A-Rod Waves The White Flag

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

After burning every bridge on his way to fighting what he believed was a conspiracy against him and trying to get his 162-game suspension reduced, Alex Rodriguez has now apparently changed course and decided on a less combative course of action.  As first reported by Jim Baumbach of Newsday, A-Rod voluntarily dismissed his lawsuits against MLB, MLBPA, and Bud Selig yesterday, the day that was his side's deadline to respond to MLB's request that the case be thrown out.  A-Rod's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, confirmed that Alex will no longer try to fight the suspension and will not be attending Yankee Spring Training.  After all the initial weirdness of this story, all the barbs traded in the media, and all the accusations from both sides, it looks like this media circus is finally closing its tents and moving out of town.

What Could A-Rod Have Done For The Yankees This Season?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Barring a highly improbable decision by the federal courts, Alex Rodriguez will not play a single Major League game this season for the Yankees or any other team.  His playing career as we know it looks like it could be over and if he does try to come back in 2015 he may be on the receiving end of a beanball targeting that would make what Ryan Dempster did last August look like a walk in the park.

While the Yankees know that A-Rod will not be their starting third baseman this season, they've still yet to figure out who will be.  We know that they're bringing a small army of replacement level competitors to Spring Training.  The most likely scenario is that 2 of those players split time at the hot corner as part of a replacement platoon, at least until one of them gets hurt or sucks so badly that someone else needs to replace him.  It's a risky strategic decision given how much money the Yankees have spent to upgrade the rest of their lineup this offseason, and one that could backfire if they're unable to get consistent production and value out of the position.

A-Rod Suspension Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Angel Franco/The NY Times)

At long last, the arbitrator decision in the Alex Rodriguez Biogenesis suspension case was handed down this past weekend.  As many expected, the decision was not in Alex's favor.  As I expertly predicted (for once), the decision ended up being 162 games instead of MLB's original 211.  The immediate reaction from writers, bloggers, and fans alike was plentiful and spread across a wide range of feelings, and that tidal wave of activity only increased in size after last night's "60 Minutes" piece on the topic aired.  I tried to keep my thoughts on the decision to a minimum while the finer details and reactions from all parties involved came out, and I think I've had enough time to read everything, mull the whole situation over in my head, and comment intelligently on the matter.  My take on everything after the jump.

A-Rod Willing To Accept Shorter Suspension?

Buried in yesterday's NY Daily News story about A-Rod's plans to fight the arbitration ruling should it end up being not in his favor was this little nugget about him possibly accepting a shorter suspension if that ended up being the decision:

"... sources say the Yankee third baseman would likely accept a suspension of 65 games or less without a fight. The legal fees to combat a 65-game ban would likely cost Rodriguez, who is scheduled to earn $25 million in 2014, more than he would lose in salary."

This is the first we've heard about A-Rod being willing to accept any suspension.  The stance he and his team have taken all along has been that the suspension and manner in which it was carried out was unfair, so it does strike me as a bit strange that they would be willing to accept a suspension after all their grandstanding.  Then again, this whole thing is about money for A-Rod, so if he would be able to save some by not fighting a much shorter suspension that would make sense from a personal financial standpoint.

It's worth nothing that there has been no indication that the decision will be for 65 games or fewer, and there has been no statement from A-Rod or his legal team confirming that they are willing to accept that suspension.  The plan, as far as we know it from their side, is still to take the arbitrator's decision to a judge for an injunction when it is handed down.  Guess we'll find out what the real course of action is when Horowitz issues his decision.

Report: A-Rod Prepared To Fight Arbitrator Decision

(Courtesy of Joe Cingrana/CBSNewYork.com)

Now that the HOF announcements have been made, the expectation is that the arbitrator in the A-Rod suspension case will hand down his final decision any day.  When he does, the latest reports have A-Rod and his legal team ready to fight the decision to the bitter end.  According to the NY Daily News, A-Rod will seek an injunction if the suspension is upheld on the grounds that the suspension and subsequent arbitration hearing were "unfair and biased" against him and in violation of federal labor laws.  An anonymous source in the Daily News report said "the papers are all ready" for the official filing and that A-Rod's people "are just waiting for the announcement."

