have posts as I am watching the game. Arod also will meet with MLB investigators tomorrow about the steroids issue. The WBC will start up next week and be shown live on the MLB Network. Get used to seeing a lot of Berroa,Leone,Ransom etc for the next couple of weeks at least while the regulars are gone. Next week Team USA plays the Yankees and that will be interesting, the game will be on YES as Derek Jeter takes on the Yankees. Enjoy the game everyone and check back for updates during the game.

Jorge Posada Doing Well

I am sorry that the last post was so long but there was a lot of things to get to today and notice nothing about steroids which is great. I wanted to write this about Jorge Posada seperate because I think this is so important. It was a good sign today that Posada ended up throwing from 220 feet. " I threw a lot today," he said. " It feels a little better everyday. Tony Pena who is the catching coach as well as bench coach loves it and it feels good coming out of my hand. There's no pain and I feel stronger." Posada estimates he is at 85 percent. He wouldn't even be close to 100 percent at this point if he didn't have surgery so this is a great sign. Jorge is the fiery leader and you just don't find too many catchers that can hit like him so yes he is a huge deal. I am feeling more and more confident he will be fine but lets see how he is when he starts catching in games.