Over the past few weeks this sports star has been called so many names — many of which haven’t been flattering at all. He went from Alex Rodriguez to AROD to AFRAUD (courtesy of Joe Torre’s book) to AHOLE to AROID. The last two "new" nicknames were headlines from New York newspapers.
As you know, I am not a fan of the NY Yankees, nor am I a fan of most of their players. Frankly I haven’t been a fan of AROD’S for a long time. Yes he has tremendous talent and is arguably the best player in baseball. But I have always said he doesn’t make teammates around him better and won’t win anything but personal awards.
I have so many mixed feelings about him. On one hand he knew what he was doing and should get all of the wrath that comes with that, but on the other hand I kind of feel sorry for him. If I had a Hall of Fame vote, would I vote "yes" for him? I don’t know. Should the commissioner do something about him? I don’t know. Here is one thing I know: I love baseball and all of this stuff has really messed up a game I truly love. There were 103 other names on that list and part of me believes they should be fair to the American public, baseball fans and (I can’t believe I am saying this) AROD and release the names.
I have so many mixed emotions on this topic.
- What are you feeling?
- What are you calling Alex now?
- What would you do if you were the commissioner?
- Do you think Alex was sincere with his apology?
I look forward to reading your comments.
PS – It looks like Jose Canseco was telling more of the truth than all of us thought!
Jeff Goldman says:
What are you feeling? Kind of tired of it, especially the coverage he is getting in NYC, and now with the Details magazine issue, it’s even more attention.
What would you do if you were the commissioner?
I think something should have been done earlier on. I agree with you that the list should be made available, as it’s “unfair” that they went after one player.
On another issue, how crazy is it that Bud Selig makes 18 million a year?!!!
Do you think Alex was sincere with his apology? NOT AT ALL.
PS – It looks like Jose Canseco was telling more of the truth than all of us thought!
Definitely, he’s coming out looking good in this fiasco.
Rhonda Ellis says:
I call him simply…… OVERPAID.
Jon Last says:
Love him or hate him, the numbers that this guy has put up are unquestionably among the best in baseball. Left in a second tier market, the media spotlight and scrutiny would be SO much less. Sure he hasn’t won a world series. Sure, he puts so much of this upon himself with poor choices. Sure he makes more than anyone else in the game, so the expectations are higher. Sure, I don’t buy his apology. But bottomline, I find it hard to think of another 3B I’d rather have on my team…and that’s even after watching David Wright rescue the US team from the dead against Puerto Rico last night.
As someone obsessed with baseball, I can’t condone the use of steroids, but if you are really honest about it, players in any sport will always try to get an edge. Their livelihood depends upon it. If you don’t believe me, read Hank Aaron’s incredibly poignant and candid quotes on steroids in the latest Sporting News. Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking steroids during an era when usage was rampant. He still put up better numbers than anyone else out there. For that he should be recognized as an incredibly talented baseball player. None of us (that I’m aware of) know the guy well enough to comment fairly on whether he is a good person or not. So, leave him alone, and let’s see what he does this year.
Michael Mermelstein says:
I agree with Jeff – tired of it; and with Jon – leave the guy alone to play baseball. I don’t think the commissioner should do anything, it is well after the fact and was not outside the rules of baseball at the time – it was just plain wrong. Harder call as to whether he should be in the Hall of Fame. Should McGuire or Bonds? He is now in the same category as these guys and most people, at present, feel they should not be in. There are so many difficult, societal issues around this topic and while we look to pro athletes (and other celebrities) to be role models many of them cannot stand the light that shines on them. Sorry to say that this will probably never change – we will always have very poor role models. Maybe it is because we give a lot of money to very young kids with little to no education.
mark sutin says:
Jon, I agree with your sentiment 100%.
I am so tired of it all. Sometimes I think it is just anti Yankee prejudice that inspires the comments.
Bottom line is that if most people were starting a team, they would most likely want ARod to play 3b.