This will basically be a last gasp attempt by Alex to keep his hopes of playing Major League Baseball again alive, and the swiftness with which his legal team has prepared for this course of action provides some insight into what they expect arbitrator Frederic Horowitz's decision to be.  Their belief is that they can follow in NFL player Jonathan Vilma's footsteps and get an "unfair" suspension overturned through the courts, but that was a different case in a different sport with different rules so it's hardly and apples-to-apples comparison.

I honestly can't remember if I'd said this already or not, but I don't think we're going to see A-Rod on the field in 2014 and I think there's a very good chance he's played his last MLB game.  At the absolute least, I see the suspension getting reduced to 162 games and it wouldn't surprise me if the full 211 was upheld.  The deck has been stacked against him from the beginning and he's basically down to his last card.  The odds of him overturning the decision through a court injunction are no better than the odds of the suspension being overturned.

Report: A-Rod Decision Could Be Coming Soon

Told MLB is expecting decision on ARod appeal very early in January, possibly right after New Year’s.
— Bob Klapisch (@BobKlap) December 23, 2013

It's been one of many slow-playing offseason storylines for the Yankees, but a resolution to the Alex Rodriguez steroid suspension saga could finally be coming.  According to a report earlier today by Bob Klapisch, Major League Baseball is expecting the arbitrator to hand down his decision "very early in January, possibly right after New Year's."

This is in line with some other reports/theories that have been floating around the Yankosphere lately.  The timeline for a decision was always set in early-to-mid January after the hearing wrapped up last month, and with HOF announcement set for January 8th, the prevailing thought is that MLB would want to get the A-Rod announcement out of the way early or late enough to not distract from that.

As far as the Yankees are concerned, a post-New Year's decision would be ideal.  They've put the brakes on their offseason activity since their payroll started creeping close to the luxury tax ceiling, and probably aren't going to make any more moves to address third base or their pitching staff until they know how much of A-Rod's money is going to be coming off the books.  If this schedule holds, it will put an end to a long, bizarre, frustrating, and often entertaining part of the 2013 offseason.

The A-Rod Appeal Resumes

(Photo courtesy of Sweeny Murti)

The sides were back together yesterday for the continuation of Alex Rodriguez's suspension appeal against Major League Baseball.  After not being well enough to make it to New York for a scheduled interview with MLB last Friday, The Horse was in good enough shape to rejoin his legal team yesterday (yay!).

This is supposed to be the final session for this hearing and the early word is that it will go continuously through the next 10 days if needed.  No breaks, no taking weekends off, it sounds like the goal is to get the hearing wrapped up by Thanksgiving so the arbitrator can take his time needed to consider everything and hand down his ruling.  That could take another 3-4 weeks, which would push the decision into late December, after the Winter Meetings are over.  A-Rod, Bud Seling, and Randy Levine could all be called to testify during this session.

The Yankees have been saying all along that they're operating under the assumption that A-Rod and his salary will be around next season, but their aggressive actions on the free agent market speak otherwise.  If something unexpected happens and A-Rod's suspension is completely lifted, we'll see how true those "payroll goal" statements really are.

A-Rod's Legal Schedule Starting To Fill Up

(A man of the people.  Courtesy of the AP)

Time to get some more candlelight vigil participants ready because Alex Rodriguez is going to be spending even more time in court rooms in the very near future.

After the first week of his appeal case against MLB and their 211-game suspension didn't lead to a ruling, that hearing was put on hold due to the arbitrator's schedule.  The hearing is set to resume this coming Wednesday, October 16th, and once again the Yankees will be hoping for a quick resolution so they can start to put their offseason plans together.  But that's not all, Ken Davidoff of The Post reported that the case for A-Rod's "witch hunt" lawsuit against MLB is set to begin in the U.S. District Court in New York on October 24th.  While technically not related to the appeal hearing, A-Rod's legal team does appear to be trying to use that lawsuit and alleged shady practices by MLB to influence the arbitrator's decision on his suspension.

