Tampa Bay Sports Blog

There were a few crazy things that went on over the last couple weeks that I wanted to touch on and didn’t have time, but nothing got my attention more than the A-Rod deal. There has already been a tremendous amount of backlash on this situation and some of it is just funny. The dumbest thing I’ve seen written so far is what Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wrote about releasing A-Rod (hat tip to Mets Police for that one). Madden wants the Yankees to cut A-Rod, no matter the cost, in order to make a statement. The Yankees have more money than any team in baseball and they show it consistently with their ridiculous spending sprees, but not even the Yankees can justify writing off $270 million. This has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen a legitimate reporter write. The Yanks already looked like idiots for paying Rodriguez the amount of money they did before A-Rod was a known steroid user. If they get nothing out of him AND spend that money they would look worse, not better Bill. There is no statement they could make that is worth a quarter billion dollars.

I want to take this A-Rod thing in a different direction though. I’m not going to defend him, but the fact that the test that he popped on was supposed to be anonymous and got leaked is an atrocity and will do nothing but worsen the already rocky relationship between the players union and MLB. We haven’t heard A-Rod come out and say anything yet, but it’s coming soon as he has a ceremony in his honor upcoming at the University of Miami. In the aftermath of all of this I think Rodriguez could use this scenario as an opportunity to better his relationship with other players and actually boost himself in the eyes of others.

Follow me here. In my opinion this is what I think he should do. First off, he needs to come out and admit to doing steroids in the past in order to keep up with what he thought other players were doing. I could be wrong, but I don’t believe his contract can be voided if the test he was positive for was supposed to be anonymous. If he does this he can take some of the stink off of him in the eyes of the public and immediately turn the Government away from him. If he lies, the Government will want him to come in and testify under oath and go after him similar to Bonds, Clemens, etc. This has to be his first step toward redemption.

The next thing I would like to see Alex do is demand that the rest of the tests be destroyed and insist that no one else’s name be leaked and tarnished. If he falls on the sword and leads the charge against those who leaked this info he could become a much more popular figure within the players fraternity. Nearly every player would applaud and respect him for doing such a thing. It would also show some backbone and fortitude, which is something he gets knocked for lacking.

I would also like to see him lead the charge against Bud Selig and lobby to have him removed as the commissioner of Major League Baseball. What has gone on under Selig’s watch is atrocious and he needs to be held accountable for it. Rodriguez is the latest casualty under the mismanagement of Bud Selig.

I don’t feel sorry for Alex, the Yankees or anyone else in this, but the fact that the test he has popped for was supposed to be anonymous and just used “to measure the amount of users there were” is unacceptable. This is the same thing as police versus criminals. There are supposed to be rules limiting the cops to what they can do in order to catch a criminal and that’s why we call it justice. The smart criminals stay ahead of the cops and the good cops figure out how to catch them, legally! That’s the game and that’s how it’s played. There are always some cops and some criminals playing outside the lines, but the rules are in place to help maintain order. This situation with A-Rod is exactly the same. Alex will have to come to grips with the fact that his legacy is tainted and that it can’t be fixed on the field now. He can raise himself up in other ways now by not only holding himself accountable, but forcing those that caught him to be accountable also. Bud Selig gets too much credit for his newfound tough drug policy these days. Did everyone forget that MLB and Bud Selig had to be dragged in kicking and screaming by Congress in order to finally do something about it to begin with? Selig has done some stupid things as commissioner, as most any commissioner will, but this needs to be his final blunder.

You shouldn’t be the highest paid commissioner in sports if you’re going to allow crap like this. This was flat out wrong and shady. There is no argument for Selig either because this is his baby. He can’t play ignorant because he should have been monitoring this as close as possible. Alex Rodriguez’s life as he knows it is over. If he thought people were negative toward him before, just wait and see how he gets treated now. There is no excuse for what he did and he has created the attention himself by being the most greedy athlete we’ve seen to date, but he can still come out of this ok if he owns up to it and grows a pair (hard to do on roids, I know).

I’m going to get sick of this story pretty quick, but I do want to see how it plays out.