I would love to see the expression on some of the people who are bashing ARod, If/When they find out that their favorite player is on that list. It has been stated that almost 60% may have taken Steroids during that time, and ARod’s numbers were better then anyone else’s. regardless, he is an awesome talent
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jon/Mark – you bring up an interesting question. If you were starting a team would you want him? Yes he is the best player in baseball (ok I said it) but with that comes alot of stuff. Big salary, lots of attention and is it really worth it?
He hasn’t won a ring and in my opinion – never will. Does he make his teammates better – I dont think so.
So do you still want him if you are starting a team? I would take Wright over him and also Kevin Youkilus from the Redsox. Both hardworking players who i believe do make people around them better, appear to love the game and SO FAR don’t have any baggage.
Just my thoughts.
Merrill
Will Morris says:
You got me going on this one. I have always loved baseball but my passion was negatively impacted by the strike in 1994. From 1982 to 1994 I attended Spring Training in Florida every year. I even bought a time share in March to coincide with the peak of Spring Training.
But after 1994, I decided to enjoy only what happened between the lines and the box scores. I no longer have a passion for the individuals players as much as I do the strategy of the game. I enjoy a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt, hit and run, or pick off play much more than I do a home run. And since major league players can no longer bunt, my joy has subsided some since the Whitey Herzog retired.
I think Bud Selig is an idiot and a hypocrite. The owners are equally hypocritical. I think baseball let the steroid issue get out of hand because home runs were good for baseball after the strike in 1994. We knew that Mark McGuire was using Andro in the middle of his record setting year, but it was back page news at the time. Jose Conseco wrote a book and all of a sudden Bud Selig, Congress, and the sportswriters are all in a rage. Baseball hates Conseco but he is the only one telling the truth. Sportswriters who have this “holier than thou” attitude about steroids and the Hall of Fame are also idiots.
I honestly don’t care about the impact of steroids on baseball and I don’t think anybody really would except for the assault on the home run records and anything other than 715 and 60 has been subject to an *.
I don’t like Alex Rodriquez as an individual, but he is a great baseball player. He should be a first ballot Hall of Famer. I enjoy watching him play, except in October. I don’t like Barry Bonds, but he is a great baseball player and a first ballot Hall of Famer. I don’t like Roger Clemens (the only not home run hitter who is being punished) but he too is a first ballot Hall of Famer. They were great with or without steroids. The penalty for lying about using steroids seems worse than for actually using them.
I like Mark McGuire, who was hitting home runs before steroids, 49 as a skinny rookie. But he is also a 263 life time hitter (27 points higher than Dave Kingman). He has numbers for Hall of Fame consideration, but was never a first ballot type of player. The steroid issue should not put him at the bottom of the list, however. McGuire hasn’t lied, he just wanted to move forward, which was the exact recommendation of the Mitchell Report.
Baseball has gone through many different points in time and survived. The fans will always watch the game, even amid temporary disappointments. Ironically, steroids may have helped save baseball after 1994. It is what it is and the great players should be in the Hall of Fame even if for 3 or 4 years of their 20 year career they used steroids.
The history of baseball has always been the gamesmanship of tinkering with the edge and not getting caught. Corked bats, spit balls, sand paper, pine tar, greenies, watering down the base paths, growing the grass long, etc. Mike Schmidt is very honest about his use of amphetamines so he doesn’t comment about steroids.
My advice – let it go and enjoy the game. Ty Cobb wasn’t a nice guy, but he would have been fun to watch. Babe Ruth might not pass the pee in the bottle test himself on most mornings. Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford would be crucified in the press for the behavior that made them folk heroes in the 1950′s.
And then there is Pete Rose, another unlikeable person, who played the game exactly as we would like all of our heroes to play. That is another diatribe.
More of rant than I intended. My apologies.
Peter Rose says:
I too am tired of A-Rod and of the whole thing; I feel sorry for him from the following standpoint: being the best apparently wasn’t good enough for him. It is the same way with Bonds, McGwire, and before them, my namesake: what they had wasn’t enough. Therein is the sad part. He didn’t need to do this to be dominant — he already was dominant. And now he is forever tarnished and, like the others, will live in baseball purgatory. This does not go away.