Whatever happens, expect a lot more photo ops and a lot more mud slinging from Alex and MLB.  Hopefully something gets resolved in these next few weeks so the Yankees aren't twisting in the wind when free agency starts.

BREAKING NEWS: A-Rod Sues MLB (Updated)

Well this is quite the unexpected turn of events.  According to a story published this morning by the New York Times, Alex Rodriguez and his legal team sued Major League Baseball last night, claiming they are leading a "witch hunt" to force him out of the game that MLB engaged in "tortious interference" as part of their attempt to build their suspension case against A-Rod.

The biggest accusation is one involving an MLB investigator paying $150,000 to Anthony Bosch for records on A-Rod that his legal team claims were stolen.  The specifics of the money exchange read like something out of "Ocean's Eleven" and if this turns out to be true that would be a huge blow to MLB.  I can't imagine that 211-game suspension would be upheld by the arbitrator if it turns out they were using tactics this shady to gather intel.

A-Rod said a few months back that he was going to be in a fight for his life with this appeals case and he's certainly handling it that way.  Love him or hate him, you have to give his legal team credit for doing everything they can to discredit MLB and paint A-Rod in a more sympathetic light.  The appeals hearing won't wrap up today, and there's no scheduled time table for when it will pick up again, but with this latest twist it should only get more interesting from here.

** UPDATE 10:00 AM- Here's the PDF of the full lawsuit.  Definitely take a minute to read that introduction. **

Oh Yeah, The A-Rod Suspension Appeal Started Yesterday

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

For as much news as his initial connection to the Biogenesis Clinic made, and as much as the MSM hyped him up as a villain when the suspensions were handed down and he was the only one to appeal, the opening day of the Alex Rodriguez appeal hearing yesterday didn't generate much buzz.  A-Rod himself was there with his legal team, as was former Biogenesis head Anthony Bosch, but for the most part the coverage seemed to be limited to just that and a few quick words from A-Rod and Joe Tacopina on their way out.  I don't know if it was because there was the AL tiebreaker game last night or if everybody was super stoked about Saints-Dolphins on MNF.  I even forget about it myself before I saw a few things come across Twitter late yesterday morning, which is surprising considering the results of this appeal are the most important part of the Yankees' offseason.

A-Rod's Legs Starting To Jeter Out On Him

For the second time in less than a week, Alex Rodriguez was removed from a game due to injuries to his legs.  Early last week it was the left hamstring that started to nag, forcing Joe to limit Alex to just a DH role for the rest of the week.  Last night it was his right calf that reportedly felt sore and caused him pain running the bases.  He was pinch hit for and removed from the game in the top of the 5th inning.

If this story sounds familiar, it's because it's almost exactly the same as what went down with Derek Jeter this season.  He came back from leg injuries without the proper amount of time to build up his leg strength and it led to further complications and the eventual end of his season.  Alex seems to be falling victim to the same fate after returning from his offseason hip surgery.  Like Jeter, A-Rod didn't have a lot of time to work his legs back into game shape.  Like Jeter, that lack of leg conditioning limited his ability to play the field and play every day.  And like Jeter, the compounding issues with his legs as a result of having to play through those ailments seems to be adding up to force A-Rod off the field.

He's been a tremendous and somewhat surprising boost to the lineup since coming off the DL, off-the-field circus aside.  Now A-Rod might finish the season and head into his offseason appeal battle on the sidelines instead of playing out what could be the final 12 games of his career.

Heel A-Rod Strikes Again

He didn't hit the loudest or most important home run last night, but Alex Rodriguez did club another one to the opposite field off righty pitcher Scott Feldman in the top of the 6th.  And as he's done before since returning, he celebrated it in style.