Technorati Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Bud Selig, New York Yankees, Roger Clemens, Tampa Bay Rays, University of Miami

The Heater has put out a post that Rocco Baldelli is all but gone. Rocco has basically become an afterthought now with the signing of Pat Burrell and the limited funds left that we assume will go toward the bullpen. That’s fine. The Rays owe nothing to Rocco and Rocco owes nothing to the Rays. I do find myself lost at the destinations that are being mentioned though. Here’s the list being reported.

• Pirates/Orioles:The Rays just got themselves out of the perennial losers club and Roc got to be a part of it, why go back to one? Either of these teams would be a horrible decision for Roc unless it was a one year deal just to prove he can play again, but he has even stated that he’s unsure if he can play the field everyday. Bad Choices here.
• Yankees: Why why why?! It’s bad enough that Roc has drawn comparisons to Joe DiMaggio, why go and put that type of pressure on yourself? Injuries, the Joe D comparison and the pressure to win would make Baldelli target practice for the firing range of reporters and fans in New York. Bad!
• Reds: Can’t DH there and they’re another non contender. The Reds could get better though and Rocco could be in a platoon situation there. This is puzzling only because of Rocco’s statements about playing the field, but if the money is right I could see it.
• Phillies: There is a combination of things I see wrong with this, though it’s not as bad a choice of the previously mentioned. First, don’t you think it would bother a guy playing for the team that just beat you in the World Series? It would bother me, but maybe I’m being a little juvenile about it. The same things about pressure and playing the field come into play here also, but the city bothers me most. Why would someone as laid back as Rocco want to go to that hellhole? The team seems classy, but the fans are the worst in sports. He might as well go play soccer in Germany!
• Red Sox: This would be the toughest for all of us Rays fans to swallow. How could Rocco do this?! I realize he’s from Rhode Island and it would basically be going home, but why? The Sox are generally a classy team and the city would embrace him like a long lost son, but why?! He could DH on occasion and be a fourth outfielder, but….never mind.

The most frustrating thing to me with all this is that all signs point to Boston. He’s a homer, a great guy and a great story. It would probably be a childhood dream come true for him, but damn, why Boston? Given the rivalry that the Rays have developed with the Sox over the years, even before the Rays were good, how could he switch sides like that? It’s just sickening to me.

I’ve heard people tell me they think Rocco should give the Rays a discount and come back for a year because they were so patient with him and his condition, but I don’t agree with that. He couldn’t help what happened and neither could the Rays. Giving guys money like the Rays gave Rocco are always a risk and that’s why. It’s not like Baldelli didn’t want to play, he couldn’t. Again, no one owes anyone anything here. My problem with this whole thing, and I think I speak for most fans, is the rivalry part of it.

The bottom line is this whole thing is this, Roc will most likely be in a Red Sox uniform next year and that will suck. It is a scenario I’m not used to as a fan. It’s not like Clemens going to the Yankees or anyting. It’s a guy going back to play for his hometown team and continuing his baseball career. As easy as that is to understand, I’d like to think that we mean as much to him here as he did to us and that would prevent him from going. It’s so hard to wrap my head around because I don’t think he’ll chase the money, I think he wants to go home. I understand it all, but it’s still hard for me to get.

For me it’s like this. I was a Marine. Marines are a department of the Navy. Anyone who’s been in the military knows there is a huge rivalry between branches and we all talk shit about each other. That being said, there is no Marine Corps football team. There’s an Army, Navy and an Air Force, but no Marine Corps. Being a department of the Navy, we root for Navy when these teams play each other, but I would never want to be in the Navy. Get it? I respect everyone, but I’m a Marine and I take pride in that and could never don another’s uniform. The problem with me relating it this way is because there isn’t big money involved. Every jarhead I know would tell you the same thing I just did, but if someone offered me a couple mil to put on the ice cream whites, well.

Capping this drawn out thing off, I wish Rocco well where ever he goes, I just hope it’s not Boston.

Technorati Tags: Air Force, Army, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cincinatti Reds, Joe DiMaggio, Navy, New York Yankees, Pat Burrell, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburg Pirates, Rocco Baldelli, Roger Clemens, Tampa Bay Rays, United States Marine Corps