His initial apology, I thought, was ok — it beat Rose (15 year delay), McGwire (don’t want to talk about the past), Sosa (no habla Ingles), Giambi (sorry, but not clear for what), Clemens (it was B-12), Palmeiro (Tejada did it) and Bonds (didn’t knowingly take). But it got worse the more he said he was young, naive and stupid. Twenty-two references is plenty and still doesn’t excuse it.
Selig, Fehr, and Orza looks like buffoons in all of this and if I were the union, I’d string Fehr and Orza up. Their stonewalling for years has led to an era in which we believe no one. Tell me there’s a single player in this league where if you found out tomorrow that he was on the juice, you’d be SHOCKED. It cannot happen anymore.
Well, maybe except for Grady Sizemore. That dude’s clean.
Willie Martin says:
Kudos to all the previous comments that have taken most of my thunder…
From 1993 until 2001 I was a Seattle native who marvelled at the two sweetest swings in baseball.Griffey Jr and A-Rod.
I also worked for a sister station to the local sports-talk radio who gave numerous horror stories about how Alex was not a team guy, merely a ME guy, content to spend more time with his cousin and agent.
Funny what we as fans might overlook when you are achieving great results. Bernie Madoff notwithstanding…
2001 until now I have resided in North Texas, the last five years a half mile from where the Rangers play. To hear that player say that ‘pressure from the contract made me do steroids’ is absurd! Dallas media is passe compared to New York, as Alex is going to find out.
I have been a fan of baseball since 1970. I am disgusted at what the game has done outside the lines with eight work stoppages and the ascent of the athlete, free agency, Curt Flood challenging the reserve clause, Marvin Miller and Jerry Kapstein redefining the roles of free agents and a strong union, which baseball now has. Alas the price of progress.
I think many fans would love to hand A-Rod an A-cyst (assist) for his latest peccadillo, but instead can watch Mr. Rodriguez do himself in over time.
None of this would matter if Alex was a stand-up guy like a Derek Jeter…oh yes the man with the rings and dignity! The man Alex wanted so badly to be had to go to his friends city to try to outperform. Numbers do not eschew character and the lack of groundwork and precedence says volumes.
A-Rod the player is special, A-Rod the person is still hidden somewhere within the individual who (since a very young age) has learned better than most how to play the media, the game, and the do-si-do of soundbite politics. He will die by the sword simply because life dictates that the karma police are ALWAYS watching and never sleep. Payback is a bitch!
We are about to see a meltdown happen before our very eyes…
About Bud Selig: Try asking a fan in Seattle how they feel about an average used car salesman who stole a team to bring back to Milwaukee in 1970! BOB COSTAS for commissioner!
Thanks Merrill! That’s my 2 cents…
Jon Last says:
Great dialogue here. To Merrill’s question—Yes, I would take Alex in a heart beat, if I were a GM starting a team, especially if I was in a market other than NY. The guy puts up the numbers and he fills the seats.
If A-Rod isn’t a leader (we don’t know this–particularly since Jeter is larger than life, and untouchable in NY), I’d find other “good guys” and “spark plugs” that can loosen up a club house (Mike Cameron, Kevin Millar, Mike Sweeney) and make others around them, better. The Yankees failure to win a World Series since Alex arrived is because of other shortcomings (pitching!)…and without his .300+ BA, plus power and 100+ RBI every year, they don’t even contend.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jon,
You do bring up some good points with regard to being a leader. You are right he CAN’T be one in NY. That place is taken by Derek Jeter and he is untouchable in NY. That itself is a great topic for a future blog. AROD did come to NY and in my opinion is a better defensive shortstop than Jeter but Jeters team means AROD moves to 3B.
He does put up the numbers and allows the Yankees to contend. However he NEVER delivers in October. His numbers when it counts aren’t pretty and have been documented very often. Against the best pitching on center stage he tends to fold up like an accordion.
Your question about does he put fans in the seats for me he doesn’t. If the Yankees didn’t have him they would still pack it in every night. On the road the something is true. while I do agree with some of your points that one I am not sure I can.
Good discussion for sure.