After ARod touched home, he turned to 2 guys behind home plate who were heckling him as well & did the "zip your lips" pose and blew a kiss.
— Kris Jones (@RavenManiac) September 12, 2013

Goddamn do I love Heel A-Rod.  Such a great character.  If his hips hold up, he should definitely consider a run in pro wrestling after he retires/gets suspended/whatever.  And while he's still playing he should seriously consider changing to this for his AB music.

The Incredible Righty-Mashing A-Rod

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

After he left last night's game in the bottom of the 8th inning, the story was Alex Rodriguez's hamstring and how much, if at all, it would prevent him from playing in the next game.  He's been one of the most consistent and productive bats in the Yankee lineup since coming back last month, and that was once again the story before the bottom of the 8th.  A-Rod went 2-4 last night with a pair of doubles, 1 R scored, and 1 RBI. He started the Yankee scoring in the top of the 3rd and the big rally to take the lead in the 8th, and he looked pretty damn good doing it.  For the season his batting line is up to .301/.388/.496 with a 10.9% BB Rate in 129 plate appearances, good for a .387 wOBA and 144 wRC+.  Even more shocking is the fact that it's a dramatic turnaround against right-handed pitching and a serious reverse platoon split that's fueling those numbers.

AB4AR "Best Of The Month" Awards: August 2013

It seems like it's been a while since we've started one of the "best of the month" posts on a positive note.  That's because it has.  May and July were kinda "blah" months and June was a disaster.  To be fair, the Yankees' 16-12 record in August doesn't stand out as overwhelmingly good.  Their stumbling, bumbling start to the month has a lot to do with that.  Now that they've got some more guys healthy and have an everyday lineup that's more befitting of the team's reputation, things are on the upswing and the Yankees closed the month of August in much better shape than they were when they started.  They're back in the playoff hunt, they're as healthy as they've been all year, and they had a month chock full of great performances and great moments.  See the best of the best after the jump.

Last Time On "As The Quad Strains"

Joseph accused Randy of sabotaging Alex's career:

"They rolled him out there like an invalid and made him look like he was finished as a ballplayer."

Randy called Alex out for hiding behind his lawyer, and challenged him to expose the truth:

"Alex should put up or shut up."

Alex tried to catch up on his reading:

"I've got to read the article first."

And Brian just didn't feel comfortable talking to Alex anymore:

"I don't feel comfortable talking to him. ... Hello, goodbye, and that’s it. Because anything else, I don’t want to be distorted, to be quite honest.”

What will happen next time?  Will Alex reveal his medical records?  Will Joseph expose Randy for his hurtful lies?  Will Alex get some time to check out that article??  And will Brian and Alex ever be able to repair their broken relationship???  Tune in next time to "As The Quad Strains."

Righties Still A Problem For A-Rod

(Courtesy of the AP)

It was nothing earth shattering, but some might say they were a little surprised at the results of Alex Rodriguez's first few games back from the DL.  He had a hit in each of his first 3 games against the White Sox, drew a few walks, put some good swings on balls, played the field well, and still looked like he had enough power at the plate to be an offensive threat once he gets his timing back.  But those 3 starts were against left-handed pitchers, the type of pitcher against whom A-Rod is most effective.  In his first game against a righty starter last night, things didn't look so good.

A-Rod went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts last night against Tigers starter Rick Porcello.  The same Rick Porcello who's the 5th starter in that rotation and not exactly a "blow you away" type of right hander.  A-Rod struck out swinging in his first 2 at-bats at nothing but low-90s fastballs and looked overmatched doing it.  His getting frozen by a nasty slider in his final at-bat in the 8th happens to the best of hitters, but the lack of bat speed against Porcello's fastballs was a flashback to last year's ALCS and a reminder that Alex has declined tremendously against right-handed pitching.

Joe has him out of the lineup today after batting him 5th yesterday.  It'll definitely be worth watching what he does with A-Rod against righties if Alex really struggles against them.

