Alex Rodriguez Is In The News – All Of A Sudden

The day after the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, former Mariners shortstop and current New York Yankees punchline Alex Rodriguez was officially back in baseball.

Unless you were hiding behind a rock, you know that A-Rod was suspended for all of 2014 for his role in the Biogenesis scandal.

We went through the entire season, having only heard a story here and there about how Alex was preparing for the 2015 season, what the Yankees would do with him when he returned and how the trade for Chase Headley was going to impact A-Rod’s future – assuming the Yanks can re-sign Headley this offseason.

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But now, in the past week we have been blitzed with a series of stories about Alex and I don’t think the timing is coincidental.

I am not a “conspiracy theory” guy. But I do believe that it’s possible that these stories have popped up recently because the New York Yankees want to build a case to Major League Baseball, that having Alex on the team in 2015 and beyond, will do detrimental damage to the organization.

If they can argue a case that states that his continued presence on the ball club damages the image of the club, hurts ticket sales, hinders corporate sponsorship opportunities and in doing so, also hurts the image of baseball as a whole, the Yankees could be permitted to terminate the remainder of Alex’s contract.

And how better to make their case, then to have several negative stories come out about Alex within mere weeks of his eligibility to re-join baseball activities with the team?

First, there was the story that came out that Alex’s cousin and former personal assistant Yuri Sucart, tried to get $5 million from Alex in 2012 to keep quiet about his connection to Biogenesis. Alex eventually paid Sucart $900,000, but also bought Sucart a 2009 Chevrolet Suburban and a 5-bedroom home.

Then, the next day, another report came out saying that Alex admitted to the DEA that he used PEDs. From the Miami Herald report:

"But in a Drug Enforcement Administration conference room back in January, facing federal agents and prosecutors who granted him immunity, baseball’s highest-paid player admitted everything . . . According to a written “report of investigation,” Rodriguez admitted paying Bosch for supplies of testosterone cream, lozenges laced with testosterone (aka “gummies”) and human growth hormone injections.“Rodriguez injected the HGH into his stomach,” the DEA report stated. “Rodriguez said Bosch told him the HGH would help with sleep, weight, hair growth, eyesight and muscle recovery.”Rodriguez also described how Bosch gave the ballplayer “tips on how to beat MLB’s drug testing,” according to the DEA report."

Then yesterday, the wife of Alex’s cousin told the New York Daily News that Rodriguez “is the Devil” and that he urinated on the floor of their home during one visit, like a dog marking his territory.

She also alleges that Alex treated his cousin, her husband Yuri, like a “slave” and would frequently call him “the n-word”.

And in a separate story by Newsday, we see Yuri at home on bed rest after having heart surgery and nearly losing a leg. His wife claims that Yuri’s health took a turn when Yuri was serving time in prison and that he probably won’t live to make it to trial – for multiple counts of providing testosterone – which is scheduled to begin February 9th.

Do I doubt the truth behind these stories? No, with the exception of the urinating on the floor there is no reason to believe that any of this is information was fed to reporters. What I find intriguing is the timing of it all.

Alex’s story is one of the great Greek tragedies in all of sports. And as much as I despise many of the things that he has done, he served his suspension that was handed down by Major League Baseball. Can’t we just let him get back to playing baseball – if he still can at the age of 39 and having taken a year off – and let him finish his career without further ridicule?

I know it’s probably too much to ask. And some will consider me to be an A-Rod apologist, which I’m not. But I just want to get through the offseason without having to see another “Alex Rodriguez is evil” or “Alex Rodriguez did something stupid” article again.

He’s served his time, let’s all let it go.