Merrill
Anthony Tammaro says:
Merrill,
Another great post and one that touches home as someone who is a Yankee fan, baseball fan, and A-rod fan. I truly believe A-rod is the greatest ballplayer of my generation and when his career is over, the numbers and championships will bear that out. (Yes, I expect the Yanks to win at least one during his stay) That being said, I was extremely disappointed when the news broke of his steroid use.
A couple things about your post:
1) I never feel sorry for a man who makes $25 M + a year to play a kids game. He has brought a lot of the media attention on himself. He’s a grown man who doesn’t need our pity.
2) Steroids has really messed up the game you love. – I could argue that steroids has brought the game you love to new heights. Now, I’m not advocating or condoning steroids but if you look at the game since Sosa/McGwire (two biggest users) had their home run battle, attendance and passion for the game has grown exponentially. This leads to my next point
3) Do we care if players on our team are on ‘roids or not? If you found out that David Ortiz is one of the 103 on the list, are you going to root against him in a big spot? Of course not…just like no Yankee fan will root against A-rod come playoff time.
4) Finally, I can’t stand the word “fair”. Life ain’t fair and A-rod was singled out because of who he is – the best player in the game. I doubt A-rod cares if the other names are released, the American public as a whole doesn’t care/probably won’t know the majority of the names on the list and baseball fans probably only care from a curiosity perspective. Again see point 3 above – you’re still going to go to games and you’re still going to root for your teams. Keep the names anonymous – like they all were supposed to be.
Thanks again Merrill for this and all your posts. I look forward to comments on my post
Merrill Dubrow says:
Anthony,
You actually bring up alot of good points. I agree we never should feel sorry for a person who makes 25 million per year but i still believe that baseball owes him and the public the other 103 names. Yes if David Ortiz name was on the list (unfortunately ) it would change my opinion of him. I actually believe he is older than he says he is but again another topic for another day.
Your point about helping and hurting the game (I think you said bringing it to new heights) is 100% true. I would rather (friends like RH and TA knows this) go to a 10-9 game than a 1-0 1 hitter. Too boring and I think more fans would agree with me rather than a low scoring pitchers duel 9perhaps another topic for another time) I also was there during many home run derbys and love the Sosa/McGuire duel in 1999. My hair still stands up when I think about it. It was amazing and magical.
I actually truly believes AROD wants the names released for one simple reason there are big stars on that list and they would take some pressure off of him.
I hope steroids are out of the game and if they want to juice up the “baseballs” instead to increase home runs I for one have NO issue with it.
Anthony – great comments. Look forward to your response.
Merrill
Ed Sugar says:
Here are my remarks about this same issue on this blog back on August 22, 2007
http://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/2007/08/22/attention-baseball-fans-steroids-or-no-steroids-thats-todays-question/#comment-22616
This is issue is stale and boring. We all need to give it a rest for a decade or two and let history make its judgement.
Bob Graham says:
I could forgive the steroids. My problem with A-Rod is that he is such a poor sportsman. Trying to knock the ball from someone’s hand; yelling “I’ve got it” when you are running the bases; and similar shenanigans are not the actions of a man of character.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Bob,
WELL Said! Well said. He is TOO good to be involved in stuff like that. Every player has had an opportunity to do those things and for some reason THEY don’t do it while he does!
Merrill
Glenn Davis says:
Merrill,
I thought A-Rod was a tennis player. ???
Jeff Tanner says:
Build a team around him? I think the Rangers found out you can’t do that.
Switch to college ball, guys. The games are wilder, but you still see Top 10 plays. In fact, maybe more because the bats are livelier. Strategy really means something besides percentages. The game in the game is even better.
Anyone want to see a game at Baylor (except against Texas or A&M – tough tickets), let me know. It’s a game.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Jeff,
I think I will take you up on that – thanks for the offer.
Go Baylor!!
Merrill
Merrill Dubrow says:
Just returned from NY and had the opportunity to read the NY Post article Attention Deficit. Rodriguez needs to use common sense for common good. In the article it mentions a very piercing quote it states the NY Yankees who beat the Red yesterday 6-3 have come together nicely since Rodriguez left – how do you think that makes him feel?
Merrill