The Straight Up Most Ridiculous Anti-A-Rod Article I've Ever Read In My Life

I knew this was coming.  I predicted it.  But even I couldn't predict something of this magnitude, especially from someone who seems to be a relative nobody in the Yankee MSM world.

/says the guy with the most generic-looking blog template out there and no Twitter account

Jason Keidel of CBS NY just put himself on the map with his Alex Rodriguez smear article last night.  I'm talking in a big way.  I don't know what it takes to get into the NY media secret society with the Lupicas and Maddens and Marchands of the world, but I have to think after a piece like this Keidel is well on his way to getting an invite to a future society function.  The dude clearly has what it takes to hang with the big boys in the A-Rod bashing world, almost Mike Trout-like in just his raw, A-Rod bashing tools.  I'm actually going to link to this because it really does need to be read in its entirety to get a full appreciation for how over-the-top and ridiculous it is, but after the jump I'll tackle the highlights.

A Strict "On Field Only" Analysis Of A-Rod's First Game Back

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It may have slipped past you yesterday, what with ESPN and the rest of the MSM completely ignoring the story, but Alex Rodriguez actually made his 2013 season debut last night.  The collection of circumstances surrounding that debut are their own topic of conversation, and one every other MSM outlet seems to be covering just fine.  For the purposes of this post, what you think about A-Rod as a person and whether you think he deserves to be on the field is irrelevant.  He is on the field, it looks like he'll be eligible to be for the rest of this season, and the Yankees can definitely use him.  Focusing strictly on what he did on the field last night, here's what I thought about Alex's first game back.

Alex Rodriguez Officially Suspended By Major League Baseball (Updated)

From the league itself:

"Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 Championship Season and Postseason and the entire 2014 Championship Season for violations of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program and the Basic Agreement.

Rodriguez’s discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years. Rodriguez’s discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner’s investigation. The suspension, which will become effective on Thursday, August 8th, will cover 211 Championship Season games and any 2013 Postseason games in which Rodriguez otherwise would have been eligible to play.

Under the terms of the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, Rodriguez’s suspension will be stayed until the completion of his appeal if Rodriguez files a grievance challenging his discipline."

There you have it.  With the suspension not starting until Thursday it's a few less games than initially reported, but this is basically what was expected to come out of this announcement.  Now let the fun of the appeal process begin...

** UPDATE 2:26 PM- Bud Selig has issued his own personal statement, if you're interested in reading what he has to say. **

** UPDATE 2:47 PM- Yankees have released their official statement as well, and it contains a return of fire across A-Rod's bow in its denial of any involvement in the investigation.  Fun times. **

** UPDATE 3:39 PM- The MLBPA has issued a statement on all the suspensions, pledged their support to A-Rod and his decision to appeal, and said that they believe Bud Selig "has not acted appropriately under the Basic Agreement." **

A-Rod Goes On The Offensive

(If that isn't the biggest "you can all go fuck yourselves" smile I've ever seen, I don't know what is.  Courtesy of the AP)

Does this sound like a guy who's ready to make a deal with MLB to you?

"There is more than one party that benefits from me not being on the field. It’s not my teammates and not the Yankees fans.”

In the end he's probably going down big time, come hell or high water, but good for A-Rod for not just laying there and taking it.  And good for him for having the balls to come out and say what any reasonable and rational fan has already thought and what every MSM writer is afraid to report on.  The Yankees have to be ecstatic about how this is going to go down.  If Bud gets his way, they aren't only off the hook for Alex's salary next year and in a much better position to make Operation 189 work, they could be off the hook for every last cent for every last year of that miserable contract that they themselves created and offered to Rodriguez back in 2007.  I don't think it's fair to suggest that the Yankees are helping MLB make their case against Alex, but they certainly aren't and haven't been doing anything to help him.

This is really all A-Rod has left and he knows it's basically him against the world.  Can't hate on a guy for taking that opposition head on.